The Entrepreneurs

We delve into the inviting pages of the transport-focused June edition of Monocle magazine and explore a beautifully conceived and executed electric bus service that is keeping Toshima, Tokyo moving – with a smile. All aboard!

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When Svante Holm and co-founder Alban Mayne learnt that 80 billion plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles are thrown away every year, they quit their technology careers to start a business intent on disrupting the beauty industry. Svante explains how the pair spent two years developing the wide range of luxurious, solid bars they now offer. Designed in Stockholm and crafted in the South of France, the bars are made with 100 per cent renewable energy and 100 per cent organic fragrances from Grasse, and the business has committed to donate 20 per cent of its profits to organisations that protect the planet. Plus: the week’s Entrepreneurs news with Monocle’s business editor, David Hodari.

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We dive into the latest edition of Monocle magazine to celebrate an innovative business that’s really taking off. Not only is the Green Flight Academy the first professional flight school to offer training on electric aircraft but it likely represents the most eco-friendly way to secure a pilot’s licence.

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We dive into the latest edition of Monocle magazine to celebrate an innovative business that’s really taking off. Not only is the Green Flight Academy the first professional flight school to offer training on electric aircraft but it likely represents the most eco-friendly way to secure a pilot’s licence.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monocle 24’s weekly tour of the most inspiring people, companies and ideas in global business, from startups to heritage brands, covering the best in hospitality, design, fashion and retail.

Born into a family that owned one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in Damascus, Tareq Hadhad arrived in Canada in 2016 as a refugee of Syria’s civil war. He explains how he launched boutique chocolate brand Peace By Chocolate from his new home on Canada’s Atlantic coast.

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Hats off to two innovative businesses chasing perfection from head to toe. Varsity Headwear has changed the game in baseball caps, ensuring that every individual can find their perfect fit, feel and fabric. Batch LDN is reimagining the suit with fresh emphasis on sustainability, versatility and comfort.

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Grapekeeper allows anyone to become a winemaker by letting them own a portion of a vineyard in leading European wineries, which are committed to sustainable viticulture. Founded in Holland in 2018 by Ana Monforte, an environmental engineer and wine enthusiast, customers have access to premium estates and the possibility of tailoring wines to suit their palates. All this while helping to lower costs for producers who use traditional practices.

Shifting narratives around healthy eating and plant-based food have offered innovators an opportunity to establish and grow some brilliant businesses. Ella Mills is the founder and driving force behind Deliciously Ella ¬– the plant-based food platform that advocates for a delicious path to feeling better. As the business celebrates its first 10 years, Ella and her husband (and Deliciously Ella’s CEO) Matt Mills explain how the brand began out of necessity as a passion project but then evolved. Now Deliciously Ella features a leading range of plant-based food products, an app, a collection of bestselling recipe books, a podcast, restaurant, and a likeminded global community ¬– both on and offline.

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Kate Swanson founded stackable cookware brand Ensembl in Montrèal in 2020. She explains why she left a successful career in law to set up the business.

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