The Entrepreneurs

Richard Burger, Martijn Obers and Dirk de Bruijn are the founders of Swapfiets, a full-service subscription bike company aiming to make travelling the city on two wheels hassle-free. The three founders met at the University of Technology in Delft and launched the company in 2014. For a monthly fee, Swapfiets will make sure you always have a bike, with repairs and insurance covered in the cost.

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Nic Akinnibosun and Rico Oyejobi are the co-founders of Saint Ogun, a rum blended with spirits from five noted distilleries which celebrates the pair’s shared heritage and passions. Plus: we look at investment app Tickr with co-founder Tom McGillycuddy. The Certified B company has created a platform that allows people to invest in companies that are having a positive impact on our world and the environment.

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Jessica Fong is the co-founder of Common Farms, a Hong Kong-based urban farm launched in 2017 that grows greens, herbs and edible flowers, supplying some of Hong Kong’s top restaurants and offering a home-delivery service. Its indoor vertical farming model is helping more people to eat fresh and local. Fong was inspired by the produce of Italy.

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Oskar Smolokowski is the chairman of Polaroid, the classic instant-photography brand that many thought was lost to time when its last film factory closed in 2008. Smolokowski and the Berlin-based start-up The Impossible Project not only revived the brand but have also created new cameras and film. Plus: aeronautical engineer turned fashion designer Ryan Mario Yasin discusses the future of wearable technology and innovation in clothing around his brand Petit Pli.

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Rafael Artijas is founder and CEO of Loog Guitars. The three-string guitars made for children as young as three have become a regional hit in the Americas. Launched in 2011 by the Uruguayan music lover, every instrument comes with an app, flashcards and online lessons that get kids rocking from day one. Monocle’s Lucinda Elliott sat down with Artijas in Montevideo to fine tune one of their latest creations.

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Harpreet Singh Rai is CEO of Oura, a Finnish company launched in 2013. Oura’s lightweight ring, which is designed to be worn all day, evaluates sleep and activity to give its wearer minute details about their health and wellbeing. Metrics such as heart-rate variability, respiratory rate and body temperature can be discreetly measured through a growing number of wearables, including Oura, in a market that was valued at more than $37bn (€31bn) last year and is forecast to top $100bn (€85bn) in 2027.

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Katrina Smith and Gianluca Franzoni are the co-founders of Nubocha, a US-based company that has developed a healthy and delicious dairy-free gelato for the American market. Launched in 2018, the husband-and-wife team worked to develop an innovative recipe using high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients, including Italian hazelnuts and Ecuadorian cacao. Franzoni is an Italian chocolatier who created premium chocolate brand Domori in the 1990s.

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Lucas London is CEO and co-founder of Lick, a UK-based home-décor brand launched in 2020, which makes paint, wallpaper and blinds. The company recently partnered with Made.com and is aiming to inspire more people to take on home renovations. Plus: Monocle’s Nina Milhaud speaks to Karana co-founder Blair Crichton about the brand’s whole plant-based meat alternative – made from jackfruit – and Asia’s growing taste for meat alternatives.

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Taylor Simmons is the CEO of Coco Shop, a clothing brand which was first established on the Caribbean island of Antigua in 1949. The retail outpost became well-known to island residents and visitors alike for its patterned summer dresses and shirts. When the founders retired in 2017, the brand’s future was uncertain. Simmons is leading with design and is aiming to elevate the brand without stepping on what has made the label so beloved for decades.

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Benjamin Swan is CEO and co-founder of Sustenir Agriculture, a Singapore-based company that has created a unique vertical farming model to help tackle food insecurity, reduce waste and lower the carbon footprint of food production. Plus: we hear from Hammerhead CEO and founder Pieter Morgan on creating a bike computer that can power the pros – including his investor and high-school friend Chris Froome – and make our streets safer for everyone.

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