The Entrepreneurs

Sharan Pasricha knows every detail counts in the world of hospitality. And it’s why the founder and CEO of Ennismore pushes his team to constantly think outside the box in designing inspiring and creative social hubs. The hospitality firm owns The Hoxton hotel chain, a host of restaurants and bars, and has also breathed new life into historic Gleneagles in Scotland. All of Ennismore’s properties are unique – inspired by the neighbourhoods where they exist.

Looking to the seafaring roots of his family – and the traditional ingredients used on the spice route connecting Asia, Africa and Europe for thousands of years – Jonathan Keren and his husband Doron Baduach launched a line of men’s grooming products in 2016, called Maapilim. Using a historical name for the Mediterranean, the brand has found success in focusing on quality products for men, without the macho marketing.

Nicolas Roope and Michael-George Hemus are the co-founders of London-based designer lighting company Plumen. While coming from very different backgrounds, the two shared a vision for what a design-first brand could become and set out to solve the problem of how to get consumers to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. Learning the industry in a meticulous long game and with beautiful design at the core of the brand, they created the world’s first designer efficient light bulb: the Plumen 001.

Airtasker is an online platform that helps users outsource everyday tasks. It was created by Tim Fung in 2012 and today there are more than 1.5 million people in Australia and the UK using it, with more than €13m worth of jobs available through the platform each month.

Sofia Fenichell is founder and CEO of Mrs Wordsmith, an illustrated children’s book series focusing on words that, according to data scientists, will help children succeed academically. ‘The Storyteller’s Illustrated Dictionary’ is an Amazon bestseller and the company recently raised $11m (€9.7m) from investors to expand into the US and China, with plans to create a digital component and cover different languages.

Simon Dent launched Dark Horses with London ad agency Lucky Generals two years ago. The aim was to build a network of entrepreneurial companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of top clients in the world of sport.

Andreas Palm and Christian Larson are the co-founders of premium Swedish underwear brand CDLP, which is stocked by top hotels and retailers around the world. Larson is a filmmaker who has created music videos for artists such as Sigur Rós and Kylie Minogue; Palm is a former CEO for fashion designer Ann-Sofie Back.

When a corporate career in business strategy led Ben Young into Australia’s waste-management sector, he quickly learned that disposable cups were a huge problem for landfill sites and oceans. Young spent four years product testing a reusable cup then launched Frank Green, which makes stylish reusable cups and bottles.

French serial entrepreneur Alexandre Mars has always seen business as an opportunity to drive positive social change in the world. Mars is a celebrated philanthropist and founder and CEO of the global nonprofit Epic. The foundation invests in social innovation, and transforming the lives of underprivileged youth. Mars is also the founder of blisce/, a tech fund which invests in startups; some of the profits used to fund Epic’s mission.

Adam and Ryan Goldston were student athletes at the University of Southern California when they started Athletic Propulsion Labs and created a basketball shoe proven to make players jump higher. Launched direct to consumer in 2010, APL’s Concept 1 basketball shoe became a global sensation overnight, helped along by the fact it was the first ever shoe banned by the National Basketball Association. Based in Los Angeles, APL now creates products across the luxury, performance and streetwear markets, stocked by 300 of the world’s finest high-end retailers.