The Entrepreneurs

When bespoke tailoring fell short of his expectations, former Goldman Sachs banker John Buni launched Tailor Made London. The company uses high-precision body scanners to map customers’ bodies and create a perfect fit.

Brendan Murdock made his name as the founder of well-designed barbershops, which he called Murdock London. The brand was right at the forefront of a wave of new spots catering to men who care about their appearance and are willing to pay good money for smart grooming products. But Murdock has since left that eponymous firm to set up a more intriguing company: a health-and-wellness brand called Anatomē. Now he’s in the business of advising customers on their wellbeing and recommending vitamins, supplements and essential oils. The brand also has a flagship store in Shoreditch.

Craig Elbert is the co-founder and CEO of Care/of, a direct-to-consumer brand that specialises in vitamins and supplements. Care/of makes understanding what to buy and what to take simple, while giving customers access to research on vitamins. Founded in New York in 2016 by Elbert and Akash Shah, the company has recommended vitamins and supplements to more than one million people.

Launched in London in 2004, Rapha sets the benchmark for premium cycling wear. Its 22 shops-cum-cafés around the world act as community hubs for cyclists, selling performance and streetwear as well as skincare, self-produced films and an in-house magazine; it also provides luxury travel experiences. We met Simon Mottram, the founder and CEO.

Kevin Glynn and David Nolan are best friends, former Goldman Sachs bankers and now co-founders of Butternut Box: a company that creates fresh, delicious dog food and delivers it direct to customers. Since starting the business two years ago, they have served up one million meals to happy pooches across the land and just raised £5m (€5.6m) for expansion.

Timo Boldt is the co-founder and CEO of technology-cum-food business Gousto, one of the leading meal-kit providers in the UK. Since its launch in 2012 it has delivered more than 13 million meals and in March, off the back of strong growth, secured a further £28.5m (€32.4m) in funding to expand its reach and improve its technology. What’s cooking?

After making a name for herself designing bags for Puma, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and others, Jacqui Ma saw an opportunity to strike out on her own. In 2012, as a working mother who cycled everywhere, Ma noticed a lack of affordable and stylish bags on the market. And so Goodordering was born: manufacturer of colourful, practical and multifunctional bicycle bags for families and professionals.

Jen Rubio co-founded direct-to-consumer luggage company Away in 2016. She met business partner Stephanie Korey when the pair worked at eyewear venture Warby Parker; they took their experience and used it to disrupt an industry that they felt was stuck in a rut. With four shops across the US (and one coming to London), plus an exciting move to a new HQ in New York imminent, Away is well on its way.

Geoff Watts and Julia Fowler moved from Australia to London in 2009 to found retail-technology company Edited. Touted as the “Bloomberg terminal for fashion”, Edited uses big data and artificial intelligence to help some of the world’s biggest fashion retailers ensure their buyers make the right decisions. Today it has more than 100 staff spread across London, New York and San Francisco.

Brothers Taco and Ties Carlier founded the Dutch bike brand VanMoof in 2009 with the mission to reimagine how a bicycle can function in the cities of tomorrow. The slick electric bikes they design subtly integrate smart technology, such as a theft-defence system that includes a built-in alarm and an invisible lock. VanMoof now has shops in Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, Taipei and Tokyo.