The Entrepreneurs

Christian Lane’s foray into the world of entrepreneurship began with a folder for large documents, which he called the Foldio. He’s since gone on to make your kitchen a more connected place with his company Smarter, which introduced the world to the wi-fi kettle and new product FridgeCam. But how did he make the jump from paper to the ‘internet of things’?

Tom Adeyoola is on a mission to build his company into what he calls the “Google of size and shape” and he’s raised millions and hired 14 PhD holders to make it a reality. Metail is a London-based fashion-technology start-up that allows customers to discover and purchase clothes online that fit them perfectly, based on their personal measurements. It’s a lucrative space that many start-ups have tried to conquer – but few have succeeded. Why? Adeyoola explains Metail’s rocky beginnings and tells us how they’ve come out on top.

Harry Triggs and Andrew Molyneux met at university, studying industrial design. Triggs went on to be a lighting consultant and Andrew a product designer but in 2012 they combined forces to launch TM Lighting, helping clients to create the perfect lighting conditions for works of art.

A few years ago Aron Gelbard realised that the way we send and receive flowers was pretty inefficient. It usually begins with searching the internet for florists and ends with a knock at the door when the receiver is not at home. Aron and his friend Ben Stanway decided there had to be a better way. Their company, Bloom & Wild, boxes up fresh flowers in a container that fits through your door’s letterbox. But getting from idea to execution involved a healthy dose of innovation. This week, Aron explains how they did it.

Luke Sweeney and Thom Whiddett got their start in menswear, working for the bespoke-tailoring icon Timothy Everest. In 2007 they set off on their own to create much-loved brand Thom Sweeney. On their 10-year anniversary they tell us how they did it.

In the mid-1990s Australia-born Jasper Cuppaidge ended up in London after missing his connecting flight while on a surfing trip. Years later and still in London, he founded one of the city’s most famous and beloved beer brands, Camden Town Brewery, which he recently sold to much fanfare and controversy to the world’s largest brewer – for £85 million. This week Cuppaidge tells us what happened between that missed flight and that big sale, and what he’s learnt along the way.

Ashton spent 30 years in global finance and banking, running trade floors and working as a partner at a hedge fund. But the entrepreneurial itch struck and it came in the form of a wine case. He's now the CEO of 67 Pall Mall, a members club for wine-lovers. He tells us how he got the club from concept to cork.

Indian entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia has been building technology start-ups with his brother Divyank since they were teenagers, beginning with a business loan of a few hundred dollars from their father. The two have recently been catapulted into the world of billionaires after selling part of their company Directi for $160m and selling their advertising technology firm Media.net for $900m, the latter deal being one of the largest in ad-tech history. Bhavin shares what he’s learned and why he’s now deeply involved in his latest venture, the team messenger service Flock.

It’s an article of clothing that many people overlook but Vahan Hovhannisyan believes that socks are the world’s best conversation starter. Hovhannisyan is a co-founder of designer sock brand Look Mate, a company he brainstormed, built and launched with his brother while Hovhannisyan worked as an accountant for a luxury hotel in London. The socks are designed with top creative minds and produced by a father-daughter team in the brothers’ hometown in Armenia. But why socks – and how did the brothers get the company off the ground?

French entrepreneur Alexandre Mars founded one of Europe’s first-ever web agencies, one of the world’s largest mobile marketing agencies and sold his social-media management company to Blackberry – but he’s now on a mission to add a dose of efficiency to the world of philanthropy. And he thinks he’s found a formula that works. Alexandre chats to Daniel Giacopelli about the Epic Foundation, his New York-based platform that connects would-be philanthropists with charities focused on youth well-being.