Cool entrepreneurs have imagination, follow childhood dreams, and inspire others. They care about principles, technology, details, and making things. Cool entrepreneurs cross borders, take risks, and keep smiling despite the challenges of entrepreneurship.

1. WHAT MAKES A
COOL
ENTREPRENEUR?

2. THEY’VE GOT IMAGINATION
Koen Vanmechelen, conceptual artist. “Turbelence”

3. THEY FOLLOW CHILDHOOD
DREAMS
Concept car by Auckland designer Aaron McTurk

4. THEY INSPIRE
Marcel Kampman, creative brain behind Master Mundo and PICNIC, leads a crowd in song

5. THEY SEDUCE
‘indie’ lingerie brand La Fille d’O photoshoot

6. THEY STICK TO PRINCIPLES
Dr. Joomla Johan Janssens, co-founder of open source CMS Joomla

7. THEY CARE
3Fish, ethical merchandise

8. THEY DIG TECHNOLOGY
Tinkering on iPhone app 123dressme

9. THEY PULL A CROWD
Laurent Haug introducing a Lift speaker. Photo: Ivo Naepflin

10. THEY GET YOU THINKING
“ada”, an analog interactive installation by Karina Smigla-Bobinski

11. THEY LIKE
WORKING FROM
HOME
Tinch Studio, Dunedin New Zealand

12. THEY CARE ABOUT THE DETAILS
Garment by péro, emerging fashion brand from India

13. THEY LIKE MAKING THINGS
Interactive designer, Ishac Bertran

14. AND MASHING THINGS UP
Ishac’s work bench

15. THEY HAVE FUN
At play at the Copenhagen Institute for Interactive Design

16. AND PARTY
Launch party of Woodstock Cycleworks, Cape Town

17. THEY CROSS BORDERS
Unmanned aircraft maker, Gatewing, in Africa

18. AND TAKE TO THE SKIES

19. THEY KEEP SMILING

20. THEY’RE COOL ENTREPRENEURS
Koen Vanmechelen, Photo: Stoffel Hias