entrepreneurs 21


Pictures by Angus Thomas


King of Shaves from KMI so it became its own limited company, which owns all the core IP and the technology. I’m no longer a shareholder in KMI, which is run by my co-founding business partner Herbie, but I am still a director.


What’s the technology behind Hyperglide?


Water softens stubble by 90%, but to “hold” the water on your face, and provide lubrication, you have always needed to apply prep – a shave gel, foam, cream or oil. For razor cartridges to perform well, they’ve also needed a lubrication strip – a Lubestrip – which was debuted by Gillette on its Trac 2 razor in 1976.


In 2009 we came across super-hydrophilic advanced technology, which had been developed


by a spin-out team from Sheffield University for the medical device industry. We recognised its potential and between 2009-14 have invested £7m to bring this project to fruition. By coating the entire shaving surface of the razor cartridge it creates its own “HydroGel” so all you have to do is add water and shave. It delivers a level of glide, which is literally off the scale, the key patents have a lifespan of 18-20 years and is far advanced on existing products, which have been using the same technology since 1976.


Being able to shave just using water is quite revolutionary and, if you still want to use products, then it will be even better and prolong the life of the cartridge. It’s a win win.


When did you first use Hyperglide?


It was the day after Valentine’s Day, 2011, I knew as soon as I used it, that it was amazing and was going to change the face of shaving.


Did you always know you would succeed?


We knew it would work unless there were some problems which were impossible to solve, and nothing in there was impossible. It was difficult, but it was always probable we could do it, we just didn’t realise it would take so long and cost so much.


How did the launch go?


We launched in the UK in January this year, and the feedback and reviews were fantastic. In February it went into an initial 200 stores in the US, and it will roll out to other countries around the world including Australia and New Zealand later this year.


Do you adhere to the Made in England mantra?


97% of it is made here, we have a factories in High Wycombe and Chesham and employ five people at our Hyperglide facility, all of whom are PhD chemists. All of our other shaving products


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2014


are made in the UK too. With Hyperglide, and the super-hydrophilic technology, we are the only people doing this in the world. We built the facility from scratch and it was important to me to manufacture it in England. We also have the office in Beaconsfield with 15 people and about 150 people are involved in the supply chain overall.


How do you give back to the community?


Both my parents were teachers and I’m involved with Speakers for Schools, which is an independent charity founded by the BBC business editor Robert Peston. I regularly go into schools to talk about being an entrepreneur and how to get started in business. I supported students in Bristol who put on a fashion, music and dance show in February called Fuze 2014, which raised funds for Anti-Slavery International, and I’ve also been involved in the Beating Bowel Cancer campaign through King of Shaves’ Prostyle range.


You will be 50 next year, what are your future plans?


I have a fabulous brand in a world which is increasingly dominated by a few multinational companies, and I’m focused on disrupting their monopoly on shaving. I have given myself two to three years to deliver on the promises that I know Hyperglide is capable of and then I’ll see where it goes. I won’t be the “I came, I saw, I shaved, I died” guy. There’ll be something else…


Do you ever have the chance to sail these days?


I haven’t sailed properly for about three years but my first love (after my wife and son of course) will always be sailing.


And to sign off? The end is only the start. Details: www.thekingofshavescompany.com


www.businessmag.co.uk


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