Brothers Reuben (left) and Ryan Lee were co-founders of XMI, which was a poster boy for innovation in 2007 when it created a new global market in portable speakers. The home-grown creator of the colourful X-mini capsule speakers lost its way in recent years due to financial mismanagement, wireless technology disruption and lost margins on account of e-commerce, but it is now staging a comeback. Most of the new product ideas come from Ryan, an audiophile who developed a liking for unsynthesised music while busking in Europe for six months at the age of 20, with the guitar seen here.

SEE Makers of X-mini speakers still pushing to the max