2017 Totally Unbiased Holiday Gift Guide
We, at Great Oaks, are very lucky to partner with ambitious entrepreneurs reimagining products & experiences for consumers in a range of industries. This year, I put together a list of products and services that are among the most exciting consumer brands we’ve been lucky enough to work with!
Check out the guide below and find a gift for everyone on your list!
Porter Road — High Quality Meat, Raised Right
One of our most recent investments, Porter Road is a modern take on a staple, created by focusing on raising the highest quality product. Porter Road meat is raised without hormones or antibiotics, is grass fed and pasture raised. Chris Carter and James Peisker have built a cult following already in Nashville, TN and now they are ready to bring their Tennessee/ Kentucky raised Beef, Pork, Lamb and Chicken fresh to your doorstep. Porter Road will not fully launch until early 2018 but you can check out their site and make orders now!
I recommend the Porter Road Starter Kit ($100) for the meat lover on your list. The starter kit will supply meat lovers with plenty of ammo to put their cooking and grilling skills to the test. The starter kit includes 2 dry aged steaks, 2 pork chops, 2 lbs of dry aged ground beef, 1 lb of bacon, 1 lb of country sausage, and 1 lb of chorizo sausage!
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Porter Road special:
Nashville Scene — Porter Road Owners Discuss City’s Meat Evolution
Forbes 30 Under 30 — James Peisker, 27, Co-Founder of Porter Road
Allbirds — The World’s Most Comfortable Shoes
If you’ve seen me in the past year and a half, chances are that I was wearing Allbirds. We invested in Tim Brown and Joey Zwilinger a few months before they launched Allbirds, which TIME Magazine dubbed the shoes “the most comfortable shoes in the world.” The Wool Runners were an instant hit and led to new styles including the slip on Wool Loungers and more recently Smallbirds made for kids! In addition to unprecedented comfort, Allbirds uses natural, sustainable materials in their products. Tim’s upbringing in New Zealand led him to first leverage New Zealand’s abundant supply of Merino Wool.
I recommend the Wool Runners ($95) or Smallbirds ($55) for virtually anyone on your list. In addition to being the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn, they aren’t cluttered with logos or name brands on all sides and can be worn in almost any setting from around the house to business casual.
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Allbirds special:
New York Times — To Fit Into Silicon Valley, Wear These Shoes
Eero — The Ultimate Home WiFi System
Eero is a product that is not loved only for its brand or aesthetic, but for it’s undeniable results. I saw a 6x improvement in download speed after switching from my old NETGEAR router to an eero WiFi System. Eero uses a mesh network to cover every inch of your home, and offer you the fast high-speed internet you already pay for. Whether you have ethernet installed throughout your house or just in a single room, eero can automatically mesh over Ethernet. As the only system that can leverage Ethernet wiring in any configuration, eero ensures you always get the fastest speeds and the best coverage. Eero is WiFi made for the streaming generation!
I recommend the 2–4 Bedroom Pack ($399) for the tech oblivious on your list. Eero’s product is so easy, you don’t need to know anything to instal and operate it. It comes with a companion app to understand whats wrong and fix it. The Eero will automatically update its software about once a month. The 2–4 Bedroom Pack comes with 1 Eero Router and 2 Eero Beacons!
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Eero so special:
Wall Street Journal — Eero Offers a Tool to Eliminate Wi-Fi Dead Spots
Gizmodo — Eero Wifi Brings Glorious Minimalism to Mesh Networking
Away — Thoughtful Luggage for Modern Travel
Away has forever made travel a better experience for me and was born out of frustration with luggage options in the market. Founders Steph Korey and Jen Rubio met while working together at Warby Parker. They started Away with travelers wants and needs in mind. Outside: an impenetrable shell that bends under pressure, but never breaks. Inside: two compartments, one designed for clothes, the other for shoes, toiletries, and other hard objects as well as a nylon laundry bag and a built-in compression pad so you can fit as much as possible in your bag! While building the most incredible functional luggage on the market, they didn’t sacrifice style or design in the process!
I recommend the Bigger Carry-On Monogram Edition ($295) for the traveler on your list. The Bigger Carry-On allows you to fit the most into your bag, without checking luggage. It comes with a built in phone charger so you’ll never run out of battery when on the go. The monogram edition allows you to make this gift a one-of-a-kind for the traveler on your list!
***Get 10% off your Away order with code: “henryrules”
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Away so special:
TechCrunch - Away Nears 100K Stylish Suitcases Sold, Raises $20 Million
CNN - Away Founders Changed the Luggage Industry after Travel Mishap
Sugarfina-Candy Concoctions from Across the Globe
Sugarfina is one of a few companies we invested in whose founders are also husband & wife. Josh Resnick & Rosie O’Neil got the idea for Sugarfina while they were dating, after they went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on their second date. Since launching Sugarfina in 2012, it has grown into a candy empire with over a dozen boutiques across the U.S. & Canada. They have become famous for their collaborations with brands like Hello Kitty, Dom Pérignon, Casamigos Tequila, Pressed Juicery & Whispering Angel Rosé.
I recommend the Customizable Christmas Candy Bento Box ($64) for the sweet tooth on your list. It will allow you to customize the selection to exactly what is the best fit for the person on your list. Pick from popular Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne Bears, Rosé All Day® Bears, Single Malt Scotch Cordials*, Pressed Juicery Green Juice Bears and Martini Olive Almonds!
*Contains alcohol
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Sugarfina so special:
Goldman Sachs - Sugarfina Founders: Builders & Innovators Summit
Fortune - Sugarfina Raises $35M to Expand Instagramable Candy Empire
Rumble — Boxing Inspired Group Fitness Classes
Rumble has quickly become one of the most popular workouts in New York City. Rumble launched in early 2017 with one studio in Flatiron to fanfare, followed quickly by sold out classes. We invested around their launch and the company is also backed by big names like Justin Bieber. Rumble is frequently the workout of choice for celebrities, athletes and models which adds an extra element of excitement and hype the the workout. Boxing has been proven to be one of the most complete workouts for your body, and uses every part of your body. Core, arms and legs are all put to the test while the music blares like a late night club, motivating you through all 10 rounds at Rumble.
I recommend the 5 Class Pack ($165) for the fitness enthusiast on your list. Rumble quickly becomes addictive as an efficient, fun and strenuous workout. Giving the fitness enthusiast 5 classes will go a long way toward starting 2018 off right and in shape at NYC’s hottest group fitness concept.
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Rumble special:
PEOPLE: Rumble, the workout Kendall Jenner, Justin Bieber, David Beckham & Selena Gomez Love
Good Morning America — Inside Rumble, the new Boxing Fitness Craze
Hungryroot- Gluten Free, Plant Based Comfort Foods
Hungryroot is the rare companies that bridges a gap between two competing forces. Healthy ingredients and delicious food. We invested in Hungryroot Founder and CEO Ben McKean (a fellow Fenn school graduate) right around the time I started dating Laura, who happens to be Gluten Free. While I would never previously have gone out of my way to eat Gluten Free foods, Hungryroot made it easy because their food is first and foremost delicious and creative and also happens to be Gluten Free. We have a Hungryroot subscription and make sure we get our staples weekly. Those typically include desserts, breakfasts and vegetable noodles for a few dinners a week.
I recommend the Starter Set ($59) for the Gluten Free foodie on your list. The Starter Set include 3 meals (2 servings each) plus 4 sides, snacks or sweets. My favorites include meals like Cheesy Butternut Squash Fries and Sweet Potato Pad Thai as well as snacks and sweets like Banana Bread Overnight Oats and Almond Chickpea Cookie Dough.
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes HungryRoot special:
FORTUNE — Hungryroot Raises $7.7M to Make Sinful Food Healthier
FORBES - Celebrity Chef Startup makes Veggies the Star of Your Plate
Rep The Squad — Pro Sports Jersey Subscription
Rep The Squad launched this Fall to cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, Denver and Detroit. The company currently operates across those cities for both NBA & NFL teams. Rep The Squad is helping sports fans wallets given expensive prices of authentic sports jerseys & constantly evolving rosters. Have a child who is a big sports fan, but don’t know if their jersey will fit in a few months or if their favorite player will still be with the team next year? Try Rep the Squad and give them the choice of who to rep, every week.
I recommend the 6 Month Subscription ($89.95) for the sports fan on your list. Whether a football fan, basketball fan or both, awesome throwbacks and fast changing rosters will be sure to keep sports fans fully up to date and ready for the next big game. Rep The Squad will continue to launch more cities and sports in 2018 as the company grows.
Don’t take my word for it, learn about what makes Rep the Squad special:
ESPN — Rep The Squad aims to disrupt jersey business with rental model
GeekWire — Rep the Squad launches NBA, raises $2.5M from athletes, VCs
UrbanStems — Flowers, Succulents & Gifts Delivered
Flowers are expensive. Cheap flowers become expensive when you have to make up for sending cheap flowers. UrbanStems set out to cut through the layers of fees in flower delivery to send beautiful bouquets at affordable prices. We met Ajay Kori when he was just starting UrbanStems in Washington D.C. after leaving Harvard Business School and Quidsi.com and had experience in the operationally intensive field of e-commerce and logistics. Ajay and team have built a strong brand, expanded UrbanStems across several major US cities, and increased the quality of flowers every year. Every UrbanStems flower is sustainably sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms and expertly curated by UrbanStems original floral designers.
I recommend the 3 Month Gift ($148) for the special lady in your life, whether thats your girlfriend, wife, best friend or mother! The 3 month gift locks you in to send flowers once a month for three months at a discounted rate. Whether you have a birthday, anniversary, holiday or just because its a Tuesday this is sure to score you some points with the lady in your life!
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes UrbanStems special:
FastCompany-Flower Delivery Startup UrbanStems hopes to Bloom in NY
Wall Street Journal — Can UrbanStems Change the Way You Buy Flowers?
Wim — Fresh Frozen Yogurt Made in Your Kitchen
Laura eats a lot of frozen yogurt in the Summertime. Almost every weeknight during the Summer we would head out to PinkBerry or 16 Handles to get frozen yogurt. My interest was peaked when we met Bart Stein and the Wim team, using years of technical experience at Apple, Google and NASA to create Wim. While the concept of Wim is very simple the technology behind Wim is very complex. Each Wim-Bowl is frozen on the spot in your kitchen, it’s creamier, smoother & honestly, just tastes better. It was a magical experience watching Wim create an appliance that did something that no other product in the kitchen can do. Best of all, with Wim, frozen yogurt is fresh and allows you to decide whether you want skim milk, whole milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk or whatever milk will be on trend by next year. No more freezer burn or months old cartons — just freshly made frozen yogurt.
I recommend buying a Wim Appliance + 5 Pack of Wim Bowls ($299) for the serial dessert eater on your list. This will give them the tools to create fresh, healthy frozen yogurt right in their kitchen every night. Once you’ve gotten into a routine of having Wim, you will never want to go back to having freezer burnt cartons of frozen yogurt or ice cream again.
Don’t take my word for it, learn more about what makes Wim Yogurt special:
Bloomberg — Meet Wim, a Gadget That’ll Make Fast Frozen Yogurt on Your Kitchen Counter
EATER — Here Comes the Keurig of Fro-Yo
