We believe the world can never get enough magical products, so we invest in the entrepreneurs who build and bring those products to life. We’re also product obsessives ourselves. Here, we’re sharing some of the products — both simple and inventive — that made our lives easier and more fun this year (listed in no particular order).
“A beautifully designed camera with an amazing lens. I mostly shoot film but the Leica Q is my favorite digital camera.” — Bijan Sabet
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“I’m obsessed with this bag because of its range of use cases. It’s small enough to use every day unobtrusively, yet flexible enough to be my only bag on the road for up to three days. Tons of external access pockets and organization hacks, and when empty, it’s featherlight.” — Andrew Parker
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“I used to be a fat wallet guy (yes, like the Costanza wallet Seinfeld episode). I did some hard editing on what I needed to carry every day and converted to a BASICS wallet this year. Super affordable, and it’s so thoughtfully designed. It has a clever pull tab to access half the wallet at a time, and then a wide durable elastic wrapper to allow the cards to fan out once divided in half. It forces me to carry only a few bills in cash, which in our increasingly cashless economy is great. The soft feel of the fabric and leather mix after six months of natural wear and tear is delightful.”— Andrew Parker
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“Become an expert DJ in 30 seconds flat. My favorite new toy, this iPhone/iPad enabled game from the makers of Rock Band is a feat of both game design and sound engineering. There is an awesome music battling game, but it is so magical and foolproof that I like just having guests at parties step up to it and DJ the party themselves. (Customary disclaimer that this is a Spark portfolio company, that doesn’t keep me from loving the product dearly).” — Nabeel Hyatt
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“Delicious, low-acid cold brew coffee that comes in a can. Perfect for powering through a long day at the office (180 mg caffeine) or enjoying on a warm, relaxing summer afternoon.” — John Melas-Kyriazi
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“This falls under content technically but it’s a media product I enjoyed this year. Great personal stories on the ups and downs of building a huge business. I like the non-tech stories actually better than the tech ones.” — Alex Finkelstein
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“I’m a forever fan of handwritten cards, and the Punkpost app takes snail mail to the next level with their cute cards and talented ‘scriptists’ who turn your message into a work of art. You can schedule cards in advance, add photos, confetti, and basically… look like the most thoughtful and creative friend ever, for about $6–8 a pop. — Dominique Farrar
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“I’ve been riding skateboards as long as I can remember. I am in love with this electric longboard. It goes 20 mph and gets me around town with a smile on my face.” — Bijan Sabet
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“My favorite product has been this portable charger. I go on day trips away from the Bay Area (even a weekend trip) and never worry about being a slave to a wall, especially in airports. Gives me five+ full charges and faster than a wall outlet.” — Alex Clayton
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“This is super simple but owning a cast iron skillet has changed my life this year. Easy to clean, goes from stovetop to the oven, gives everything I cook a nice browning and even makes grilling meat straight forward. People think they’re super expensive but they’re not. Target sells one for $15. I don’t know why I waited so long to own one and now I feel like I am truly #adulting” — Rachael Horwitz
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“A beautiful podcasting app that allows you to listen to your favorite podcasts and easily discover new ones. By connecting to your network on Breaker, you can quickly expand your podcasting horizons by seeing what your friends are listening to and liking.” — John Melas-Kyriazi
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“A smoked altbier brewed with charred manzanita wood… it’s the perfect beer for cold San Francisco winter nights.” — Will Reed
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“Discord (Spark company!) has totally changed the way my friends and I communicate both during and outside of gameplay, while also allowing me to interact with developers of games I love and participate in more meaningful real-time discussions with the subreddits I follow.” — Will Reed
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“It’s the everyman or everywoman’s coffee snob toy. It’s super affordable by comparison to the $1000+ you can spend worshipping caffeine with fancy imported technology. It’s faster than a pour over with as-good taste. Clean-up is the easiest of any of the coffee tools I’ve used (just run under water and set to dry), and there’s an obsessive cult following of people optimizing its usage online if you really want to geek out.” — Andrew Parker
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“These lures are awesome. Manufactured on Cape Cod by Capt. Mike Hogan who designed each product in the field. So well thought through.” — Alex Finkelstein
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“Sequel to Monument Valley, made by the indie game and design studio in London, Ustwo. It tells the story of a mother and daughter, through incredibly designed architecture and vividly colored pathways. A reminder of how special digital experiences can be.” — Yasmin Razavi
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“I’m obsessed with this new science-based Keratin hair care line.” — Megan Quinn View the product
“My fondness for AirPods is no secret. I have a few pairs, and love running with them even though they look a little ridiculous.” — Megan Quinn
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“I’ve always got a notebook and pen in my pocket, as note-taking has been shown to greatly boost memory and conceptual recall. For notebooks, I love Moleskin as a company, but my favorite current notebook for tooth and feel are the one’s from Franklin Christoph. For pens I want something small enough to be in my pocket, but not too expensive as I lose them constantly. Muji produces a small wooden pen made in wood that is under $10 and perfect for this use.” — Nabeel Hyatt
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“This one is a little indulgent for sure, but I just want my coffee to stay at the right temperature. This is a clean, simple, wonderfully executed product. I’m so glad Ammunition decided to produce an electronic product with a ceramic mug vs plastic/metal so the feel is still warm and inviting.” — Nabeel Hyatt
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“Kids making messes and dog hair really push my OCD. This thing hangs on the wall and is easy to maneuver for quick clean ups in the kitchen” . — Kevin Thau View the product
“Buying frames, finding wall space, choosing which pics to hang is a pain. This beautiful frame (Spark investment) makes it easy and is cool looking.” — Kevin Thau
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“This one is cheaper, better, and fits with the decor. Most walls are white — duh!” —Santo Politi
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“This is a convenient and affordable product if you are paranoid about device security, like I am.” — Santo Politi
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“And squeezing in more more: the best bike-related product that continues to amaze me is the Copenhagen Wheel by Superpedestrian (a Spark company). It will change the way you think about cycling in your daily life.” — Santo Politi
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Spark Capital is an early and growth stage venture capital firm that takes risks on exceptional founders and the products they design. Keep in touch with us by subscribing to our newsletter here.
