Holiday Gift Guide: Women Owned Businesses
This holiday season you can not only purchase great gifts for the people you love, including your clients and employees, but you can do good at the same time by shopping from women-owned businesses from around the country.
There’s no better time to vote with your pocketbook. You can make a difference in our society and the lives of the women behind these businesses.
Check out the product / gift offerings from some of my portfolio companies (startups I’ve invested in). All are women-owned and are geographically diverse.
I’ve included IG links so please give them the gift of following on social media.
Quick Hits: Absinthia, Afterglow, Elektra Health, NudeBarre, Outlaw Soaps, Silk +Sonder, The Sip, TomboyX, Wearwell.
The Sip: champagne subscription boxes and corporate gifts; making champagne more accessible.
As Black women, co-founders Erica Davis and Catherine Carter had always been told to drink pink or order sweet. But having someone telling them what to think and drink just wasn’t their style.
They wanted to sip on champagne during girls nights without judgement. They wanted to hit up tasting rooms without feeling like they needed a PhD to fit in.
They started The Sip to open up sparkling wine to more people. To help bridge the racial disparity in the industry. To give back to theircommunity. And honestly, just to have a damn good time!
Black women owned business; based in Oakland, CA. The Sip on IG.
NudeBarre: is a high-performing bodywear brand fighting colorism in the fashion industry by redefining the concept of nude.
Nude Barre carries the widest shade range on the market, leading the conversation around inclusivity and authentic representation in fashion today and was born from the firsthand frustrations and colorism the founder, Erin Carpenter, experienced. Growing up as a Black woman and dancer, she experienced years of hardships finding hosiery that matched her skin tone, often spending hours dyeing her tights and “pancakeing” her shoes to meet the industry’s requirement of “nude” undergarments. “Nude” has long been defined as a singular shade in everything from beauty to bodywear. This limited, traditional notion has not only created barriers, but left a diverse population unseen.
If supporting diversity and inclusion is important to you, shop NudeBarre this holiday season! This week shop 30% off. No code needed.
Black woman-owned business; based in NYC. NudeBarre on IG.
Wearwell: sustainable and ethical clothing, accessories, home goods and more, including personalized styling.
Co-founders Erin Houston and Emily Kenney are on a mission to revolutionize the fashion industry to work better for people and the planet.
They started Wearwell to make it easy to buy the most ethical + sustainable products and support the brands making a positive impact for garment workers and the environment.
Shop Wearwell this holiday season with the following promotions!
- Now-Dec 4th: 25% off sitewide, up to 70% off sale items, and free shipping on orders $100+. Automatically applied at checkout.
- Dec 5–25: 20% off sitewide, up to 65% off sale, free shipping on all orders, and earn up to $120 in bonus gift cards when you give a wearwell gift card. Automatically applied at checkout.
- The Holiday Shop is a great place to find curated collections.
Based in Philadelphia, PA. Wearwell on IG.
Outlaw Soaps: true-to-life boldly scented soaps, colognes, chapsticks, beard oil, body wash, and deodorant.
Co-founders (and couple) Danielle and Russ Vincent set on the task of finding every scent that inspired delightful memories: the rich leather of a saddle shop, the smoky scent of a campfire, the sweetness of whiskey, the sharpness of gunpowder, and the high desert.
True-to-life scents open a portal in your brain, reach back and grab a happy memory associated with that scent, and bring it right here with you (metaphorically, not literally).
Based in Sparks, Nevada. Outlaw Soaps on IG.
TomboyX: undergarments, swimwear, loungewear for any BODY; redefining the definition of beauty.
TomboyX was founded the way many brands are, trying to fill a need that had gone unfilled for far too long. Co-Founders and life partners Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzales asked themselves, “How hard can it be to make good underwear?” And by that they meant underwear that fit regular bodies and fit how they saw themselves. And underwear that any body could feel comfortable in, regardless of where they fell on the size or gender spectrum.
Fit-tested on hundreds of bodies, size 3XS-6X.
Be exactly who you were born to be.
Lesbian, women, over the age of 50 co-founders, based in Seattle, WA. TomboyX on IG.
Silk and Sonder: mental wellness platform and community committed to making daily self-help and self-care easy. Started with the Silk + Sonder planner/journal.
The search for answers led founder Meha Agrawal to create a tool for herself that blended reflection with planning, intention with action. When she saw how transformative bringing pen to paper was, she set out to create a guided experience that makes self care more intentional, joyful, and personalized for everyone. Because when we show up for ourselves, we show up better for our colleagues, our family, our community, and our world.
Silk + Sonder is about being you, accepting where you are, and discovering where you want to go. Life’s too short to not be in the driver’s seat.
Indian woman-owned, based in San Francisco, CA. Silk + Sonder on IG.
Afterglow: ethical porn made by women, enjoyed by everyone.
Founder Lilly Sparks is on a mission to inspire great sex. She started Afterglow to reduce shame and stigma, create a safe space, and for you to learn you can trust yourself, lean into your hell yes, and communicate what you want.
Lilly and her team want everyone to experience more pleasure. To feel lit up in their lives. And to know that their desires are beautiful, unique, and worthy of being fulfilled
Based in Austin, TX. afterglow on IG.
Elektra Health: Menopause expertise for the 21st century woman: platform with evidence-based education, one on one support, private community of women. breaking the menopause taboo.
Co-founders Alessandra Henderson and Jannine Versi believe women deserve to live a bold, fearless & thriving menopause, and beyond and created a first-of-its-kind platform with evidence-based education, 1:1 support, and a private community of women.
They are committed to empowering women with honest, science-backed expertise & solutions that they want for ourselves.
50 million women are currently navigating menopause in the US. While this transition is a universal female experience, it’s shrouded in stigma, shame, and secrecy — and it’s affecting our personal and professional lives. It’s time to change the narrative, because we deserve better.
Get Personalized Support From Menopause Experts:
Only 20% of OB/GYNs are menopause-trained. When you join Elektra Health, you’ll:
- Get paired 1:1 with a healthcare professional who specializes in menopause care
- Receive a custom wellness plan
- Access educational material, a private community & expert-led events
Sign up today with code TERRIVIP to receive 50% off your Elektra membership: https://www.elektrahealth.com/lp/guide-membership-2/
Based in NYC. Elektra Health on IG.
Absinthia Bottle Spirits: absinthe and small-batch cocktail syrups.
Founder Absinthia Vermut loved absinthe so much she changed her name to Absinthia. She cares about the ingredients and flavor as much as she does your cocktails and mocktails.
The brands in the Absinthia’s Bottled Spirits portfolio strike the balance between timeless flavors and modern mixology. The syrups are made with all natural ingredients, while the spirits are made with all organic ingredients.
Based in Oakland, CA. Absinthia on IG.
Terri Hanson Mead is a Silcon Valley based angel investor focused on investing in startups with products and services that expand the power and influence of women. She is on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and is the author of Piloting Your Life, which she wrote to encourage women to design and live a life of their own creation and be the pilots in their own lives. In her spare time, Terri flies helicopters around the San Francisco Bay Area.
