16 ms·

YC’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

228 points by craigcannon 10y ago

koolba 10y ago
Unless there's a significant financial incentive to do so (ex: 2-to-1 match), don't give people gift cards. Gift cards are the biggest scam ever pulled by the retail industry, or more specifically, perpetuating the idea that giving cash is taboo. The one exception would be giving a preloaded credit card to someone who otherwise doesn't have access to one (ex: a niece/nephew that's far away) and only if there are no fees associated with initially loading it. I think AmEx has some kind of cyber monday promotion for that today. If you have to pay anything more than $0 then forget about it though. All that aside, Markhor looks interesting. I don't recall seeing them on HN (guess it's less "tech" than most YC companies) but the loafers look nice. Anybody here have any experience with them? Always on the look out for a better pair of shoes...
- dpark 10y ago
  > Unless there's a significant financial incentive to do so (ex: 2-to-1 match), don't give people gift cards. Gift cards are the biggest scam ever pulled by the retail industry, or more specifically, perpetuating the idea that giving cash is taboo. The problem is that cash often feels like not giving a gift at all. If you exchange fifty-dollar bills with a sibling, it feels pointless. Gift cards can alleviate that feeling. If you give your sibling an iTunes gift card it doesn't feel like nothing was exchanged even if they give you one back. Gifts are also an opportunity to give someone something they wouldn't typically buy for themselves. Ideally that would be a thoughtful gift but if you can't think of one, cash is likely to end up in the "general fund", while a gift card to a restaurant or a massage or a bookstore will be used for its intended purpose (with some risk of it being lost or sold on some card resale site).
  - muninn_ 10y ago
    This is true, but I think a better solution is to just buy a gift instead of cash or a gift card.
  - soylentcola 10y ago
    My (to be fair, minor) issue with gift cards is that they're essentially saying "hey, have some money...but you can only spend it at this one place of my choosing, not yours". I'm aware that this is pretty low on the list of problems you'd hate to have but it's there nonetheless. Let's say a relative has heard me talk about some Arduino project I'm messing with or something to do with building a computer. They don't know much about either of those things but they know I like "techie" stuff and gadgets so they get me a gift card from Best Buy, as that is the only electronics store they're really aware of. Now I've got a $100 gift card to a store that either doesn't sell any of the things I'd want to buy or charges a hefty markup over what I'd normally be willing to pay. Sure, I could sell the gift card to some bargain hunter for $95. They'd get $5 off, I'd get most of the value to spend elsewhere... ...but that's a hassle and not at all what the gift-giver would want to necessitate anyway. The other major option is to just suck it up and either buy something I don't really want/need out of the available Best Buy catalog or maybe buy that $100 item that I would've just found for $70 at Microcenter or Newegg. I think you nailed it when you pointed out issues of perception and tradition. Giving cash to someone other than an aging/retired parent or a young child comes off as odd. It's almost like you didn't care enough to think of a gift that they would actually enjoy or shows that you know them. I just think gift cards are about the same in that regard, only less desirable or useful.
    - toomuchtodo 10y ago
      I loved US gov EE savings bonds. LOVED THEM. I could say, "Here. I'm giving you a gift of investment, that will grow over time." It's almost impossible to buy the paper version now unless you're using your tax refund to do so.
      - VLM 10y ago
        No its definitely impossible and a tax refund can only get I series paper bonds unless its changed yet again. Also the rigged CPI-U is lower than the real world inflation rate, so you're basically buying a piece of paper for $100 today that can be sold for $90 years later plus you get to pay federal income tax on the inflation protection part (So $100 stuck in a mattress would be worth $80 in a couple years so you get to pay $10 worth of income tax).
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    My brothers and I alleviated that feeling by not giving each other stuff anymore. Maybe a knickknack or a tchotchke, just not "things we would each go ahead and buy if we wanted them".
    - CalRobert 10y ago
      For a few years running my sister and I bought each other Amazon GC's (it was always mildly awkward when the amounts didn't match). It really illustrated the madness of adults with decent jobs buying each other random crap for no particular reason.
  - munificent 10y ago
    The only reason I think gift cards feel more like a gift is because it means the giver put some thought into what you might want to spend it on. Thoughtfulness is important. But gift cards themselves suck. They are strictly worse than cash. If you want to be thoughtful but give them something more useful, give them cash with a card that says, "I thought you might enjoy spending this on ___."
    - avivo 10y ago
      Someone should make realistic looking fake gift cards that you can put cash bills inside. Or for the HN crowd, perhaps bitcoin wallet info.
      - Symbiote 10y ago
        Just use any greetings card and a paper clip, or cut a slot with a knife. Sometimes you can buy the right kind of cards in the places you normally buy greetings cards. Search "money enclosed greetings card".
  - Symbiote 10y ago
    Some of my relatives would give cash, with a request that I spend it on books, or a restaurant, or at the pub. That seemed a good balance: my aunt doesn't have to pick a CD or limit me to a single store. The UK has a national book tokens scheme, essentially gift cards that are accepted at almost all book shops (national chains and independents). This was a common prize for winning a competition at school, or similar. http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/ http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/
  - littledot5566 10y ago
    This is where the Asian culture 'gets it right'. Instead of putting money in a regular envelope, they color it red. Now it's a fancy hong bao, or red envelope.
- ryanlol 10y ago
  >All that aside, Markhor looks interesting. I don't recall seeing them on HN (guess it's less "tech" than most YC companies) but the loafers look nice. Anybody here have any experience with them? Always on the look out for a better pair of shoes... Googling 'site:styleforum.net "markhor"' only finds one hit, and sites like reddit are equally empty. Does this company actually exist? They've supposedly been around for a few years now but haven't really been discussed anywhere.
  - mwseibel 10y ago
    They do exist - I have a pair of Markhor shoes that I wore at my wedding last year and I love them :)
  - sidraqasim1 10y ago
    Fair point Ryan, in early days of our business we invested time in Styleforum/Reddit but the ROI was very low, so we changed our focus. But it looks like we need to get back to them, especially our new products will be very relevant to the community. Our current target customers are more on the lifestyle sites like GearPetrol and Racked. Let me know if you have any question, I am sidra (at) themarkhor.com
- rjvir 10y ago
  I don't think gift cards are a big conspiracy from the retail industry that primarily perpetuated the idea that cash is a bad gift. It seems more likely that cash became unpopular independently. And for good reason! Trading cash during holidays really ruins the fun! Perhaps the retail industry was just responding to demand - the market may just want gift cards!
  - rconti 10y ago
    The asinine "maintenance fees" and validity periods are absolutely a scam from the retail industry. Fortunately most of the worst practices are outlawed under CA law, but that's not the case in every state.
  - ikeboy 10y ago
    http://nytimes.com/2007/01/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.t.html http://nytimes.com/2007/01/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.t.html >As for gift cards — well, let’s just say there is good reason that they are known within the retail industry as a stored-value product: they store their value very well, and often permanently. The financial-services research firm TowerGroup estimates that of the $80 billion spent on gift cards in 2006, roughly $8 billion will never be redeemed — “a bigger impact on consumers,” Tower notes, “than the combined total of both debit- and credit-card fraud.” A survey by Marketing Workshop Inc. found that only 30 percent of recipients use a gift card within a month of receiving it, while Consumer Reports estimates that 19 percent of the people who received a gift card in 2005 never used it.
    - FireBeyond 10y ago
      Not to mention expiry dates (which Washington state has outlawed), some ridiculously short (before this, I'd see cards from some merchants that were 'valid for 90 days' only).
    - CmdrSprinkles 10y ago
      And while true, if that came out today it would probably be called "clickbait" Yes, 10% sounds about right for un-redeemed gift cards. But tell me, how often do you wear your xmas sweater? Have you ever gotten a gadget from a well-meaning uncle that just seemed stupidly dangerous and worthless? Gift cards aren't inherently a bad gift. Bad gifts are. If someone gives me a Victoria's Secret GC and I am not in the kind of relationship where I would buy my SO lingerie, then it is not going to get redeemed (and I will forget about it by the time I would have an opportunity to). Whereas, if someone got me a GC for Amazon Kindle or Steam I would use that pretty gosh darned fast. And obviously a store is going to push the GC. Even if it is a 20 buck card and you buy something for 19.99 they turn a profit. And more likely you'll spend 25 or 30
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  There are circumstances in which Gift Cards are acceptable. For example, gift cards for online stores (iTunes, Amazon, Steam, etc.). This is particularly acceptable for children, as they are otherwise unable to purchase items from such stores.
  - ryanlol 10y ago
    Couldn't you just give kids prepaid Visa/MC cards instead? And I'm not from the US, but the idea of school-age kids not having their own cards sounds a little funny to me.
    - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
      Not having credit cards? It's fairly common. Even Debit cards are not the sort of things you give to kids. As for prepaid Visas, they're a relatively recent thing, and generally less known.
      - ryanlol 10y ago
        >Not having credit cards? It's fairly common. Even Debit cards are not the sort of things you give to kids. Must be a huge pain in the ass. With modern electronic only debit cards it's really easy to give your kids cards and makes managing money within the family so much easier. Kid texts you after school and says they need $5 to go out with friends? Sure, pull up your phone app and instantly put $5 to their card. It's almost impossible to cleanly replicate this with cash. >As for prepaid Visas, they're a relatively recent thing, and generally less known. Sure, but at this point they're just as available as "normal" gift cards.
        qwertyuiop924 10y ago
        >but at this point they're just as available as "normal" gift cards. Sure, but they haven't entered the public consciousness in the same way yet.
        pimlottc 10y ago
- jordanlev 10y ago
  Eh, if I get cash I feel compelled to put it in my bank account and use it for normal daily expenditures (bills, etc)... but with a gift card I feel like I have permission to buy things that are just fun (especially if it's something like an iTunes gift card where you can't even buy something useful if you wanted to, unlike Amazon).
  - logfromblammo 10y ago
    Worse still is a paper check. I have to deposit that in my checking account to spend it. Once it is in there, it immediately becomes indistinguishable from the cash used to pay the utilities. Here, I want to buy you three cans of tuna, 75 kWh of electricity, and 4 gallons of gasoline. Enjoy! At least with cash, I could theoretically put it in a special envelope that is exclusively for fun expenses. Also, cash-equivalent gifts are a great way to tell your friends and family "I value our relationship at exactly $x/year." You can so easily compare it to previous years, and with what they typically give to you. But the worst gift of all is lottery scratch-off tickets. Here, I spent exactly $X to give you an amount of cash that is very likely to be between $0 and $X, but is probably just $0 or $1.
    - RJIb8RBYxzAMX9u 10y ago
      > Worse still is a paper check. I have to deposit that in my checking account to spend it. Once it is in there, it immediately becomes indistinguishable from the cash used to pay the utilities. Here, I want to buy you three cans of tuna, 75 kWh of electricity, and 4 gallons of gasoline. Enjoy! > At least with cash, I could theoretically put it in a special envelope that is exclusively for fun expenses. Deposit check while simultaneously take out the same amount in cash and put it in your wallet / envelope / hidden pocket; problem solved. If you don't have enough cash on hand to do the "conversion", then maybe you should consider spending it on utilities and expenses. > Also, cash-equivalent gifts are a great way to tell your friends and family "I value our relationship at exactly $x/year." While I understand your sentiment, and culture background also plays into it, I wouldn't frame it that way. It is a gift: you're not entitled to it, and it is the giver's prerogative to choose what to give. At worst, you could fault the giver for not being thoughtful, but at least they thought enough to give you something when they could also give you nothing. Moreover, the value / expense of the gift is a poor indicator of the strength or "value" of my relationship with the giver IMO. > But the worst gift of all is lottery scratch-off tickets. Agreed. And in the (extremely) unlikely event that you actually win big, fighting over who "owns" the ticket would be inevitable...
- teej 10y ago
  I own a pair of the Solemn Derbies (https://themarkhor.com/products/solemn-derbies https://themarkhor.com/products/solemn-derbies) and I love them. I was in the market for a pair of made-in-the-usa Allen Edmonds but I bought them instead. They're high quality, great construction, responsibly sourced, and the look great. I get compliments when I wear them out. Apologies for the terrible collage: http://imgur.com/UoFEy80 http://imgur.com/UoFEy80
  - sidraqasim1 10y ago
    thanks TJ, Sidra here (co-founder Markhor). Appreciate you buying our shoes and sharing the experience. The shoes indeed look great on you.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
  - Nadya 10y ago
    My family cheats at this. We keep wishlists of "items we know we need but can't justify purchasing yet". Then we exchange lists and pick things/a thing to gift. The trick here is you're no longer trying to "justify" the purchase to yourself and you get something you actually need/want instead of something they thought you needed/wanted. It also means you don't need to think hard about what to get. We've found we appreciate the gifts more because they are something we know with certainty that we'll use. There is still room to "surprise" with what is picked from the list. And in addition, you can pick similar items to items on the list to still throw that bit of "I thought you'd appreciate this too" in there.
- telesilla 10y ago
  Growing up, my grandparents would give us cash inside a Christmas card. A perfect gift - cash, plus a personal note. Make the message special and the cash will feel special.
jaoued 10y ago
Awesome idea this list. What an impressive (quantity and quality) - list of companies. Some of them are known to me as YC portfolio companies - because I buy from them or have heard of - but loads of them, I would not have guessed that they are YC funded.
mark242 10y ago
on edit: There are so many of these companies that are basically stylized versions of Alibaba listing pages or are basically re-skinning of some business process that, turns out, doesn't actually need to be disrupted. Transporting gasoline to fuel up someone's car? Really? We're going to be energy wasteful just to shave 10 minutes off someone's week? The other disturbing thing is how many of these gadgets are IP enabled. I really hope YC has some kind of IoT advisor who insists upon security at a low level.
- dang 10y ago
  Snarky dismissals of other people's work are not welcome on HN, so please don't post like this. I tend not to post as many moderation scoldings in YC-related threads, but that was such a bad HN comment that I'll break the pattern for it. Edit: you rewrote your comment to make it (somewhat) more substantive and less snarky. In principle that's fine, but it would have been more respectful to preserve the original context for the reader.
  - fnlkenflkfne 10y ago
    Have you considered that perhaps these companies might not actually be that innovative?
  - cndksjc 10y ago
    Have you considered that these companies might not actually be that innovative and that the parent comment was a legitimate criticism?
    - grey-area 10y ago
      It's terribly easy and not very useful to dismiss things in a vague way like this, and it's often wrong, particularly if talking about an entire category or market. e.g. google could have been dismissed as just a search engine but it turned out eventually to be exactly what a lot of people wanted.
      - 10y ago
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
hyperopia 10y ago
Pick up one of these for the hacker/developer/AI enthusiast in your family: https://getasteria.com/ https://getasteria.com/
- themoat 10y ago
  That looks mildly interesting to me. What do you see yourself using it for mostly? Do you have a personal application in mind, or are you a tinkerer just looking to have some fun? I kind of like it but I don't know that it's calling my name quite yet.
- VLM 10y ago
  WRT the whole christmas gift theme, "Estimated delivery date: Summer 2017." The explanation of why it can't run on a phone and why it needs a new currency is a little unconvincing. "asteria can connect with any bot, command any service" But it can't run on a phone, why? Certainly "its an open alexa/siri/now" sounds very interesting.
gamache 10y ago
Aside from the Donations section (YC's nonprofits), having much of the YC portfolio collected like this really deflates a lot of the cachet about YC, its companies, and its place at the Silicon Valley cool-kids table. I look at this list and I see problems that never needed solving, middlemen -- sorry, curators -- reselling cheap Chinese crap, and a cult of jamming Bluetooth and USB into just about anything that holds still long enough because IoT. There is no magic, "man I wish I'd thought of that" moment here, just a few "that makes sense" products in a sea of Valley bullshit. Perhaps YC was always like this, but they hadn't presented that information in such an easy-to-consume list before.
- throwthisawayt 10y ago
  You are looking at a holiday shopping list which is the epitome of consumerism. You shouldn't find things that are elevating the human spirit you are looking for stuff that you would find in skymall or the home shopping network. There are plenty of yc companies tackling interesting problems - you just wouldn't find them on a holiday list. For example: Triplebyte - trying to take a data driven approach to make recruiting for more scientific Gitlab - building cool open source software to host your code Higherme - building customized education software to help kids learn math and science Priceconomics - they have some of the most interesting content coming out of tech (opposite of huffpo/buzzfeed/etc) Zapier - ifttt for the enterprise / lots of cool tools for companies Mixpanel - power modern analytics for companies I think it's unfair to judge all of yc based on a holiday shopping list which by its definition should cater to our consumerist desires. The most interesting companies shouldn't be on this list since most wouldn't have a product that is bought by consumers.
  - VLM 10y ago
    I think we agree that gitlab is awesome and tossing money at something that can lead to exponential growth in productivity and therefore exponential financial return is a wise strategy. As long as the market is not saturated and there's a path to growth, etc. But at least they're on the right track. However every dollar spent on "candle of the month club" and every hour spent working on it is a dollar and an hour that can't be applied to exponential returns from actual tech companies. Perhaps there's something sneaky or non-intuitive about "candle of the month club" such that they're operating a redundant array of inexpensive candles, or they have a containerization or virtualization strategy for candle wick storage, or their database is prototyping quantum secured financial data, and the candles are just placeholders to test real technologies and workflows. Probably not, but I'd like to hope so.
CPLX 10y ago
I always wonder how people can say things like this: "They've created a wifi-enabled immersion circulator called the Nomiku so every home chef can prepare simple, Michelin-starred meals." I mean, I bet that literally zero Michelin-starred meals have been prepared with this device. And the phrase "Michelin" or "Michelin-starred" is trademarked and has a clear meaning. If I was a marketer for this company I would feel uncomfortable using a phrase like that. With that aside, it's odd to see so many YC companies on this list with the same faddish business models of "send some stuff to you every month you don't get to pick the stuff but trust us" and "do something that's already pretty simple in your kitchen or home but now using an overcomplicated device with machine learning and wifi" The former model isn't really a technology empowered business model at all, it's really a buying or deals club driven by marketing. And the latter is ostensibly technology but it doesn't seem to have really any of the accelerative effect on efficiency that real genuine networked software based businesses have. Seeing all of them in one place like this, backed by YC, is pretty disheartening.
- joncrocks 10y ago
  Not this specific device perhaps, but Sous Vides (as I understand it) can form part of a commercial kitchen, at high-end restaurants. A quick google shows: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/10/michelin-restaurant-ends-up-in-hot-water-over-sous-vide-hygiene/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/10/michelin-restaura... - A Michelin starred restaurant, which uses a Sous Vide. They are generally quite expensive to by for home use. I won't comment on the rest, but I'd agree that the list doesn't exactly fill me with wow.
  - CPLX 10y ago
    But that doesn't make sense. If I'm selling a stainless steel bowl like they use in commercial kitchens can I say "now every person ever can whip up Michelin-starred omelettes" or something? I mean I suppose I could, but it makes me sound like an idiot. It's also plainly factually untrue. No Michelin reviewer will ever see my meal, no meal I make will receive a Michelin star. It's literal nonsense. And Sous Vide has been around awhile and totally solid units can be had for about $100. I remain confused about what value-add YC and/or this company is bringing to the space.
pswilson14 10y ago
I see that Acre (a home construction company) is on there. Kind of odd for a gift giving site. "Merry Christmas! I bought you a house!"
- jdhawk 10y ago
  I'll take one.
  - andrewksu 10y ago
    Here, take a look, pick your options and we'll stuff it in a stocking! http://bit.ly/acrecatalog http://bit.ly/acrecatalog
- antisthenes 10y ago
  And like all "modern prefab" houses, it is extremely overpriced. $400k for 1200 sq. ft is nuts.
  - andrewksu 10y ago
    It's all relative. In Des Moines it's outrageous (although still worth it!), but in the Bay Area or similar market it's a steal. Comparable homes out here can be 2-3x. We did our fist home at $145K for 1200 sqft and can offer than again late next year. Margins are too slim to grow at that rate, re:Tesla.
    - antisthenes 10y ago
      You're confusing the value of land vs the value of the structure itself. The $1 million properties in the bay have structures on them that are worth maybe $150-200k tops, whereas the rest of the value is in land. A high land:structure value ratio is not uncommon for the US coasts, in high demand areas (especially that have older houses, built in the 20s and 30s that will need significant renovations to be brought up to a safe living standard) That's why it's outrageous. If you're considering paying 400k just for the structure, that means you already own a piece of land worth at least $800k where to put it. So we're talking about being a millionaire to be able to afford something like that. So let's be honest for a second and not pretend like you're not targeting the top 1-1.5% demographic here. I noticed you're a founder for the company. Construction is a perfectly competitive market. It shouldn't have economic profits, which means it should be paying your costs and salaries and that's it. I'm not sure what was the rationale for your getting into the business, but the modern prefabs are a dime a dozen and the thing they all get wrong is affordability. If you don't think I can go to another state and bring 4 construction workers to build the same type of structure for $200k, sourcing my own materials and paying them salary, you're just deluding yourself. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that companies like that go bankrupt by the dozens, because they all miscalculate the economics of the market. But I do wish you good luck in your business.
qwertyuiop924 10y ago
Man, I was hoping for books. The YC staff book recommendations are usually good. As it is, there is nothing of value on this list. Most of these are absolute rubbish. But most outstandingly rubbish is Vidcode. It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself, this looks like the same kind of condescending, manipulative, "we be down with the kids, yo" crap that attracts teens the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society. Look, if you're going to try to attract teens, or any group, to coding, don't try to look hip, or trendy. Treat them like they're regular people (not just a bunch of cretins that you have to stick sparkles in front of every five seconds to keep their attention), give them real tools, and allow them to attain the knowledge to build what they want to build. That's what works. And how do I know that it works? Because that's what I got, when I decided I wanted to learn programming. That's what countless kids got in the 80s, where children would, through self-motivation, learn assembler, and type in opcodes by hand. And maybe those people are the minority. In fact, they almost definitely are. But you'll never get the majority, because the majority doesn't care. Making things that look like they're designed to appeal to an insipid stereotype won't change that.
- dang 10y ago
  > It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself I'll cut you some slack for that reason, but you need to (re-)read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and nip that internet rant thing in the bud ("the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society"?) if you want to continue commenting here.
  - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
    Yeah. Sorry dang. I'll go re-read that now, seeing as I quite clearly need of a refresher. And there's no need to cut me slack for my age (although it's nice of you to do so): I broke the rules, and I'm responsible for my actions. Just like any other member of HN. Twice in three years is too many times to have to say this to you. bows head in shame
    - 10y ago
xiaoma 10y ago
The thing that really strikes me about this list is how nearly everything on it is offered at a premium price. One thing I loved about the tech world while I was growing up was that it was consistently doing more with less. Wikipedia displaced Encyclopaedia Brittanica by being both better and free. Hotmail was a clear win over AOL and Yahoo's offerings and then Gmail was faster and handled spam better while giving more at every price point (including free). Computers became both faster and cheaper. Amazon and Netflix broke down even the movie industry and ended the $70 per tape movie sale price. The offerings on the linked page are mostly things that would be out of the budget of an American family living on a median income. I won't call out any specific examples or hurt feelings, but a random sampling of several companies of any part of the list (other than non-profits) will show a clear trend. It's hard to say if the same was true 20 years ago and those few companies that broke out into famous successes happened to be particularly aimed towards a broad appeal, but it's clear the current trend is doing more with more.
- nostromo 10y ago
  To your point, Airbnb bucks the trend you identified by making travel more affordable and accessible. It's also far and away the most successful company listed.
  - callmeed 10y ago
    More accessible, maybe (unless you're black [0]) More affordable, no. In my recent travels to NYC and SF, I was always able to get a hotel room via HotelTonight or Hotwire cheaper than an AirBnB unit. I know its not always an apples-to-apples comparison but even for just a private room (not an entire home), an AirBnB in SF is $100+/night.[1] All that to say, I think you're wrong. [0] https://medium.com/stay-woke/i-read-about-this-phenomenon-of-black-people-being-rejected-on-airbnb-f36dd3ab0375 https://medium.com/stay-woke/i-read-about-this-phenomenon-of... [1] I randomly checked Dec 18-20 in SF. Hotwire has a 4-star room for $91/night. Most AirBnB private rooms are the same or higher.
    - morgante 10y ago
mcintyre1994 10y ago
Some of these look pretty cool, I'd never have put most of them as YC companies. I wish there was a way to filter by location I'm in, or even just say "Not in SF" and see what's still visible. I assume anything subscription is out, and I'm not going to click individually through everything that requires shipping and see who has sane/any shipping prices to the UK.
fpgaminer 10y ago
Somewhat related: "Gift guides" is one service that I considered unsolved. Every holiday (Christmas, birthday, father's day, mother's day, etc) I struggle to come up with gifts for the people I care about. In many ways it's demoralizing. If I care so much about someone, why can't I think of a good gift for them? There are lots of factors here, but I think it basically boils down to, as adults we generally get what we need/want during the course of the year. So gift giving is really the art of giving things people hadn't thought of, but still would like. That's a tall order! In recent years I've tried searching for "experience" gifts, which I believe to have more value. Nights out to exciting dinners, fun shows, events, etc. But the sites that serve those needs (Groupon et. al) are really rather scummy. All the businesses on there tend to be poorly reviewed; just using those sites to push polished turds of a deal. I look all the time for gift guides and helpful sites and always come up empty handed. The lists on Amazon mainly push Amazon's products, which are garbage, or really common/useless stuff (there's no-one in my life who needs a kitchen stand mixer; they all already have one). I've read idea threads on Reddit, and those mostly boil down to "Man, all I want for Christmas is a pair of shoes. I'm really poor." followed up by a bunch of helpful Redditors. Not that that is a bad thing, but it's useless as a gift recommendation. Before the deluge of rhetoric replies: yes, rampant consumerism, corporate marketing holidays, donate in someone's name, etc, etc. I happen to enjoy giving gifts, and would love to give more meaningful, personalized gifts (like those experience gifts I mention). I'm just really bad at it. And regardless of that rhetoric, can you honestly tell me that you would pass up an opportunity to build a successful "gift guide" service? I can't even imagine how lucrative something like that would end up being.
- exolymph 10y ago
  It takes more effort, but I look for local events that aren't far off and buy tickets to those.
- VLM 10y ago
  A moderately interesting startup idea. If you like the outdoors you can get county / state / national parks annual passes. I enjoy and use the heck out of my park passes. They're fairly cheap (well, not the national). Of course people who hate the outdoors, well... There are several food delivery services I've used with mixed results. "highly processed meat and cheeze like product in a box" are kinda weird. Fruit delivery is absurdly expensive but everyone loves it. Right out of a 00s sitcom I ordered my MiL the "fruit of the month club" and she enjoyed it. Food delivery is not cheap. I'll send my mom a crate of peaches every Christmas and its like $5 per peach. But they certainly are delicious. Junk food / candy delivery is cheap. Booze delivery impacts about a zillion weird state laws and the recipient sometimes has to sign and show ID and its a circus, also relatively few people seriously drink. If you can deliver it in person or illegally ship it yourself, a hundred dollar bottle of scotch lasts me about a year at my usual consumption rate, and at the usual markup a service would probably charge $500. With the decline in public parks and public play there is a growth in private parks and private play and there's a local water park complete with water slides and all that, my kids love that especially nice and warm in the winter and usually doesn't cost that much. Grandma used to buy her grandkids an afternoon pass to the waterpark and it was always fun. Go directly to the park to buy a certificate there's no need for the middlemen. Likewise the local suburban mall hasn't had a video game arcade in maybe 30 years now but there's chuck e cheeze and D+B and stone fire pizza company and places like that.
scotchio 10y ago
Never heard of Click and Grow before this. Seems really cool and will definitely consider for gifts
nooron 10y ago
Super excited to see Watsi on the list of suggested donations. I became a monthly contributor a year and change ago, and every time I get a raise, I raise my contribution. I love the work they do, and the way they'll select the patient for me -- I find the process of combing through each one emotionally a bit too onerous!
Jun8 10y ago
What, no STEM toys!? Have you visited the toy gadget section of your typical store, e.g. Target, BestBuy lately? It's full of crappy stuff marketed under the buzzword "STEM" for unknowing parents. Examples: Construction kits from Vex Robotics, WowWee's CHIP Robotic Dog, etc. etc. Problem with these "STEM revolutionary" toys is that they are not open ended, even with the so-called programmable ones kids get tired after a few hours of play. Another good example of such a toy is the BB-8 robot. You love this when you get it but quickly lose interest after you realize that it's a glorified remote-controlled car. For truly inspiring toys like this one (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/withpiper/piper-a-minecraft-toolbox-for-budding-engineers https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/withpiper/piper-a-minec...) you still have to hit Kickstarter or search the Web. Why is that?
- throwaway729 10y ago
  Not surprising. People actually in the market for STEM play things will get their kids telescopes, microscopes, chemistry kits, soldering irons, computers, hobby robotics/electronics parts, ... The market for people who want STEM play things, don't know what to buy, and can't tell crap from gold, has to be incredibly small
  - Jun8 10y ago
    Actually the second group you describe is the huge majority: Many parents have heard about STEM and programming and want their children to be exposed. However, being non-techies they don't know where to start. Also, a large number of Christmas toys are bought by grandparents,where the above problem is even more prevalent.
    - throwaway729 10y ago
      Sorry, I meant to say "and CAN tell crap from gold". I was saying that there may be a huge market for STEM toys, but the savvy consumers aren't included in that market (already well-served by the normal STEM stuff) and unsavvy customers will just by the stupid crap that says "STEM" on the label.
- 10y ago
kabes 10y ago
"A monthly subscription to The Flex Company will make a relieving gift for any ladies on your gift list who suffer from menstrual bloating, cramping, or leaking." I couldn't make this up.
- antisthenes 10y ago
  Make sure to never tell them about it for maximum creepiness. Imagine how delighted your extant female friends will be to start receiving tampons in the mail.
- buechs 10y ago
  I'll admit that summary was not my finest work.
- freyir 10y ago
  That might be my favorite thing I've read on HN.
kdamken 10y ago
I feel like I'm looking at a Sharper Image catalog. Lots of neat, expensive, completely useless things (for the everyday person) that I'm surprised anybody buys.
- askafriend 10y ago
  Wow what a fantastic analogy. I remember going into a Sharper Image back when they were more popular and you're right, that's the same feeling I get when I look through this. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but eerily spot on.
- nilkn 10y ago
  And the few things here that seem legitimately useful (the sous-vide circulator, for instance) are competing with proven, solid, reliable products (e.g., the Anova precision cooker: 4.5 stars on Amazon with 1100+ reviews).
  - salgernon 10y ago
    It made me remember that I as considering buying a sous-vide circulator as a gift. So I clicked through, found that this one in particular was out of stock, and ordered the Anova instead at half the price. So, +1 for advertising, -1 for fulfillment execution :(
- mundo 10y ago
  Exactly the same feeling I got. Kind of unfortunate effect of making a catalog like this - the "we invented something truly new that we think every home in America can use" products do not benefit from being in the same list as "here's something rich people might get a kick out of" products.
gina650 10y ago
YC backed Scaphold.io is a backend as a service platform powered by GraphQL They have a freemium mode to check out as well as $25 code "HappyHolidays2016" (exp.1/15/17) Visit their slack channel that the founders use to teach you how to start scapholding! https://scapholdslackin.herokuapp.com/?email= https://scapholdslackin.herokuapp.com/?email=
Ayraa 10y ago
Random: I'm surprised that Boosted Board is still using "perfect for the last mile of your commute" in their marketing slogan. All the influencers I've seen with it (like Casey Neistat) use it to commute pretty long distances! Their biggest benefit is, you can quickly travel from point a and b, especially in a conjested city, on something that you can carry under your arm or in a backpack. No need for bikes, public transit or cars.
zzleeper 10y ago
+1 for MTailor. Not affiliated at all, but I ordered several shirts and a suit in the last year and it fits amazingly (and it's quite convenient to order from the app). Do be aware though, that it will take ~ 4 weeks (slower than buying from a store, but as fast as getting it tailor-made)
dpiers 10y ago
I'm a big fan of Boosted, but I wouldn't put them on a holiday gift buying guide. Shipments have been halted for a month due to a quality issue, and even if they fixed it today, the waitlist is so long there is no way you would receive a board this year.
omni 10y ago
YC admins: The "S" in Sixa is linking to Doblet.
- buechs 10y ago
  thank you kind stranger! updated.
Joof 10y ago
I'm glad you guys are making this stuff, but I was really hoping for things that I might personally want or enjoy.
compumike 10y ago
A note to any future startup founders reading some of the broadly skeptical and pessimistic comments on this HN discussion thread: The people commenting here are not your customers. For every 1 person posting a snarky comment, there are 100+ simply browsing the gift guide. A few are saying "Hey, that's neat!", and a few are making purchases today or in the near future, either for themselves or as gifts. It's their behavior that you should worry about. If you think you can make something people want, then please focus on that. Don't let your non-customers discourage you. (Disclosure: co-founder of https://www.pantelligent.com/ https://www.pantelligent.com/ -- one of the products on the gift list.)
- hreiwo 10y ago
  Bwahahhahahaha... go back to where you came from, eh? Your wife's kid is waiting for you. CUCK ^^^
- horsecaptin 10y ago
  Couldn't agree more. I'd like to add: Don't let not-customers butter you up! Find your customers and get their feedback. Lots of people will think yours is a great idea: just not great enough to pay you for it!
  - compumike 10y ago
    Very true!
- CmdrSprinkles 10y ago
  While this is indeed not the target audience (which makes it hilarious), that is a horrible attitude. A lot of the complaints that have been brought up (premium pricing, much cheaper and better alternatives, not actually a new idea, etc) are actually very valid and worth considering. Now, if those aren't complaints and you are perfectly happy only targeting people who want The Next New Thing, go for it. Otherwise? Take the complaints with a grain of salt, but still take them.
greg7gkb 10y ago
Soundboks link does not work. It points to https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/974 https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/974 which is locked.
- buechs 10y ago
  sorry about that - fixed!
pnathan 10y ago
Interesting mix of gift stuff. Some of it definitely piqued my interest and I will probably return and consider it. It's all sort of semi-luxury goods, but that's, well a holiday gift kind of thing. And it's hard to make money selling to people who don't have a lot of money. Wheely's Cafe is probably the most interesting gift there to me. It appears to be a franchise-in-a-box. I wonder if there's one in Seattle! Probably an ideal gift for an 18 year old with a work ethic and lack of academic passion.
jansenv 10y ago
I wouldn't even accept these businesses as design clients. Gross.
sytse 10y ago
I just want to mention that Le Tote and Vet Pronto are awesome. We use them both and they make life easier and more pleasurable. Always great things to wear and our cat doesn't have to leave home.

228 points by craigcannon 10y ago

Unless there's a significant financial incentive to do so (ex: 2-to-1 match), don't give people gift cards. Gift cards are the biggest scam ever pulled by the retail industry, or more specifically, perpetuating the idea that giving cash is taboo. The one exception would be giving a preloaded credit card to someone who otherwise doesn't have access to one (ex: a niece/nephew that's far away) and only if there are no fees associated with initially loading it. I think AmEx has some kind of cyber monday promotion for that today. If you have to pay anything more than $0 then forget about it though. All that aside, Markhor looks interesting. I don't recall seeing them on HN (guess it's less "tech" than most YC companies) but the loafers look nice. Anybody here have any experience with them? Always on the look out for a better pair of shoes...

dpark 10y ago
> Unless there's a significant financial incentive to do so (ex: 2-to-1 match), don't give people gift cards. Gift cards are the biggest scam ever pulled by the retail industry, or more specifically, perpetuating the idea that giving cash is taboo. The problem is that cash often feels like not giving a gift at all. If you exchange fifty-dollar bills with a sibling, it feels pointless. Gift cards can alleviate that feeling. If you give your sibling an iTunes gift card it doesn't feel like nothing was exchanged even if they give you one back. Gifts are also an opportunity to give someone something they wouldn't typically buy for themselves. Ideally that would be a thoughtful gift but if you can't think of one, cash is likely to end up in the "general fund", while a gift card to a restaurant or a massage or a bookstore will be used for its intended purpose (with some risk of it being lost or sold on some card resale site).
- muninn_ 10y ago
  This is true, but I think a better solution is to just buy a gift instead of cash or a gift card.
- soylentcola 10y ago
  My (to be fair, minor) issue with gift cards is that they're essentially saying "hey, have some money...but you can only spend it at this one place of my choosing, not yours". I'm aware that this is pretty low on the list of problems you'd hate to have but it's there nonetheless. Let's say a relative has heard me talk about some Arduino project I'm messing with or something to do with building a computer. They don't know much about either of those things but they know I like "techie" stuff and gadgets so they get me a gift card from Best Buy, as that is the only electronics store they're really aware of. Now I've got a $100 gift card to a store that either doesn't sell any of the things I'd want to buy or charges a hefty markup over what I'd normally be willing to pay. Sure, I could sell the gift card to some bargain hunter for $95. They'd get $5 off, I'd get most of the value to spend elsewhere... ...but that's a hassle and not at all what the gift-giver would want to necessitate anyway. The other major option is to just suck it up and either buy something I don't really want/need out of the available Best Buy catalog or maybe buy that $100 item that I would've just found for $70 at Microcenter or Newegg. I think you nailed it when you pointed out issues of perception and tradition. Giving cash to someone other than an aging/retired parent or a young child comes off as odd. It's almost like you didn't care enough to think of a gift that they would actually enjoy or shows that you know them. I just think gift cards are about the same in that regard, only less desirable or useful.
  - toomuchtodo 10y ago
    I loved US gov EE savings bonds. LOVED THEM. I could say, "Here. I'm giving you a gift of investment, that will grow over time." It's almost impossible to buy the paper version now unless you're using your tax refund to do so.
    - VLM 10y ago
      No its definitely impossible and a tax refund can only get I series paper bonds unless its changed yet again. Also the rigged CPI-U is lower than the real world inflation rate, so you're basically buying a piece of paper for $100 today that can be sold for $90 years later plus you get to pay federal income tax on the inflation protection part (So $100 stuck in a mattress would be worth $80 in a couple years so you get to pay $10 worth of income tax).
- maxerickson 10y ago
  My brothers and I alleviated that feeling by not giving each other stuff anymore. Maybe a knickknack or a tchotchke, just not "things we would each go ahead and buy if we wanted them".
  - CalRobert 10y ago
    For a few years running my sister and I bought each other Amazon GC's (it was always mildly awkward when the amounts didn't match). It really illustrated the madness of adults with decent jobs buying each other random crap for no particular reason.
- munificent 10y ago
  The only reason I think gift cards feel more like a gift is because it means the giver put some thought into what you might want to spend it on. Thoughtfulness is important. But gift cards themselves suck. They are strictly worse than cash. If you want to be thoughtful but give them something more useful, give them cash with a card that says, "I thought you might enjoy spending this on ___."
  - avivo 10y ago
    Someone should make realistic looking fake gift cards that you can put cash bills inside. Or for the HN crowd, perhaps bitcoin wallet info.
    - Symbiote 10y ago
      Just use any greetings card and a paper clip, or cut a slot with a knife. Sometimes you can buy the right kind of cards in the places you normally buy greetings cards. Search "money enclosed greetings card".
- Symbiote 10y ago
  Some of my relatives would give cash, with a request that I spend it on books, or a restaurant, or at the pub. That seemed a good balance: my aunt doesn't have to pick a CD or limit me to a single store. The UK has a national book tokens scheme, essentially gift cards that are accepted at almost all book shops (national chains and independents). This was a common prize for winning a competition at school, or similar. http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/ http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/
- littledot5566 10y ago
  This is where the Asian culture 'gets it right'. Instead of putting money in a regular envelope, they color it red. Now it's a fancy hong bao, or red envelope.
ryanlol 10y ago
>All that aside, Markhor looks interesting. I don't recall seeing them on HN (guess it's less "tech" than most YC companies) but the loafers look nice. Anybody here have any experience with them? Always on the look out for a better pair of shoes... Googling 'site:styleforum.net "markhor"' only finds one hit, and sites like reddit are equally empty. Does this company actually exist? They've supposedly been around for a few years now but haven't really been discussed anywhere.
- mwseibel 10y ago
  They do exist - I have a pair of Markhor shoes that I wore at my wedding last year and I love them :)
- sidraqasim1 10y ago
  Fair point Ryan, in early days of our business we invested time in Styleforum/Reddit but the ROI was very low, so we changed our focus. But it looks like we need to get back to them, especially our new products will be very relevant to the community. Our current target customers are more on the lifestyle sites like GearPetrol and Racked. Let me know if you have any question, I am sidra (at) themarkhor.com
rjvir 10y ago
I don't think gift cards are a big conspiracy from the retail industry that primarily perpetuated the idea that cash is a bad gift. It seems more likely that cash became unpopular independently. And for good reason! Trading cash during holidays really ruins the fun! Perhaps the retail industry was just responding to demand - the market may just want gift cards!
- rconti 10y ago
  The asinine "maintenance fees" and validity periods are absolutely a scam from the retail industry. Fortunately most of the worst practices are outlawed under CA law, but that's not the case in every state.
- ikeboy 10y ago
  http://nytimes.com/2007/01/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.t.html http://nytimes.com/2007/01/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.t.html >As for gift cards — well, let’s just say there is good reason that they are known within the retail industry as a stored-value product: they store their value very well, and often permanently. The financial-services research firm TowerGroup estimates that of the $80 billion spent on gift cards in 2006, roughly $8 billion will never be redeemed — “a bigger impact on consumers,” Tower notes, “than the combined total of both debit- and credit-card fraud.” A survey by Marketing Workshop Inc. found that only 30 percent of recipients use a gift card within a month of receiving it, while Consumer Reports estimates that 19 percent of the people who received a gift card in 2005 never used it.
  - FireBeyond 10y ago
    Not to mention expiry dates (which Washington state has outlawed), some ridiculously short (before this, I'd see cards from some merchants that were 'valid for 90 days' only).
  - CmdrSprinkles 10y ago
    And while true, if that came out today it would probably be called "clickbait" Yes, 10% sounds about right for un-redeemed gift cards. But tell me, how often do you wear your xmas sweater? Have you ever gotten a gadget from a well-meaning uncle that just seemed stupidly dangerous and worthless? Gift cards aren't inherently a bad gift. Bad gifts are. If someone gives me a Victoria's Secret GC and I am not in the kind of relationship where I would buy my SO lingerie, then it is not going to get redeemed (and I will forget about it by the time I would have an opportunity to). Whereas, if someone got me a GC for Amazon Kindle or Steam I would use that pretty gosh darned fast. And obviously a store is going to push the GC. Even if it is a 20 buck card and you buy something for 19.99 they turn a profit. And more likely you'll spend 25 or 30
qwertyuiop924 10y ago
There are circumstances in which Gift Cards are acceptable. For example, gift cards for online stores (iTunes, Amazon, Steam, etc.). This is particularly acceptable for children, as they are otherwise unable to purchase items from such stores.
- ryanlol 10y ago
  Couldn't you just give kids prepaid Visa/MC cards instead? And I'm not from the US, but the idea of school-age kids not having their own cards sounds a little funny to me.
  - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
    Not having credit cards? It's fairly common. Even Debit cards are not the sort of things you give to kids. As for prepaid Visas, they're a relatively recent thing, and generally less known.
    - ryanlol 10y ago
      >Not having credit cards? It's fairly common. Even Debit cards are not the sort of things you give to kids. Must be a huge pain in the ass. With modern electronic only debit cards it's really easy to give your kids cards and makes managing money within the family so much easier. Kid texts you after school and says they need $5 to go out with friends? Sure, pull up your phone app and instantly put $5 to their card. It's almost impossible to cleanly replicate this with cash. >As for prepaid Visas, they're a relatively recent thing, and generally less known. Sure, but at this point they're just as available as "normal" gift cards.
      - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
        >but at this point they're just as available as "normal" gift cards. Sure, but they haven't entered the public consciousness in the same way yet.
      - pimlottc 10y ago
jordanlev 10y ago
Eh, if I get cash I feel compelled to put it in my bank account and use it for normal daily expenditures (bills, etc)... but with a gift card I feel like I have permission to buy things that are just fun (especially if it's something like an iTunes gift card where you can't even buy something useful if you wanted to, unlike Amazon).
- logfromblammo 10y ago
  Worse still is a paper check. I have to deposit that in my checking account to spend it. Once it is in there, it immediately becomes indistinguishable from the cash used to pay the utilities. Here, I want to buy you three cans of tuna, 75 kWh of electricity, and 4 gallons of gasoline. Enjoy! At least with cash, I could theoretically put it in a special envelope that is exclusively for fun expenses. Also, cash-equivalent gifts are a great way to tell your friends and family "I value our relationship at exactly $x/year." You can so easily compare it to previous years, and with what they typically give to you. But the worst gift of all is lottery scratch-off tickets. Here, I spent exactly $X to give you an amount of cash that is very likely to be between $0 and $X, but is probably just $0 or $1.
  - RJIb8RBYxzAMX9u 10y ago
    > Worse still is a paper check. I have to deposit that in my checking account to spend it. Once it is in there, it immediately becomes indistinguishable from the cash used to pay the utilities. Here, I want to buy you three cans of tuna, 75 kWh of electricity, and 4 gallons of gasoline. Enjoy! > At least with cash, I could theoretically put it in a special envelope that is exclusively for fun expenses. Deposit check while simultaneously take out the same amount in cash and put it in your wallet / envelope / hidden pocket; problem solved. If you don't have enough cash on hand to do the "conversion", then maybe you should consider spending it on utilities and expenses. > Also, cash-equivalent gifts are a great way to tell your friends and family "I value our relationship at exactly $x/year." While I understand your sentiment, and culture background also plays into it, I wouldn't frame it that way. It is a gift: you're not entitled to it, and it is the giver's prerogative to choose what to give. At worst, you could fault the giver for not being thoughtful, but at least they thought enough to give you something when they could also give you nothing. Moreover, the value / expense of the gift is a poor indicator of the strength or "value" of my relationship with the giver IMO. > But the worst gift of all is lottery scratch-off tickets. Agreed. And in the (extremely) unlikely event that you actually win big, fighting over who "owns" the ticket would be inevitable...
teej 10y ago
I own a pair of the Solemn Derbies (https://themarkhor.com/products/solemn-derbies https://themarkhor.com/products/solemn-derbies) and I love them. I was in the market for a pair of made-in-the-usa Allen Edmonds but I bought them instead. They're high quality, great construction, responsibly sourced, and the look great. I get compliments when I wear them out. Apologies for the terrible collage: http://imgur.com/UoFEy80 http://imgur.com/UoFEy80
- sidraqasim1 10y ago
  thanks TJ, Sidra here (co-founder Markhor). Appreciate you buying our shoes and sharing the experience. The shoes indeed look great on you.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
- Nadya 10y ago
  My family cheats at this. We keep wishlists of "items we know we need but can't justify purchasing yet". Then we exchange lists and pick things/a thing to gift. The trick here is you're no longer trying to "justify" the purchase to yourself and you get something you actually need/want instead of something they thought you needed/wanted. It also means you don't need to think hard about what to get. We've found we appreciate the gifts more because they are something we know with certainty that we'll use. There is still room to "surprise" with what is picked from the list. And in addition, you can pick similar items to items on the list to still throw that bit of "I thought you'd appreciate this too" in there.
telesilla 10y ago
Growing up, my grandparents would give us cash inside a Christmas card. A perfect gift - cash, plus a personal note. Make the message special and the cash will feel special.

jaoued 10y ago

Awesome idea this list. What an impressive (quantity and quality) - list of companies. Some of them are known to me as YC portfolio companies - because I buy from them or have heard of - but loads of them, I would not have guessed that they are YC funded.

mark242 10y ago

on edit: There are so many of these companies that are basically stylized versions of Alibaba listing pages or are basically re-skinning of some business process that, turns out, doesn't actually need to be disrupted. Transporting gasoline to fuel up someone's car? Really? We're going to be energy wasteful just to shave 10 minutes off someone's week? The other disturbing thing is how many of these gadgets are IP enabled. I really hope YC has some kind of IoT advisor who insists upon security at a low level.

dang 10y ago
Snarky dismissals of other people's work are not welcome on HN, so please don't post like this. I tend not to post as many moderation scoldings in YC-related threads, but that was such a bad HN comment that I'll break the pattern for it. Edit: you rewrote your comment to make it (somewhat) more substantive and less snarky. In principle that's fine, but it would have been more respectful to preserve the original context for the reader.
- fnlkenflkfne 10y ago
  Have you considered that perhaps these companies might not actually be that innovative?
- cndksjc 10y ago
  Have you considered that these companies might not actually be that innovative and that the parent comment was a legitimate criticism?
  - grey-area 10y ago
    It's terribly easy and not very useful to dismiss things in a vague way like this, and it's often wrong, particularly if talking about an entire category or market. e.g. google could have been dismissed as just a search engine but it turned out eventually to be exactly what a lot of people wanted.
    - 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

hyperopia 10y ago

Pick up one of these for the hacker/developer/AI enthusiast in your family: https://getasteria.com/ https://getasteria.com/

themoat 10y ago
That looks mildly interesting to me. What do you see yourself using it for mostly? Do you have a personal application in mind, or are you a tinkerer just looking to have some fun? I kind of like it but I don't know that it's calling my name quite yet.
VLM 10y ago
WRT the whole christmas gift theme, "Estimated delivery date: Summer 2017." The explanation of why it can't run on a phone and why it needs a new currency is a little unconvincing. "asteria can connect with any bot, command any service" But it can't run on a phone, why? Certainly "its an open alexa/siri/now" sounds very interesting.

gamache 10y ago

Aside from the Donations section (YC's nonprofits), having much of the YC portfolio collected like this really deflates a lot of the cachet about YC, its companies, and its place at the Silicon Valley cool-kids table. I look at this list and I see problems that never needed solving, middlemen -- sorry, curators -- reselling cheap Chinese crap, and a cult of jamming Bluetooth and USB into just about anything that holds still long enough because IoT. There is no magic, "man I wish I'd thought of that" moment here, just a few "that makes sense" products in a sea of Valley bullshit. Perhaps YC was always like this, but they hadn't presented that information in such an easy-to-consume list before.

throwthisawayt 10y ago
You are looking at a holiday shopping list which is the epitome of consumerism. You shouldn't find things that are elevating the human spirit you are looking for stuff that you would find in skymall or the home shopping network. There are plenty of yc companies tackling interesting problems - you just wouldn't find them on a holiday list. For example: Triplebyte - trying to take a data driven approach to make recruiting for more scientific Gitlab - building cool open source software to host your code Higherme - building customized education software to help kids learn math and science Priceconomics - they have some of the most interesting content coming out of tech (opposite of huffpo/buzzfeed/etc) Zapier - ifttt for the enterprise / lots of cool tools for companies Mixpanel - power modern analytics for companies I think it's unfair to judge all of yc based on a holiday shopping list which by its definition should cater to our consumerist desires. The most interesting companies shouldn't be on this list since most wouldn't have a product that is bought by consumers.
- VLM 10y ago
  I think we agree that gitlab is awesome and tossing money at something that can lead to exponential growth in productivity and therefore exponential financial return is a wise strategy. As long as the market is not saturated and there's a path to growth, etc. But at least they're on the right track. However every dollar spent on "candle of the month club" and every hour spent working on it is a dollar and an hour that can't be applied to exponential returns from actual tech companies. Perhaps there's something sneaky or non-intuitive about "candle of the month club" such that they're operating a redundant array of inexpensive candles, or they have a containerization or virtualization strategy for candle wick storage, or their database is prototyping quantum secured financial data, and the candles are just placeholders to test real technologies and workflows. Probably not, but I'd like to hope so.

CPLX 10y ago

I always wonder how people can say things like this: "They've created a wifi-enabled immersion circulator called the Nomiku so every home chef can prepare simple, Michelin-starred meals." I mean, I bet that literally zero Michelin-starred meals have been prepared with this device. And the phrase "Michelin" or "Michelin-starred" is trademarked and has a clear meaning. If I was a marketer for this company I would feel uncomfortable using a phrase like that. With that aside, it's odd to see so many YC companies on this list with the same faddish business models of "send some stuff to you every month you don't get to pick the stuff but trust us" and "do something that's already pretty simple in your kitchen or home but now using an overcomplicated device with machine learning and wifi" The former model isn't really a technology empowered business model at all, it's really a buying or deals club driven by marketing. And the latter is ostensibly technology but it doesn't seem to have really any of the accelerative effect on efficiency that real genuine networked software based businesses have. Seeing all of them in one place like this, backed by YC, is pretty disheartening.

joncrocks 10y ago
Not this specific device perhaps, but Sous Vides (as I understand it) can form part of a commercial kitchen, at high-end restaurants. A quick google shows: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/10/michelin-restaurant-ends-up-in-hot-water-over-sous-vide-hygiene/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/10/michelin-restaura... - A Michelin starred restaurant, which uses a Sous Vide. They are generally quite expensive to by for home use. I won't comment on the rest, but I'd agree that the list doesn't exactly fill me with wow.
- CPLX 10y ago
  But that doesn't make sense. If I'm selling a stainless steel bowl like they use in commercial kitchens can I say "now every person ever can whip up Michelin-starred omelettes" or something? I mean I suppose I could, but it makes me sound like an idiot. It's also plainly factually untrue. No Michelin reviewer will ever see my meal, no meal I make will receive a Michelin star. It's literal nonsense. And Sous Vide has been around awhile and totally solid units can be had for about $100. I remain confused about what value-add YC and/or this company is bringing to the space.

pswilson14 10y ago

I see that Acre (a home construction company) is on there. Kind of odd for a gift giving site. "Merry Christmas! I bought you a house!"

jdhawk 10y ago
I'll take one.
- andrewksu 10y ago
  Here, take a look, pick your options and we'll stuff it in a stocking! http://bit.ly/acrecatalog http://bit.ly/acrecatalog
antisthenes 10y ago
And like all "modern prefab" houses, it is extremely overpriced. $400k for 1200 sq. ft is nuts.
- andrewksu 10y ago
  It's all relative. In Des Moines it's outrageous (although still worth it!), but in the Bay Area or similar market it's a steal. Comparable homes out here can be 2-3x. We did our fist home at $145K for 1200 sqft and can offer than again late next year. Margins are too slim to grow at that rate, re:Tesla.
  - antisthenes 10y ago
    You're confusing the value of land vs the value of the structure itself. The $1 million properties in the bay have structures on them that are worth maybe $150-200k tops, whereas the rest of the value is in land. A high land:structure value ratio is not uncommon for the US coasts, in high demand areas (especially that have older houses, built in the 20s and 30s that will need significant renovations to be brought up to a safe living standard) That's why it's outrageous. If you're considering paying 400k just for the structure, that means you already own a piece of land worth at least $800k where to put it. So we're talking about being a millionaire to be able to afford something like that. So let's be honest for a second and not pretend like you're not targeting the top 1-1.5% demographic here. I noticed you're a founder for the company. Construction is a perfectly competitive market. It shouldn't have economic profits, which means it should be paying your costs and salaries and that's it. I'm not sure what was the rationale for your getting into the business, but the modern prefabs are a dime a dozen and the thing they all get wrong is affordability. If you don't think I can go to another state and bring 4 construction workers to build the same type of structure for $200k, sourcing my own materials and paying them salary, you're just deluding yourself. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that companies like that go bankrupt by the dozens, because they all miscalculate the economics of the market. But I do wish you good luck in your business.

qwertyuiop924 10y ago

Man, I was hoping for books. The YC staff book recommendations are usually good. As it is, there is nothing of value on this list. Most of these are absolute rubbish. But most outstandingly rubbish is Vidcode. It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself, this looks like the same kind of condescending, manipulative, "we be down with the kids, yo" crap that attracts teens the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society. Look, if you're going to try to attract teens, or any group, to coding, don't try to look hip, or trendy. Treat them like they're regular people (not just a bunch of cretins that you have to stick sparkles in front of every five seconds to keep their attention), give them real tools, and allow them to attain the knowledge to build what they want to build. That's what works. And how do I know that it works? Because that's what I got, when I decided I wanted to learn programming. That's what countless kids got in the 80s, where children would, through self-motivation, learn assembler, and type in opcodes by hand. And maybe those people are the minority. In fact, they almost definitely are. But you'll never get the majority, because the majority doesn't care. Making things that look like they're designed to appeal to an insipid stereotype won't change that.

dang 10y ago
> It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself I'll cut you some slack for that reason, but you need to (re-)read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and nip that internet rant thing in the bud ("the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society"?) if you want to continue commenting here.
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  Yeah. Sorry dang. I'll go re-read that now, seeing as I quite clearly need of a refresher. And there's no need to cut me slack for my age (although it's nice of you to do so): I broke the rules, and I'm responsible for my actions. Just like any other member of HN. Twice in three years is too many times to have to say this to you. bows head in shame
  - 10y ago

xiaoma 10y ago

The thing that really strikes me about this list is how nearly everything on it is offered at a premium price. One thing I loved about the tech world while I was growing up was that it was consistently doing more with less. Wikipedia displaced Encyclopaedia Brittanica by being both better and free. Hotmail was a clear win over AOL and Yahoo's offerings and then Gmail was faster and handled spam better while giving more at every price point (including free). Computers became both faster and cheaper. Amazon and Netflix broke down even the movie industry and ended the $70 per tape movie sale price. The offerings on the linked page are mostly things that would be out of the budget of an American family living on a median income. I won't call out any specific examples or hurt feelings, but a random sampling of several companies of any part of the list (other than non-profits) will show a clear trend. It's hard to say if the same was true 20 years ago and those few companies that broke out into famous successes happened to be particularly aimed towards a broad appeal, but it's clear the current trend is doing more with more.

nostromo 10y ago
To your point, Airbnb bucks the trend you identified by making travel more affordable and accessible. It's also far and away the most successful company listed.
- callmeed 10y ago
  More accessible, maybe (unless you're black [0]) More affordable, no. In my recent travels to NYC and SF, I was always able to get a hotel room via HotelTonight or Hotwire cheaper than an AirBnB unit. I know its not always an apples-to-apples comparison but even for just a private room (not an entire home), an AirBnB in SF is $100+/night.[1] All that to say, I think you're wrong. [0] https://medium.com/stay-woke/i-read-about-this-phenomenon-of-black-people-being-rejected-on-airbnb-f36dd3ab0375 https://medium.com/stay-woke/i-read-about-this-phenomenon-of... [1] I randomly checked Dec 18-20 in SF. Hotwire has a 4-star room for $91/night. Most AirBnB private rooms are the same or higher.
  - morgante 10y ago

mcintyre1994 10y ago

Some of these look pretty cool, I'd never have put most of them as YC companies. I wish there was a way to filter by location I'm in, or even just say "Not in SF" and see what's still visible. I assume anything subscription is out, and I'm not going to click individually through everything that requires shipping and see who has sane/any shipping prices to the UK.

fpgaminer 10y ago

Somewhat related: "Gift guides" is one service that I considered unsolved. Every holiday (Christmas, birthday, father's day, mother's day, etc) I struggle to come up with gifts for the people I care about. In many ways it's demoralizing. If I care so much about someone, why can't I think of a good gift for them? There are lots of factors here, but I think it basically boils down to, as adults we generally get what we need/want during the course of the year. So gift giving is really the art of giving things people hadn't thought of, but still would like. That's a tall order! In recent years I've tried searching for "experience" gifts, which I believe to have more value. Nights out to exciting dinners, fun shows, events, etc. But the sites that serve those needs (Groupon et. al) are really rather scummy. All the businesses on there tend to be poorly reviewed; just using those sites to push polished turds of a deal. I look all the time for gift guides and helpful sites and always come up empty handed. The lists on Amazon mainly push Amazon's products, which are garbage, or really common/useless stuff (there's no-one in my life who needs a kitchen stand mixer; they all already have one). I've read idea threads on Reddit, and those mostly boil down to "Man, all I want for Christmas is a pair of shoes. I'm really poor." followed up by a bunch of helpful Redditors. Not that that is a bad thing, but it's useless as a gift recommendation. Before the deluge of rhetoric replies: yes, rampant consumerism, corporate marketing holidays, donate in someone's name, etc, etc. I happen to enjoy giving gifts, and would love to give more meaningful, personalized gifts (like those experience gifts I mention). I'm just really bad at it. And regardless of that rhetoric, can you honestly tell me that you would pass up an opportunity to build a successful "gift guide" service? I can't even imagine how lucrative something like that would end up being.

exolymph 10y ago
It takes more effort, but I look for local events that aren't far off and buy tickets to those.
VLM 10y ago
A moderately interesting startup idea. If you like the outdoors you can get county / state / national parks annual passes. I enjoy and use the heck out of my park passes. They're fairly cheap (well, not the national). Of course people who hate the outdoors, well... There are several food delivery services I've used with mixed results. "highly processed meat and cheeze like product in a box" are kinda weird. Fruit delivery is absurdly expensive but everyone loves it. Right out of a 00s sitcom I ordered my MiL the "fruit of the month club" and she enjoyed it. Food delivery is not cheap. I'll send my mom a crate of peaches every Christmas and its like $5 per peach. But they certainly are delicious. Junk food / candy delivery is cheap. Booze delivery impacts about a zillion weird state laws and the recipient sometimes has to sign and show ID and its a circus, also relatively few people seriously drink. If you can deliver it in person or illegally ship it yourself, a hundred dollar bottle of scotch lasts me about a year at my usual consumption rate, and at the usual markup a service would probably charge $500. With the decline in public parks and public play there is a growth in private parks and private play and there's a local water park complete with water slides and all that, my kids love that especially nice and warm in the winter and usually doesn't cost that much. Grandma used to buy her grandkids an afternoon pass to the waterpark and it was always fun. Go directly to the park to buy a certificate there's no need for the middlemen. Likewise the local suburban mall hasn't had a video game arcade in maybe 30 years now but there's chuck e cheeze and D+B and stone fire pizza company and places like that.

scotchio 10y ago

Never heard of Click and Grow before this. Seems really cool and will definitely consider for gifts

nooron 10y ago

Super excited to see Watsi on the list of suggested donations. I became a monthly contributor a year and change ago, and every time I get a raise, I raise my contribution. I love the work they do, and the way they'll select the patient for me -- I find the process of combing through each one emotionally a bit too onerous!

Jun8 10y ago

What, no STEM toys!? Have you visited the toy gadget section of your typical store, e.g. Target, BestBuy lately? It's full of crappy stuff marketed under the buzzword "STEM" for unknowing parents. Examples: Construction kits from Vex Robotics, WowWee's CHIP Robotic Dog, etc. etc. Problem with these "STEM revolutionary" toys is that they are not open ended, even with the so-called programmable ones kids get tired after a few hours of play. Another good example of such a toy is the BB-8 robot. You love this when you get it but quickly lose interest after you realize that it's a glorified remote-controlled car. For truly inspiring toys like this one (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/withpiper/piper-a-minecraft-toolbox-for-budding-engineers https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/withpiper/piper-a-minec...) you still have to hit Kickstarter or search the Web. Why is that?

throwaway729 10y ago
Not surprising. People actually in the market for STEM play things will get their kids telescopes, microscopes, chemistry kits, soldering irons, computers, hobby robotics/electronics parts, ... The market for people who want STEM play things, don't know what to buy, and can't tell crap from gold, has to be incredibly small
- Jun8 10y ago
  Actually the second group you describe is the huge majority: Many parents have heard about STEM and programming and want their children to be exposed. However, being non-techies they don't know where to start. Also, a large number of Christmas toys are bought by grandparents,where the above problem is even more prevalent.
  - throwaway729 10y ago
    Sorry, I meant to say "and CAN tell crap from gold". I was saying that there may be a huge market for STEM toys, but the savvy consumers aren't included in that market (already well-served by the normal STEM stuff) and unsavvy customers will just by the stupid crap that says "STEM" on the label.
10y ago

kabes 10y ago

"A monthly subscription to The Flex Company will make a relieving gift for any ladies on your gift list who suffer from menstrual bloating, cramping, or leaking." I couldn't make this up.

antisthenes 10y ago
Make sure to never tell them about it for maximum creepiness. Imagine how delighted your extant female friends will be to start receiving tampons in the mail.
buechs 10y ago
I'll admit that summary was not my finest work.
freyir 10y ago
That might be my favorite thing I've read on HN.

kdamken 10y ago

I feel like I'm looking at a Sharper Image catalog. Lots of neat, expensive, completely useless things (for the everyday person) that I'm surprised anybody buys.

askafriend 10y ago
Wow what a fantastic analogy. I remember going into a Sharper Image back when they were more popular and you're right, that's the same feeling I get when I look through this. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but eerily spot on.
nilkn 10y ago
And the few things here that seem legitimately useful (the sous-vide circulator, for instance) are competing with proven, solid, reliable products (e.g., the Anova precision cooker: 4.5 stars on Amazon with 1100+ reviews).
- salgernon 10y ago
  It made me remember that I as considering buying a sous-vide circulator as a gift. So I clicked through, found that this one in particular was out of stock, and ordered the Anova instead at half the price. So, +1 for advertising, -1 for fulfillment execution :(
mundo 10y ago
Exactly the same feeling I got. Kind of unfortunate effect of making a catalog like this - the "we invented something truly new that we think every home in America can use" products do not benefit from being in the same list as "here's something rich people might get a kick out of" products.

gina650 10y ago

YC backed Scaphold.io is a backend as a service platform powered by GraphQL They have a freemium mode to check out as well as $25 code "HappyHolidays2016" (exp.1/15/17) Visit their slack channel that the founders use to teach you how to start scapholding! https://scapholdslackin.herokuapp.com/?email= https://scapholdslackin.herokuapp.com/?email=

Ayraa 10y ago

Random: I'm surprised that Boosted Board is still using "perfect for the last mile of your commute" in their marketing slogan. All the influencers I've seen with it (like Casey Neistat) use it to commute pretty long distances! Their biggest benefit is, you can quickly travel from point a and b, especially in a conjested city, on something that you can carry under your arm or in a backpack. No need for bikes, public transit or cars.

zzleeper 10y ago

+1 for MTailor. Not affiliated at all, but I ordered several shirts and a suit in the last year and it fits amazingly (and it's quite convenient to order from the app). Do be aware though, that it will take ~ 4 weeks (slower than buying from a store, but as fast as getting it tailor-made)

dpiers 10y ago

I'm a big fan of Boosted, but I wouldn't put them on a holiday gift buying guide. Shipments have been halted for a month due to a quality issue, and even if they fixed it today, the waitlist is so long there is no way you would receive a board this year.

omni 10y ago

YC admins: The "S" in Sixa is linking to Doblet.

buechs 10y ago
thank you kind stranger! updated.

Joof 10y ago

I'm glad you guys are making this stuff, but I was really hoping for things that I might personally want or enjoy.

compumike 10y ago

A note to any future startup founders reading some of the broadly skeptical and pessimistic comments on this HN discussion thread: The people commenting here are not your customers. For every 1 person posting a snarky comment, there are 100+ simply browsing the gift guide. A few are saying "Hey, that's neat!", and a few are making purchases today or in the near future, either for themselves or as gifts. It's their behavior that you should worry about. If you think you can make something people want, then please focus on that. Don't let your non-customers discourage you. (Disclosure: co-founder of https://www.pantelligent.com/ https://www.pantelligent.com/ -- one of the products on the gift list.)

hreiwo 10y ago
Bwahahhahahaha... go back to where you came from, eh? Your wife's kid is waiting for you. CUCK ^^^
horsecaptin 10y ago
Couldn't agree more. I'd like to add: Don't let not-customers butter you up! Find your customers and get their feedback. Lots of people will think yours is a great idea: just not great enough to pay you for it!
- compumike 10y ago
  Very true!
CmdrSprinkles 10y ago
While this is indeed not the target audience (which makes it hilarious), that is a horrible attitude. A lot of the complaints that have been brought up (premium pricing, much cheaper and better alternatives, not actually a new idea, etc) are actually very valid and worth considering. Now, if those aren't complaints and you are perfectly happy only targeting people who want The Next New Thing, go for it. Otherwise? Take the complaints with a grain of salt, but still take them.

greg7gkb 10y ago

Soundboks link does not work. It points to https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/974 https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/974 which is locked.

buechs 10y ago
sorry about that - fixed!

pnathan 10y ago

Interesting mix of gift stuff. Some of it definitely piqued my interest and I will probably return and consider it. It's all sort of semi-luxury goods, but that's, well a holiday gift kind of thing. And it's hard to make money selling to people who don't have a lot of money. Wheely's Cafe is probably the most interesting gift there to me. It appears to be a franchise-in-a-box. I wonder if there's one in Seattle! Probably an ideal gift for an 18 year old with a work ethic and lack of academic passion.

jansenv 10y ago

I wouldn't even accept these businesses as design clients. Gross.

sytse 10y ago

I just want to mention that Le Tote and Vet Pronto are awesome. We use them both and they make life easier and more pleasurable. Always great things to wear and our cat doesn't have to leave home.