Andrew's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide
Thoughtful ideas for people who pretend they don’t want anything. Plus: our last events of 2025!
👋 Hey, it’s Andrew. We’re approaching my favorite time of year and the best time to be in New York. If you’re feeling festive and thankful, you might like today’s article.
📅 Upcoming Events
We only have three events remaining for the year, but we are in the process of planning our lineup of events for 2026, including stuff with fitness, sports, dinners, parties, art gallery crawls, and other socials. If you have any other ideas or want to collab, hit reply and let me know!
Dec 2 | 🍽️ Junto Founder Dinner (NYC) – for founders/CEOs of Seed–Series B companies.
Dec 10 | 🍽️ Junto Founder Dinner (NYC)
Dec 12 | ☕️ Founder Breakfast (NYC)
For the second year in a row, I’m publishing my holiday gift guide. It’s a list of products that have improved my life, brought me delight, or come highly recommended by friends.
For more ideas, check my previous gift guide from 2024 and if you see something I missed, please comment below and
*If you see an asterisk beside a product, it means I’m involved in some way - as an investor or an affiliate. That doesn’t change my recommendation. I only work with products I genuinely love!
Gadgets & Fun:
Garmin Forerunner 265 – I bought one of these after seeing one of my running friends get one because I was curious. I don’t consider myself a runner, but wow, it has made me so much more diligent with my workouts and sleeping habits.
Chameleon Board Game – Completely obsessed. The best game in the world for casual board game players. We play this at least once a month at our events. Perfect for people who like games with deception and role play.
Anker Nano Ultra-Slim Power Bank – My go-to slim and sleek charging device for my phone. I bring this everywhere I go.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 – The most aesthetic speaker I’ve come across, with incredible sound quality. Definitely a conversation starter if you like hosting.
TRML (OG) – A shared physical portal for families.
Style:
THE DAVEK ELITE Classic Cane Umbrella – Umbrellas are fashion accessories. Why do people use cheap ones? The most stylish umbrellas I could find.
Duke Chelsea Thursday Boots – I own multiple pairs of boots from this company. They’re high quality, durable, and look awesome
Moshi Digits Winter Touchscreen Gloves – Perfect for winter when you need to keep your hands warm but also use your phone out in public
Commie Si Merino Sock – A fancy winter sock, if you want to, in case you want to treat your feet. Keep this one away from your dog.
Quince Sweaters – Affordable and high-quality sweaters with no branding. It sort of fits the “quiet luxury” vibe without the luxury price tag. My friend Parth got me one of these, and I was delighted.
Software:
Wispr Flow* – I don’t type my emails or texts anymore. It feels like a waste of time. Instead, I just use Wispr Flow.
MigrateMate* – When I was early in my career, it was a drag trying to find jobs that sponsored visas in America. These guys make it easy.
Superpower* – I think that everyone should be doing blood work at least once a year to understand exactly what’s going on in your body. No excuse.
Storyworth – I’m obsessed with this product and impressed with how simple it is. A great way to create a deeper relationship with your partner, family, or friends.
Kondo* – LinkedIn DMs, but on steroids.
Endel* – One of the most elegant iOS apps I’ve ever used. I use it for 2-3 hours a day to lock in and relax.
Health & Wellness:
WOD Nation Adjustable Hand Grip – Apparently, every 11-pound decrease in grip strength is linked to a noticeable jump in all-cause mortality risk over the next decade. This is convenient and kind of fun!
Lumie Vitamin L Lamp – An incredibly useful product as winter is coming. I use this for 30 minutes every morning and see a noticeable change in my mood and energy.
Kane Revive Recovery Shoe – For runners and athletes - especially the day after a long workout.
Brooklinen Super-Plush Robe – There’s nothing like relaxing in a robe after a long week.
Home:
Breville Barista Express Impress – My girlfriend bought this for the home, and it’s transformed our mornings. Every morning, I make her an iced latte and a Cortado for myself. It’s expensive, but in the long run, I think I think we save a ton of money on coffee. I was never a coffee drinker before this!
Kinto Sepia Cup – I spent hours trying to find the best coffeeware - this is what I landed on. Fancy Japanese coffee cups to go with the coffee machine.
Bean Box Coffee Subscription – A gift a friend got me. Every month, they send you a new brand of coffee beans from a different region
Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light – I thought spending $150 on an alarm clock would be stupid, but now I wake up feeling more refreshed than ever.
Fishers Finery 100% Pure Mulberry Silk Pillowcase – Silk pillowcases are a game-changer. I sleep at least 10% better with these
Marvis Classic Strong Mint Toothpaste – Fancy toothpaste that is surprisingly cheap. I tried this at The Ned and became obsessed.
Aesop Aromatique Room Spray Trio – I love scents. I have tons of candles and sprays at home. This is my favorite scent by far. Makes any living room smell amazing.
Sun Shower Honey Shower Curtain – A fancy shower curtain with a retro vibe if you’re into that sort of thing.
MoMa Design Author Clock – A small rechargeable clock that tells time with literary quotes that mention the exact time to the minute. That’s 1,440 different quotes per 24 hours.
Cookunity* – The best prepared meals for busy professionals: healthy, tasty plates delivered every week. I’ve been using this for a few months now, and I have no idea what I’d do without it. Use BFCM2560x20 for 60% off.
Fun & Weird:
Heatonist Hot Ones Hot Sauce 10 Pack – If you love hot sauce and want to replicate the experience from the popular video series.
TinyCircuits Portable Retro Mini TV – Just a lil cute thing to put on your desk if you’re a workaholic.
The Deadline Candle – Saw this recommendation from Lenny’s X. It seems to be a good solution for solving procrastination.
Final Boss Sour Candy – My new favorite candy brand. Great if you need a shock to the system. Extremely sour!
🏢 (Sponsored) The unfair advantage nobody uses.
Founders move a mile a minute. building product, raising capital, running ops. But when it comes to outbound, hours disappear into LinkedIn searches, lead spreadsheets, and barely personalized cold emails that never get opened.
That’s where Ava comes in.
Ava is Artisan’s AI BDR, built for founders who don’t have a sales team yet. She finds leads that match your ICP from 300M+ professionals and 200M+ local businesses, tracks intent signals like fundraising and hiring, and writes personalized outreach across email and LinkedIn.
Set her up once, and Ava delivers dozens of qualified leads each month while you stay focused on building and closing.
You can’t skip outbound. But you can stop doing it the hard way.
💼 Job Board
Sharing job opportunities that my friends are hiring for. If we know each other well, hit reply, and I can connect you directly.
Marketing & Events Coordinator (Full-time + Part-time available), Fibe – reply here
Marketing Associate, Ruli
Chief of Staff, Luma
Creator-in-residence, Audos – Working directly with the co-founder of BARK.
Content Manager, Perplexity
Chapter Lead, Hampton
Founding Engineer, Icon
Investor, Eniac Ventures
Sales roles, Popl
Chief of Staff, Knoetic
Strategic Accounts & Founder Relations Lead, Basic Capital
Founding Designer / Founding Engineer / Social Media Lead, Astro AI – Working with the former Chief Product Officer of Hinge)
Head of Engineering, Superpower
Growth Marketing Manager, Baselayer
Engineering Lead, Wonsulting
Engagement Product Manager, Cloaked
Engineer, Windmill – Working with the former co-founder of Yext
Hampton
Events Associate, Manifest Law
Marketing Manager, Vylit – Working directly with the former CEO of OnlyFans.
Head of Growth, Taxwire
Head of GTM, Elloe
Lead Product Designer, EZ Newswire
Marketing Manager, ModernFi
Head of Product, Limitless AI
Have a job to share? Let me know by replying to this email.
👉 Btw, if you want to be part of our partner talent network, next play, and get curated job opportunities in your inbox, please sign up here.
💃 Tech Community Plugs
Resources for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech professionals.
⭐ RARE OPPORTUNITY: My friend Andrew D’Souza is helping 500 founders raise their rounds before the end of the year. Fill this out.
💸 Fundraising – Are you raising capital? Get your startup in front of my network of 2,000+ top-tier VC investors, angel investors, and family offices. Sign up here.
📈 Investors – Looking for deal flow? Receive curated deal flow from my network in your inbox every month. Sign up here.
Resident Office space
🏢 Office space – We just got an office space at Resident in Flatiron - the best neighborhood in the city. There are a few other spots for small teams to work out of. If you’re looking for an office space, check out Resident or hit me up for an intro.
📺 Blindspot – the best way to run Digital out-of-home ads. Through their free tool, anyone can browse, book, and place ads on over 1.5 million digital billboards. Sign up here.
💸 The No BS Guide to Paying Less in Taxes – Get a free 28-page ebook with 20+ strategies to pay less taxes in 2025. Get it here.
🏦 Fidelity Private Shares – the best-in-class equity management platform with 409A valuations and a secure data room. With Fidelity Private Shares, you’re always fundraise-ready. To learn more, reach out to Charlie Stephens at Fidelity for support! Learn more.
🏃 Superpower – Achieve peak performance and improve your health by tracking 100+ biomarkers to get a comprehensive view of your body and get a customized action plan (P.S. I invested in this company!) Learn more.
🍽️ InKind – the ultimate dining app for foodies—earn up to 30% back when you eat out, plus get $50 off your bill every month at select spots. And as a bonus, we both get $25 free when you sign up. Sign up here.
🤝 Dion – The networking app that’s blowing up in New York and Miami. Apply here.
🇺🇸 Looking for a US immigration lawyer? Reply here for an introduction to the lawyers I recommend for O1A/EB1 visas.
🚴 Equinox – Reply here for a free trial and discounted membership.
What other perks should I include? Let me know.
🖼️ Behind the Scenes
I spoke to a group of Cornell master’s students this week about personal brands, startups, and investing, but the questions always circle back to the same things. How do you get started. How do you stand out. How do you avoid getting stuck.
I told them three things:
First, the fastest way to open doors is to give first. Not in a vague way, but in the specific sense of solving a problem for someone. Even if you’re looking for a job, start by asking what they need - then find ways to help them solve their problem.
Second, the gap between people who end up doing great work and people who feel trapped is usually one variable. Risk. The successful ones took more swings. Not because they were smarter, but because they kept trying. You only get a handful of real shots in your life. Six or eight if you’re lucky. Use them.
Third, this is an unusually good time to build things. The tools are better than anything previous generations had. You can put an app in the world in minutes. You can reach millions from your phone. If you want to tilt your life onto a different track, this is the time to do it.
This is great! Thanks for this!