Shopping locally is especially hard this year, considering most are trying to steer clear of indoor spaces and crowds. But Atlanta startups have no shortages of interesting gift ideas for your friends and family.
From customizable cookbooks to high-quality speakers, here's your gift guide to what local startups have on the market.
For an early Christmas gift
This startup launched in 2016 to bring diversity to Christmas wrapping and decorating with the smiling face of Clarence Claus. With festive gift wrap, masks, t-shirts and other accessories, this may be a gift you’d want to give before Christmas Day.
Price: Starting at $4
For the workaholic
Synapse
Synapse energy drink aims to boost focus without caffeine, using natural ingredients. We named it a Startup to Watch in 2019.
Price: Starting at $9
For the best dressed
This satin-lined rain hat keeps your hair dry without causing typical hat hair. Spelman College alumna Tracey Pickett founded the company in 2016.
Price: Starting at $35
A subscription box for fancy socks. Need I say more? This company, founded in 2013, aims to create fun and high-quality socks. Now, customers can buy individual pairs of socks, packs of socks, masks and beanies.
Price: Starting at $12 for a pair of socks; and $80 for a subscription
For the forgetful one
The Cross-Body Clutch Strap is a leather strap that attaches to your phone case with industrial adhesive. Once attached, the founders say you can swing your phone on the strap without worrying about it breaking loose. The Cross-Body Clutch Strap is still in a Kickstarter campaign, which ends Dec. 2. The company reached its goal and will start manufacturing once the campaign finishes, so this gift would be a good after-Christmas I.O.U. for the friend who’s always losing their phone.
Price: Pledge $50 or more to pre-order
For the beauty queen
This Atlanta cosmetics company produces natural beauty products to fit a wide range of skin tones. It recently won a Fearless Fund pitch competition to help expand its options.
Price: Starting at $10
For the audiophile
These wireless speakers don’t use Bluetooth or WiFi. Audality uses its own transmitter in order to make the sound more clear. Founder Paul Raley says it’s “doing for audio what HD did for TV.”
Price: Speakers starting at $400
For the music lover
Quarantine have a friend or family member thinking about picking up an instrument? Download the Musicbuk app and give them the gift of music lessons. Lessons are available virtually via Zoom. Most of the money goes straight to the instructor, other than a one-time finder's fee and small transaction fee from the app.
Price: Varies
For tired parents
Slumberpod is a black-out sleeping tent that was featured on "Shark Tank." SlumberPod is portable and geared toward parents trying to get a good night’s sleep for their toddler or fur baby.
Price: Starting at $110
For the foodie
This company lets you produce custom cookbooks that you can collaborate on with friends and family. By using the website, you can create a recipe box and share it with friends, adding photos and picking a style. Then, you can order the cookbook and the company will have it printed and shipped.
Price: Starting at $20
For the hard to shop for
This platform, which recently raised a seed round, allows you to transfer money to your friends and family, which they can then donate to the charity of their choice. They’ll be notified of their charity gift via email, and then they can go through a short log-in process to donate it.
Price: $20 minimum
For the sustainably minded
This clothing company makes t-shirts out of recycled bottles. When the shirt gets worn, it has a take-back program to keep it diverted from a landfill. The company offers wholesale pricing to provide shirts for corporate offices, nonprofits or schools.
Price: $40 for a shirt, discount for wholesale
For the candy lover
Founder Sebastian Flores, named a 2019 Inno Under 25 winner, designs and sells cards that double as candy dispensers. The paper cards have a clear window where the candy can go and a paper knob that dispenses it. Flores now sells them as DIY kits that customers can make themselves after ordering the materials.
Price: Starting at $17 for a DIY kit
For the budding entrepreneur
Written by Isha Uppalapati, this book has advice, personal anecdotes and insights from seven successful women about entrepreneurship. Uppalapati is a senior in high school and Inno Under 25 winner.
Price: $11
For next Christmas
Invented by Georgia Tech grads, the Better Coffee Filter aims to reduce the acidity in coffee to make the favorite morning drink healthier. The founders plan to create a Kickstarter campaign for the product in early 2021, so it won’t be ready by gift-giving season. But check back next year to see if it's available for your coffee-loving friends.
Price: TBD
