Well, GrepBeat readers, it’s about that time again. A week of family, friends, fall flavors, feasting, football, and follege fasketball is ahead of us. But as you may have noticed, the mall Christmas trees are fully decorated, the coffee shops are foisting ginger and peppermint treats on us, and the Black Friday deals have already begun. Not to mention it’s a wintry 60ish degrees outside.
What all of this means is that it’s time once more for your year-in-GrepBeat holiday gift guide. If you’re not familiar with the tradition, this is when we sift through all the stories we’ve covered since last year’s holiday gift guide (much of which is still relevant) and present you with products and services from North Carolina startups that may factor into your holiday shopping (or general plans).
So without further ado, let’s yank open a Christmas cracker of content and see what our festive founders have for us this year.
For the Fashion-Forward
We don’t tend to come across too many specific style items to promote. But the following startups give you a chance to help those fashion-forward folks on your list either discover or double down on their taste.
Roam doesn’t exactly provide direct gifts. But it does use AI to recognize a user’s style via browsing across stores. So if you have a fashionista on your list and you really know their style, you might just find some gift ideas by plugging some of what they like into the platform. (GrepBeat feature here)
For the Curious Kiddos (and Adults)
We covered a handful of startups this year that do a great job blending fun, convenience, and education for kids—and in some cases, adults as well. For the intellectually curious on your list, consider the following.
The Land Of Can offers a lineup of books (with an accompanying game and app possibly on the way) designed to teach kids how to define themselves by their strengths. (GrepBeat feature here)
STEM PLUG combines children’s books with hydraulic robots to demonstrate both practical skills and the value of STEM. The startup sells books ($15), the HydraBot ($65), and a book-and-bot combo ($72). (GrepBeat feature here)
In the category of general knowledge, Auxiom makes for an interesting (and affordable) gift. This startup curates journalism and AI-driven podcasts according to interests. There’s a free version, but you can gift the $1/month option with additional features. (GrepBeat feature here)
Miscellaneous Gifts
Not everything fits neatly into a category, but then not everyone on your gift list can be easily defined anyway. If you’re grasping at straws or seeking some random inspiration, one of these may do the trick.
Focus on Words is a platform that offers assistance, in multiple ways, to authors who want to publish books and maintain control over them. We have more for book lovers below, but if you want to browse miscellaneous titles, look no further. (GrepBeat feature here)
The Woobles—a Duke-born company that sells character crochet kits—made the gift guide last year. They’re back now, however, with a new line of “Loopables” products. which you can read more about here.
WheelPrice provides an online marketplace (accompanied by AI fitment assessments) for… well, wheels. Perhaps an ambitious gift to outfit someone else’s vehicle, but if you know what they want you know what they want. (GrepBeat feature here)
For Those Into Sports, Health, & Wellness
There’s a pretty good chance someone on your shopping list is interested in sports, health, wellness, or some combination thereof. And if they’re not in it for themselves, they may find something they’d like for their pets here, too….
Meridian is “the app that puts a Golf Pro in your pocket.” This startup uses advanced computer vision and machine learning to help you improve your short game with nothing more than a smartphone and a putter—indoor or out, with or without space or a putting green. The app is free to use, but there are premium models you can gift. (GrepBeat feature here)
Ver Coaching provides VR-driven, app-based visual training designed to improve athletes’ vision tracking and, by extension, hand-eye coordination. This is not a gift-able product, but you can book a consultation/demo for the athlete on your list. (GrepBeat feature here)
We know Nuream primarily for the “fabric-as-a-sensor” tech the startup is working on to gather data and improve sleep. But Nuream’s existing mattresses, pillows, and other sleep products are already designed to optimize sleep for healthier living. (GrepBeat feature here)
If someone on your list is into pet wellness, rather than just the human variety, Dr. Milou is worth a look. This startup’s main focus is on oral health for four-legged friends, but it also offers a range of healthy and/or fun products the pet lover on your list will appreciate. (GrepBeat feature here)
A Bit of Holiday Help
Straying slightly from gifting, this category highlights a few startups that offer services you may be able to make use of during the holidays.
If you’re welcoming company over the holidays and you’re looking to spruce up the house, StreetFair may be of use. The startup helps you identify and book home services (lawn care, gutter cleaning, etc.) based on neighbors’ reviews. (GrepBeat feature here)
From the Book Club
We’ll wrap things up (literally) with a category that isn’t exactly about startup products and services, but is nonetheless full of possibilities. As you may know, GrepBeat has been hosting a Book Club for the past year or so. And ever-so-conveniently, this has left us with a ready-made list of recommendations for the book lovers on your shopping list….
“Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan is a book for those who have a love of whimsy and mystery and a desire to preserve books, letters, and… well… immortal life. (Book Club write-up here)
“Player Piano” by Kurt Vonnegut is for readers who want to confront the notion of a machine-driven dystopia… only from a 1950s perspective and while having a laugh about it. (Book Club write-up here)
“The Future” by Naomi Alderman is for the reader who wants a bit of serious-but-not-really escapism threaded through apocalyptic mystery and thinly veiled critiques of ultra-wealthy tech titans. (Book Club write-up here)
“Disrupted” by Dan Lyons will be a good gift for those with an interest in the early days of the “startup bubble” (and how they may mirror modern times). (Book Club write-up here)
“Microserfs” by Douglas Coupland is another selection for the reader with an interest in tech history—though this one concerns earlier days and a fictional batch of characters seeking meaning beyond their keyboards. (Book Club write-up here)
“But What If We’re Wrong” by Chuck Klosterman is, at the time of this writing, the current GrepBeat Book Club read. It’s a perfect gift for readers who are curious about culture, intrigued by thought experiments, and up for a bit of wit.
“Likeable Badass” by Alison Fragale, PhD, was not a GrepBeat Book Club selection. But it was a LiLa read as well as a book CED’s Strength In Numbers group organized an event around. The book concerns how women at work can attain the status and reputations they deserve. (LiLa write-up here)
“Bootstrapping Bronto” by Joe Colopy (aka the GrepBeat Godfather) also wasn’t a Book Club selection. But in case you got lost in the Durham salt caves for two months and haven’t heard… yes, Joe published a book! It provides a blueprint (not *the* blueprint) for scaling a startup without venture capital, with lessons from Joe’s days doing the thing in the title. (Launch event write-up here)
That does it for the 2025 GrepBeat Holiday Gift Guide! Happy hunting, holiday homies.
