🎄 Nöel Gift Guide
For the French Tech Obsessed "Bobo"
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I hope everyone is enjoying some much-deserved time off. For several of my ex-pat friends, I can imagine this is your first time seeing family since the pandemic started. So take a moment, be present and relax. When it comes to gift ideas, I've got you covered.
Whether you're a French Tech enthusiast or have one in your life, you'll find some cool French companies making products worth buying in the list below. I've divided the categories by type of bobo, French slang for hipster. I think I managed to include a pretty wide range to ensure the bobo in your life is satisfied.
****This is NOT a sponsored post, I'm simply aggregating cool products I've come across in my research!***
For the Digital Native Bobo
Molotov TV+ Subscription
A pioneer in bringing traditional television digital, Molotov was recently acquired by FuboTV for a handsome sum. They have a free tier and a premium subscription for like €3.99/mo.
Devialet
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the haut de gamme (read: fancy) gift option. Devialet is known for their high-end speakers and professional sound systems (starting at €1,800). But they also have earbuds in a more affordable price range (€300). Their branding is sexy as hell. It's like if Apple and Sonos had a baby with Beyoncé.
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For the Life-Long Learning Bobo
OpenClassrooms
If you're looking for continued education, a career pivot, or an alternative to a formal Master's program, this is the place to go. They've raised €135M to redesign education for the future. For €500/month you have unlimited access to courses and are guaranteed a job or your money back.
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For the Fashion Bobo
Jimmy Fairly
These guys are the Warby Parker of France: stylish, affordable frames (€99) and lenses with a tech-enabled ordering process. I have a pair myself. Check out their gift idea page.
Vestiaire Collective
A second-hand, luxury fashion marketplace that's been the talk of the town. The newly appointed Director of La French Tech, Clara Chappaz, was their Chief Business Officer prior to taking on her new role. Find a unique item in their Exceptional Pieces category. If you're feeling generous this holiday season, I recommend trying out Geev, where you can donate used items and rack up points you can apply towards other items listed on the site.
🔖 Related Articles: Cornering the Market(place)
For the Life Optimization Bobo
Angell Bike
Starting at €2860, this will be an investment. But if the future of mobility is cycling, this bad boy is the Rolls-Royce of Parisian street bikes. Navigation, anti-theft, geo-location, electric support for hills — it's got every bell & whistle designed by Ora ïto. You can do a test ride at any of their locations and pay in 12-month installments to spread the cost.
Nutri&Co.
One-stop-eCommerce-shop for your nutritional supplements, vitamins, collagen, protein etc. They've got gift packs based on objective (sport, beauty, performance, recovery).
Tediber
I've raved about these guys already on Twitter. But here we go again. Top DTC mattress startup in France, imho. Need better sleep and don't want to schlep a mattress yourself from Châtelet? They'll deliver your pristine new sleep destination in 24-48hrs with real-time tracking. They've got accessories too.
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*Speaking of life hacks, I wanted to share a product I actually use daily. They are laser-focused on improving the lives of internet creators & have an awesome team I can vouch for personally.*
What do they do? Check out my meme-splantation 👇🏼
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For the Self-Care Bobo
Your French Tech fanatic definitely needs a good skin care routine. Stress and Parisian air pollution aren't doing your wrinkles any good.
Horace
Great starting point for any skincare novice. They are predominantly male-focused, starting online and now pivoting into brick-and-mortar stores (in fact, I saw they even distribute through Monoprix). I first saw the brand in a locker room at Dynamo (the French Soul Cycle) and then bought some of their creams myself. I guess the product placement worked! Their stuff is all natural, no-additives and reasonably priced.
Typology
If you want to level up to tinctures and serums, this is where it's at! They've got cool gift sets and even cooler metro ads. Oh, and it's all vegan.
900 Care
This brand is a seemingly overnight success story in zéro déchets: refillable personal care products. They raised €10M just 6 months after launch! You can sign up and receive a reusable container, plastic-free refills and regular deliveries to make sure you don't run out. Think of it like re-chargeable toothpaste, soap, shampoo and other toiletries. Save the planet from your bathroom!
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For the Crypto Bobo
Ledger
Unless you're a multi-millionaire or bought into the NFT craze early, it's unlikely you're buying a Beeple or CryptoPunk for your favorite bobo this year. But you can buy them a secure, cold storage wallet for whatever amount they've invested in alternative currencies. Ledger is one of the leaders in the space and continues to innovate on state-of-the-art security for crypto.
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For the Soon-to-Be Bobo
Kard
Never too early to teach your kid about personal finance. Get them a safe and secure debit card with parental controls, budgeting tools, allowances & more. This challenger bank for teens recently raised €3M to scale-up.
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The Employee Bobo Starter Pack
As the startup economy grows, attracting and retaining talent is critical for every company's success. Traditionally, the best way to do that is have a great product, culture and of course perks. In the US, most employees look for health benefits and 401k matching programs. In France, it's secondary health insurance (mutuelle) and tickets restos (restaurant tickets). More and more, fitness is entering the picture.
Alan
The disruptive health insurance company has become table stakes at most startups in France. I wrote my first article on them and they continue to accelerate towards their objective: become the healthcare super app of Europe.
Swile
This startup has challenged the status quo on restaurant tickets, the most beloved French public benefit. Now that they've got their foot in the door, they aim to expand into all things employee benefits. They recently raised $200M from Softbank to continue their explosive growth.
Gymlib
The ClassPass of France has become a staple for the newest generation seeking a variety of workouts in their routine. Companies can sponsor points towards your monthly allowance to reduce personal costs for yoga, spin, bootcamps and more.
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