Moms give you everything and then some. And even though they deserve the world, we've narrowed it down to our top five startup friendly gifts to celebrate mom this year, featuring fun technology, cozy tea and plants, and even a way to make wine better. Brought to you by Northwestern alumni and Resident Teams incubating their startups out of The Garage, here's a few things we think the moms in your life deserve.
1 // Bigelow Tea // Engraved Tea Chest
Cindi Bigelow, CEO, Kellogg School of Management '86
Why we love it: Founded in 1945, we love that Bigelow is still a family owned and operated business and how they turn something as simple as a warm cup of tea into a memory. After making tea for three generations, the company strives to get better and better each year. We also can't help but relate to the founder story of Ruth Campbell Bigelow who simply wanted a better cup of tea, so she made it herself.
2 // Welltended // Plants for a well-tended life.
Carolyn Snider, Founder, Kellogg School of Management ‘17
Resident Team at The Garage
Why we love it: Welltended has a beautiful, grand, and green vision for the world with the belief that plants are right at the intersection of health, happiness and beauty. Launched in 2017, Welltended is a group of people with a passion for plants and a love for the environment. Currently serving the Chicago area, we love how this startup makes having a houseplant easy for city-dwellers.
3 // Amaree Jewelers // Authentic silver filigree jewelry and artwork from Mardin.
Erkan Kilic, Founder, McCormick '18
Former Resident Team at The Garage
Why we love it: Sourced from the city of Mardin in Turkey and handcrafted by silver filigree artisans, Amaree Jewelers unites eastern craftsmanship and western fashion as an international company.
We love that it's more than jewelry, and with every piece, Amaree hopes the wearer will find optimism, harmony, and be a part of a legacy unifying people of 28 cultures for more than 3,000 years.
4 // Üllo Wine Purifier // A revolutionary wine purifier that restores the natural taste of wine.
James Kornack, Founder, WCAS '15
Why we love it: Üllo is a Chicago startup with a simple mission to bring wine back to its natural state. Founded in 2014, James Kornacki used his education and resources from Northwestern to solve a problem (the root of all great innovation).
Using a proprietary technology to filter out free sulfates and their bitter taste, the Üllo Wine Purifier simply makes wine taste better. Raving reviews and more than 200 backers pledging upwards of $250,000 make this gift perfect for any wine loving mom.
5 // Ampy Move // A portable smartphone battery that charges as you move.
Tejas Shastry, McCormick '16
Why we love it: This one is near and dear to our hearts. AMPY was created by three PhD students in 2012 as a project for an entrepreneurship class at Northwestern (something we know very well). It converts the wearer's kinetic energy from movements like walking, bicycling or running into electrical energy which is stored in a battery to charge a cellphone or other devices. Still based in Evanston, AMPY's Kickstarter campaign surpassed its goal in 72 hours in 2015. Shastry's innovation and entrepreneurial success also landed him on the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Want to learn more about the student founded startups incubating out of The Garage? Check out our series on The Magazine featuring teams heating up to participate in Wildfire, The Garage's Pre-Accelerator program.
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