Grad Profiles highlight the personal and professional stories of Founder Institute Graduates from across the globe.
This profile on GIVIGIV, a Graduate of the Los Angeles Founder Institute was written by Emma Tzeng. Founded 2011 by Kenneth Hepburn, GIVIGIV is an online gifting platform that makes sending a gift to a friend out on the town as easy as sending an email.
Let’s face it: no amount of innovation or creativity can ever make the pressure of last-minute gift-giving even remotely enjoyable.
It can, however, alleviate some of the stress of finding and delivering the perfect present to commemorate that deserving somebody in your life.
That’s exactly what Los Angeles-based startup GIVIGIV has set out to accomplish with its online gift-giving platform, which, according to an introductory video, “makes sending a gift to a friend out on the town as easy as sending an email.”
Founded in 2011 by Kenneth Hepburn, who also acts as the company’s CEO, GIVIGIV partners with local restaurants and bars to give the “gift of celebration.” Gift givers can choose from a preapproved selection of establishments and treat their recipients various experiential offerings, such as a drink at a nearby bar, or a three-course meal for two at a top-notch restaurant. The gifts are then delivered straight to the recipient’s email inbox as a redeemable gift card.
Essentially, GIVIGIV aims to revamp the gift-giving frontier by encouraging users to “get away from the computer” and go out to commemorate “the crazy events life serves up.”
In addition to enabling users to give memorable experiences, GIVIGIV also empowers customers to impart positive change with each transaction. The startup automatically gives 10 percent of its profits to the X-Prize Foundation, which tackles pressing issues in clean energy, education, and health care through technological advancement.
Clearly, GIVIGIV has thought through every aspect of the gifting process to ensure that it is as simple, engaging, and interactive as possible. Signing up to use the service is easy and free, and gift recipients don’t need to download an app to redeem their vouchers. In additions, all transactions are handled through PayPal to ensure that users’ sensitive data is kept safe.
In essence, GIVIGIV uses the Internet as a gateway to encourage people to interact in real life, and it’s doing that by enabling consumers to give and share memorable experiences through its online and mobile platforms.
GIVIGIV currently offers services in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco and plans to continue spreading good gift-giving cheer to other major U.S. cities in the future.
To learn more about GIVIGIV:
