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Banana Republic is innovating employee and team recognition using AwesomeBox to story-tell and commemorate success and achievements.

It was awesome to be at the Gap/BR HQ to witness the excitement building in delivering this highly personal surprise gift for all the hard teamwork!

Use AwesomeBox to celebrate success and the people that made it happen. http://www.awesomebox.com

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30-second video of Corby's experience giving AweBox to his wife, Lexi.

Start an AwesomeBox yourself. Last day is Mon. Dec. 15 to get one by Christmas.

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KaBOOM! uses AwesomeBox to Thank Funding Partners

One of our first customers, KaBOOM!, wants to use AwesomeBox in a new way, which we are excited to see!

We originally envisioned AwesomeBox as a many-to-one platform, where many people collaborate to celebrate one person. We are finding lots of many-to-many cases, where many users can co-author something for many people. We've had similar requests from businesses such as The Gap Inc./Banana Republic, Genentech and LADOL (deep offshore logistics base in Nigeria). We think this way of using AwesomeBox might catch on.

KaBOOM! Crowdsourced Partner Appreciation

KaBOOM! plans to use AwesomeBox to crowdsource holiday gifts for its over 90 Funding Partners including:

Using AwesomeBox's platform for online collaboration, KaBOOM! staff and its more than one million volunteers and partners can contribute the best stories, photographs and personal testimonials from over 2,500 playgrounds built nationwide. The collection will tell a personal, creative and highly inspirational story of the awesome work implemented by KaBOOM! and its partners. The collection will be printed into a beautiful box set of cards so everyone can celebrate all the special moments.

About KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 7.4 million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom orfacebook.com/kaboom.

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AwesomeBox featured on Product Hunt

Earlier this week, AwesomeBox was posted on Product Hunt's daily list of the best new products.

We particularly liked this comment by Wendy Kelly!

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AwesomeBox is out!

Publicly available since Nov 1st.

Anybody can start one at AwesomeBox.com.

Christina Taggart, Victoria Skelly, Dana Underwood & Tony Deifell outside our office window.

    During Private Beta, we delivered AwesomeBoxes for...

... birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, bridal showers, baby showers, thank-yous, academic tenures, ordinations and get-wells. Two AwesomeBoxes were made for people fighting cancer. One arrived in time for the recipient to experience the love and memories with her family. She passed away the next morning.

For Thanksgiving, one group is creating a "Gratitude AwesomeBox" for a family gathering. Each family member is making cards about what they're most thankful for this year. 

Another group is collecting memories for a family reunion. 

Some AwesomeBoxes are already underway for Hanukkah and Christmas.   

What customers are saying

“I created an AwesomeBox for my sister's birthday. I absolutely LOVE this product.”  — AweBox Host

“You have made my Grandmother the happiest woman on the planet. She was starting to get world weary a little bit — but she is OVER THE MOON HAPPY with her AwesomeBox. In fact, I think you've helped give her a new lease on life. Thank You so much for this excellent, community-minded, uber-human gift. Best gift she's ever received and she’s 96 years old, so that’s saying a lot!”— AweBox Participant

“We created an AwesomeBox instead of a (Shutterfly) Photo Book for my cousins wedding. (It’s much easier and better)." — AweBox Host

“I love that it was extremely easy! ... I kept thinking I needed to wait until I got home and could focus for a few minutes. But then when I actually did it I was like shit, that was really easy!!  Which is cool.”  — AweBox Participant

“I can't wait to make another one for my mother-in-law over the holidays, collaborating so all her grandchildren are represented. There are so many occasions for AwesomeBox to bring smiles.” — AweBox Host

We're still a little star struck by a few cards — one by Jerry Rice of the 49ers (below) and another by Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac. Behavioral Economist Dan Arielyalso made an AwesomeBox, and we think he's kinda a rock star too.

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Yesterday, Tony Deifell did the first media appearance about AwesomeBox as a guest on “The Dirty Truth."

Rachel Bellow & Suzanne Muchin host this live radio show about entrepreneurship that reaches 20K people through online and local broadcasts in Chicago (WJOB), Boston (WXBR), Detroit (WOMC), Pittsburgh (WLFP) and Seattle-Tacoma.

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We launched via Kickstarter — get yours here.

Sold out "Early Bird" AwesomeBoxes in first 12 hours!

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OLD Bay Bridge coming down+NEW one going up — What a moment in time.

The Muse Factory team sailing trip last weekend—woo hoo!  We finally took a break from staring at code on our computers.

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Robert Winslow, our tech lead, works with Victoria Skelly, our lead designer on the private beta release of AwesomeBox — coming soon.

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DEC 20, 2013

It's the thought that counts. So true. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not always so clear what that thought was. And sometimes, when it is clear, we wish it wasn't. This week, during this, the season of giving, we turn our spotlight on the givers and exactly whatever it was they could've possibly been thinking.

    It's Your Junk In a Box.

  Starlee Kine tells the story of hundreds of boxes left behind by the late Andy Warhol. The boxes, an art project he titled "Time Capsules," includes hundreds of thousands of objects from all parts of his life. It's taken museum staff at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh decades to sort it all out, and try to make sense of what's included. (11 minutes by Starlee Kine)

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DEC 20, 2013

It's the thought that counts. So true. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not always so clear what that thought was. And sometimes, when it is clear, we wish it wasn't. This week, during this, the season of giving, we turn our spotlight on the givers and exactly whatever it was they could've possibly been thinking.

  Host Ira Glass speaks to teenagers at the Arundel Mills Mall in Maryland about something that's difficult for so many teenagers: finding Christmas presents for their parents. He talks to Kevin and Karyn Delauder and their dad JD, and two other teens, Gage and William. (6 minutes) (by Ira Glass)

Replacement Claus

  Jonathan Goldstein tells the story of Santa Claus, who, after losing his wife, Martha Claus, sets out to find love once again. Jonathan's the host of podcast/radio show Wiretap, which is heard on the CBC and on many public radio stations in this country. (17 minutes)  Then 19-year-old Larry Daniels at Arundel Mills Mall explains to Ira what he's bought for his parents in the past, and why he's never asked them what they want for Christmas. (5 minutes by Jonathan Goldstein)

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Design Review Salon

We love to build community among our users, allies, advisors, investors and friends of the company.

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The quickest way to meet as many different people as possible from all over the world is to hang out in an airport. We conducted over 100+ interviews about gift giving, which became the foundation for the product we're designing.

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We just finished running our first hackathon last weekend: 7 hackers. 48 hours. 1 focus: build.

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“When it comes to gifts, you always say ‘It’s the thought that counts’.” 

– Stephen Colbert

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Social Media Explained

mashup of Douglasray's Instagram photo