If you are still scrambling for gift ideas, Y Combinator has some suggestions for you. The seed funding accelerator is out with a holiday gift guide featuring some of the products to come through their doors.
Kat Manalac is a partner at Y Combinator, and she joins Cheddar to highlight some of these gifts. First up is the Toymail. The stuffed animals are tech enabled, but do not feature a screen! Baker Machado and Brad Smith open up one of their own on set.
Manalac goes on to talk about the subscription services that are big this season and how it's a fun idea to get a gift that keeps on giving.
Manalac also gives tips on what Y Combinator looks for when they are taking in a start-up. She says passion and drive in a start-up founder is crucial.
Dena Jalbert, CEO of Align Advisory Services, breaks down the M&A outlook for 2026 as AI costs, debt, valuations and economic uncertainty reshape deal-making.
LSEG Consumer Research Director Jharonne Martis breaks down retail earnings, the K-shaped consumer and what inflation and rising costs mean for spending.
Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani discusses expanding beyond Uber, adding new delivery partners and scaling autonomous robots as delivery moves into the mainstream
Citrotech CEO Wes Bolsen discusses how innovative building materials could prevent fires, slow their spread and reshape the future of fire-safe construction.
Complex President Moksha Fitzgibbons explains how the brand is blending media, AI, e-commerce, sports & live experiences to build a new kind of culture business