8 gifts to make the entrepreneur in your life happy (or at least look up from the computer)

Leap Motion

Leap Motion is cool, plain and simple. Anyone who loves technology (as one would hope a tech entrepreneur does) should be thrilled to tear open the wrapping paper and find one of these.

Above: Your entrepreneur will feel like a wizard.

Leap Motion is an innovative keyboard-free computer controller that senses the positioning of your hands and fingers, enabling you to control your computer and Leap Motion apps by gesturing in midair.

The $80 device is about the size of a pack of gum and plugs into your Mac or PC. Leap Motion has 140 apps in its library, which transform the experience of playing games, creating digital artwork, and consuming news and other forms of content.

Now you can browse through recipes, search for flights, fly around Google Earth, and even play digital bongo drums — without ever touching a screen.

Anki

Even the most stalwart entrepreneurs need ways to blow off steam and unwind, and Anki is a great way to do it.

Above: Smartest toy cars ever.

Image Credit: http://anki.com/

Anki makes a “real-world video game” with robotic racing cars. With Anki Drive, its first slot car-racing game, you roll a mat on the ground to serve as a race track. The cars drive around on their own, adapting and learning how to compete better. You can also control the game through an iOS app, which enables you to steer the car and fire weapons.

This impressive technology took six years to build, the company claims. The cars have advanced artificial intelligence technology so they can “think” and make decisions. They also have tiny cameras as well as a 50-megahertz processor and multicolor LED lights, and they communicate using low-energy Bluetooth. The racing mat is embedded with a code that tells the car where it is on the track relative to other cars.

The Anki Drive starter kit costs $199 and comes with two cars. You can buy additional cars.

Bushmills X Grado headphones

Above: Whiskey wood + high quality sound engineering = blissful productivity.

Image Credit: Turntable labs

Whiskey is an important part of life for many entrepreneurs. They use it to relax after a grueling day and get the innovation juices flowing. It’s used to bond with potential investors or clients, celebrate victories, and salve the pain of defeat.

The $395 Bushmills X Grado headphones are made from wood from old whiskey barrels. Rather than letting your senses be addled by whiskey, these headphones help you focus on the project at hand.

It is hard to tune out the world in the open office setups beloved by tech startups. These offices are filled with noise and activity, which can be great for creative energy and collaboration but are a nightmare for someone who needs solitude to work at their best.

Thus headphones are a critical survival tool for many entrepreneurs. These limited-edition sets heighten the style-factor and sound quality. They were designed by actor Elijah Wood in partnership with Bushmills Distillery and Grado, which makes top-of-the-line sound products.

USB Drive cufflinks

Above: You never know when you might need to store or access a file.

Image Credit: cufflinks.com

The unofficial tech startup uniform is startup swag T-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. Every now and then, opportunities to dress up happen along, and on those occasions, what better way to be stylish and prepared for anything than with USB drive cufflinks?

The cufflinks each contain a functioning 4GB USB drive that remains hidden until you need it. It’s a very James Bondian way to carry around important documents or pitch decks while on the go or to securely store important information (like Bitcoin keys).

They cost $110 and come in silver, gunmetal, and gold, and for an additional charge, you can add an engraving. Also, as I am sure there are entrepreneurs out there who don’t have suits to adorn with these cufflinks, Indochino can help. The e-commerce startup provides an entirely online and convenient way to get a custom-made, tailored suit.

Solid gold iPhone

What better way to get someone’s attention with than with a lot of bling? Particularly when that bling encases the portal to their entire universe. If you or your entrepreneur has already had a significant liquidity event, consider this over-the-top gift. 

Above: This ain’t no lousy gold finish.

Image Credit: Uncrate

Apple’s latest iPhone 5s comes with a gold-colored option, but any ol’ Joe could buy that. Instead of a gold finish, how about an iPhone plated in 24-karat gold, platinum, or rose gold that costs about $3,300. If you think that seems exorbitant, keep in mind that it also comes with a cherry oak finished box. If your entrepreneur already has a phone, they can send their phone for gold-plating for the cheaper price of $1,332.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans can’t go an hour without checking their smartphone, and this number is probably even higher among entrepreneurs.  A smartphone is an entrepreneur’s best friend — from there, they can always be working and never miss a beat while commuting eating or even using the bathroom (gross, but true).

A device of this importance deserves to be swathed in glory (and gold). It’s like the entrepreneurs version of a “grill” (the teeth kind, not the cooking kind.)