1. Sarah Simmons
Founder and Chef, City Grit
MIke’s Hot Honey: “I’m putting it on everything! The heat is a nice twist on a traditional local honey. It’s the perfect way to spice up both sweet and savory foods. Right now I’m living on peanut butter, banana, and hot honey panini.”
2. Leandra Medine
Founder, The Man Repeller
One More Thing, by B.J. Novak: “It’s a book of short fiction, which I don’t typically recommend (I’m more a non-fiction reader). But it manifests as equal parts cerebral and comical short stories, as well as long-form jokes replete with pleasantly surprising punch lines.”
3. Brett Lauter
U.S. president, Decluttr
Billy Reid: “His clothing is fashionable and trendy, but based on classic designs. And it can be dressed up or down, which is important in today’s culture, where you go from business meetings to drinks with friends and then on a date, and don’t want to have to change three times.”
4. Justin Cooke
CEO, Innovate7
Marco Fusinato: “I first saw his work at MoMA on a trip to New York and was so inspired that I purchased two of his paintings–Mass Black Implosion (Mikka Iannis Xenakis) and Mass Black Implosion (Mikrokosmos: Subject and Reflection, Bela Bartok).”
5. Graham Hill
Founder and CEO, LifeEdited
Echigo Koshihikari: “I’m a part-time pilsneraholic but I like to avoid gluten, and because 95% of beers have gluten and most gluten-free beers taste like crap, I was happy to stumble upon this Japanese beer made from rice. It tastes amazing.”
App Alley
Pick: Rooster
“I’m an avid reader, but I hated reading on my phone–until Rooster. Each month, it sends a contemporary work of fiction paired with a complementary classic, delivered in serialized installments that take about 10 minutes to read.”
2. Jennifer 8 Lee.
Cofounder, Rooster
Pick: Sprig
“It delivers fairly healthy meals hot to your door. Sprig is great, because oftentimes if you’re working and creative and you’re in a zone, you look up and say, ‘Oh, fuck, I have to eat.’ It gives you more time to be more productive.”
3. Gagan Biyani
Cofounder and CEO, Sprig
Pick: Sunrise
“It’s the first calendar app that truly has taken into account and embraced the mobile platform. Sunrise does a fantastic job of showing me my entire week’s schedule and my daily schedule, and then directing me to where I need to go.”
4. Jeremy Le Van
Cofounder, Sunrise
Pick: Citymapper
“The app and site go beyond basic transit info with weather forecasts, Citi Bike station availability, and cab pricing. While I waited for a cab once, Citymapper showed me it would be easier to take a Citi Bike–and located the nearest one.”
5. Azmat Yusuf
Founder, Citymapper
Pick: Workable
“This recruiting software connects to LinkedIn and makes it much easier to share info within my team and communicate with the candidates. We appreciate what Workable does–really think about how to redesign the experience.”