Abi Asija interviews Mic Foster, founder of No Gifts Please, about building an experience-based registry platform that replaces traditional gift-giving for children’s birthdays and holidays. Instead of physical presents, parents can create registries for experiences like horseback riding lessons, museum memberships, sports camps, or even family vacations.
Key takeaway: pooling small contributions from friends and family can unlock bigger, more meaningful experiences for kids while reducing clutter from traditional gifts.
Mic explains how the platform works from start to finish. Parents create a registry in minutes, an AI assistant named Joy helps suggest relevant experiences based on the child’s age, interests, and location, and a private link is shared with party guests. Friends and family can then contribute funds toward those experiences instead of buying physical presents.
The startup has grown quickly since launching, reaching over $1.5 million in total registry value and about $200,000 in revenue within its first eight months. Most early traction came from social media, where parenting influencers introduced the idea of replacing gifts with shared experiences.
They break down the biggest product challenges behind the scenes, including reducing friction in the AI onboarding process, simplifying registry creation for parents who already know what experience they want, and solving the critical problem of getting users to share their registry links with guests.
Abi also explores the business model, where No Gifts Please earns a ten percent platform fee from contributions, while future revenue could come from partnerships with experience providers such as resorts, camps, and entertainment venues. These partnerships could create affiliate revenue, advertising opportunities, and a curated marketplace of family experiences.
The conversation also dives into growth strategy and product design, including ideas for reducing onboarding friction, improving experience recommendations, and using customer feedback to refine the platform. Abi emphasizes the importance of direct communication with users and suggests founders personally connect with customers to uncover hidden product insights.
The episode closes with a look at the long-term vision for No Gifts Please. Beyond registries, Mic hopes to build a broader experience marketplace where families can discover and book activities for their kids, turning the platform into a go-to destination for meaningful family experiences.
