What is the best gift? The New York Times seems to have 239,048 answers to this question. Ranging from classic holiday gift guides to the power of hand-knitted gifts, a simple search for “gift giving” can answer it all. Or can it? South High Alum Josh Rosenfeld has his own take on the craft of gift-giving.
Introducing Odes Unboxed, a personalized gift company founded in 2022 by Rosenfeld. The company designs games as a gift, enabling people to connect with their loved ones during special occasions. Since the elements are tailored to your loved one, the game allows you to travel down memory lane. Rosenfeld designed multiple games—Suite Heart, By the Fire, Daydream, Snail Mail, and Tribute. In Tribute, for example, small groups compete to see who knows a loved one the best. Like Tribute, all the games invite the participants to embrace play and build connections.
Rosenfeld fondly recalls his time in high school clubs like DECA and playing intramural sports at Yale, where he created some of his happiest memories. The business club (DECA) sparked his entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged him to explore new ideas—skills that he still utilizes today. At South, Rosenfeld developed a strong work ethic by breaking down ‘the hard things’ into manageable tasks, while also learning to appreciate the small moments along the way. As a computer science major at Yale, his curiosity only grew. While playing intramural sports, Rosenfeld experienced the thrill of competition, strengthening his teammates’ bonds as they faced off against other schools. “It was having those [alive] experiences in high school and in college that led me to do what I’m doing now,” says Rosenfeld.
During high school and college, Rosenfeld knew he would someday start his own company. “I would have imagined it as beginning the next big startup, hiring a giant team, and raising a lot of capital,” he explained. However, his perspective shifted after spending four years as a product manager at Yelp. “I realized I’d rather prioritize doing work that I find meaningful, that makes me happy, and that pays the bills so that I can keep doing it.” Today, Rosenfeld works with a small team that helps him bring his ideas to life—but this was not always the case. Initially running the company by himself, he soon realized that “making a well-balanced board game that’s a commercial success is very, very, very, very hard.” Seeking help, he reached out to former Yelp colleagues and visited game conventions, where he met Haley Cooper, who now collaborates with Rosenfeld on game design.
With his team, Rosenfeld has big plans for the future. He hopes to see his games on Amazon and in bookstores, inspiring people to create their own gifts and share special moments with others. Over the past year, he also experimented with hosting classes and workshops. The courses ranged from a two-day Mother’s Day workshop to a five-week gift building course. By teaching the art of gift-giving, he hopes to spread moments of joy to as many people as possible. “This is what I would do if I won the lottery and could do whatever I wanted…Loving what I do and seeing the effect that it has on other people is what keeps me going,” said Rosenfeld.
