Jonathan Beekman is the founder and CEO of Man Crates, a Redwood City, Calif., online purveyor of unusual gifts for guys. Choices include an exotic meat jerky sampler shoved into a wooden crate, an outdoor survival kit packed in an ammo box, and an entire section dedicated to zombie preparedness. They’ve also pioneered “intentionally-difficult-to-open” products, as most of their gifts must be opened with an enclosed crowbar.

Beekman says his family had an unusual take on gift giving when he was growing up — each gift could cost a maximum of $50 and had to be something they built or bought used. His favorite? When he was a roller-hockey obsessed teen, his father built him a hockey goal for the driveway made out of PVC pipe. Beekman started Man Crates in his apartment in 2011 and funded it in part by selling his motorcycle and securing $1,000 in seed funding from his wife. The business now counts 40 full-time employees. He graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2009.

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