About us
The future
of gifting is here
Our mission is to make it easier than ever to share gratitude, love, and positivity. Our vision is a world where everyone feels celebrated for who they are.
Forging community and meaningful connection across communities
illume is the celebration platform reimagining group cards and gifts for communities across the U.S.
We exist to make every celebration easier than ever, sourcing inclusive and impactful gifts so that communities and small-businesses alike flourish and thrive.
Our founding story
illume grew out of a project called, “lovenotes” at Stanford Business School. Sohale, co-founder and CEO of illume, felt that his classmates were apprehensive to open up to share positivity and gratitude. In an effort to open hearts, Sohale created a site where classmates could privately and anonymously share positivity and gratitude.
The result was a burst of humanity that led him to working with co-founder and Stanford d-school classmate, Maxine Stern, to inspire friendships and spread lovenotes to other communities.
Today, illume carries lovenotes’s spirit as it creates a world where everyone is celebrated for who they are.
illume grew out of a project called, “lovenotes” at Stanford Business School. Sohale, co-founder and CEO of illume, felt that his classmates were apprehensive to open up to share positivity and gratitude. In an effort to open hearts, Sohale created a site where classmates could privately and anonymously share positivity and gratitude.
The result was a burst of humanity that led him to working with co-founder and Stanford d-school classmate, Maxine Stern, to inspire friendships and spread lovenotes to other communities.
Today, illume carries lovenotes’s spirit as it creates a world where everyone is celebrated for who they are.
Our investors have backed some of the world’s most valuable companies including
DoorDash, Dropbox, Allbirds, Gusto, and Airbnb.