Go Swag raises USD $5m for US expansion with Mercia

Go Swag has raised USD $5 million in a funding round led by Mercia Ventures to support the Glasgow company's expansion in the United States.

Techstart Ventures and angel investors also participated, bringing total funding raised by the corporate gifting platform to USD $6.2 million. It says it works with more than 1,000 companies, including Meta, Apple, Netflix, ElevenLabs and n8n.

The investment comes as Go Swag looks to build its presence in a large but fragmented sector. The company says the corporate gifting market is projected to reach USD $1.1 trillion by 2028, while many businesses still rely on suppliers and processes that create administrative burdens and inconsistent product quality.

Growth plans

Founded in Glasgow in 2019, Go Swag has a team of 30 and says it has recorded five consecutive years of triple-digit compound annual growth of 112%, roughly doubling each year since launch. It plans to use the funding to hire across growth, sales, engineering and operations, increasing headcount to 70.

The company is also preparing to expand its logistics footprint. In addition to its warehouse infrastructure in the UK, the Netherlands and the US, it plans to open a warehouse in Southeast Asia.

Go Swag's service covers product selection, warehousing, customs and fulfilment for clients running gifting programmes for employees, customers and sales prospects. Its software includes an AI tool called Sonny, which generates product recommendations, and Claim Pages, which collect recipient sizes and addresses directly.

Platform focus

According to the company, this can cut gifting administration by up to 96% by removing the manual collection of delivery details and reducing other common errors. It also gives clients visibility over orders, inventory and programme performance.

The broader pitch also centres on waste reduction in a market often criticised for sending unwanted branded products. Go Swag cites industry figures showing that 84% of branded gifts are either passed on or sent to landfill, and argues that better product selection and recipient data can reduce waste and improve brand representation.

Its work with large technology groups has helped raise its profile. One example is the installation of Go Swag vending machines in Meta's three London offices, which the company describes as co-branded gifting machines for a global technology workplace.

Market opportunity

"Corporate gifting is a trillion-dollar industry that spent decades normalising mediocrity because no one built a competitively viable alternative. We started Go Swag with less than £200 and the belief that every gift a company puts its name on either strengthens the brand or quietly undermines it. This funding allows us to take this conviction global, beginning with a major US market expansion. The catalogue is dead and we're replacing it with smart AI-assisted curation and a better gifting process to match," said Conor McKenna, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Go Swag.

Mercia Ventures backed the company because of its progress in a category that has seen little change for years. The investor pointed to the combination of software and operational delivery as a differentiator in a market where many providers still depend on manual processes.

"Go Swag is building a technology business in a sector that has resisted innovation for decades. Conor and Ben identified the structural advantage, then delivered enterprise-grade programmes at a fraction of the operational cost of incumbents. Go Swag seized a category-defining opportunity and capably translated it into sustained growth. Their combined product instinct and commercial discipline made them an exciting industry upstart, and they're now emerging as a serious competitor. Throughout our time speaking with Conor and Ben, we've been consistently impressed by their innovative instincts coupled with a focus on scalability in everything they do. We're delighted to be partnering with them on the next phase of their growth," said Hugo Lough, Investment Director, Mercia Ventures.