Go Swag secures $5M for expansion of business gifting service used by multinational firms
Go Swag, the Glasgow-based technology platform modernising corporate gifting, has secured $5 million in new funding to accelerate its expansion into the United States and advance its proprietary artificial intelligence tools. The round was led by Mercia Ventures, with participation from Techstart Ventures and a group of strategic angel investors, bringing the company’s total raised to $6.2 million.
Founded in 2019 by chief executive Conor McKenna with less than £200, Go Swag has grown from a two-person operation to a 30-strong team serving more than 1,000 companies, including Meta, Apple, ElevenLabs, Netflix and n8n, as well as Spotify, HelloFresh and Burberry. The business has posted five consecutive years of triple-digit compound annual growth — a 112 % CAGR — and now processes global gifting programmes from warehouse hubs in the UK, the Netherlands and the United States.
Trillion-dollar industry stuck in the past
The corporate gifting market is projected to be worth $1.1 trillion by 2028, yet the sector has seen little innovation over the past two decades, according to industry research. The landscape remains dominated by fragmented suppliers and outdated systems that produce low-quality, often gimmicky products that recipients do not want. The environmental toll is steep: an estimated 84 % of branded gifts are either passed on or end up in landfill, driven by excessive packaging, mass production of cheap items and the carbon footprint of international shipping.
Companies attempting to run tailored gifting programmes at scale — for employees, prospects or customers — face high operational complexity. They must juggle fragmented sourcing, manage international logistics and customs clearance, and handle recipient data manually. The result is frequently a one-size-fits-all compromise that dilutes brand experience and overlooks sustainability. As physical brand moments become more vital in hybrid and remote workplaces, legacy systems have struggled to keep pace with premium brand standards and growing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations.
How Go Swag’s platform turns complexity into a strategic advantage
Go Swag transforms that logistical burden into a strategic brand channel by combining AI-driven curation with a high-touch, white-glove service model. The platform manages the entire process — from concept and sourcing through to warehousing, customs clearance and last-mile fulfilment — so that clients can deliver premium, on-brand gifts worldwide with near-zero operational friction.
Central to the offering is its proprietary AI engine, Sonny™, which generates curated product recommendations in seconds, eliminating the need for teams to wade through stacks of catalogues. Another tool, Claim Pages™, allows recipients to input their sizes and delivery addresses directly, reducing administrative work by up to 96 % and preventing common problems such as ill-fitting “unisex” clothing. Supported by warehouse infrastructure spanning the UK, the Netherlands and the US, the platform gives clients real-time visibility over orders, inventory and programme performance.
McKenna said the company was founded after he experienced the “sloppy, low-quality, and soul-crushing manual task” of sourcing premium swag for new joiners at a digital agency. “Corporate gifting is a trillion-dollar industry that spent decades normalising mediocrity because no one built a competitively viable alternative,” he added. “The catalogue is dead and we’re replacing it with smart AI-assisted curation and a better gifting process to match.”
The platform supports a range of strategic use cases — from employee onboarding and recognition to high-impact sales prospecting and brand-building event assets. One visible example is the co-branded gifting vending machines Go Swag operates inside Meta’s three London offices, described as the first such installations in a global tech workplace.
Funding to accelerate US expansion and AI development
The $5 million injection will be used primarily to accelerate Go Swag’s entry into the United States market, where the company already has warehouse capacity. In parallel, it plans to open a new warehouse in Southeast Asia to support further global distribution. The team in Glasgow is expected to more than double, growing from 30 to 70 employees across growth, sales, engineering and operations.
Technology development will continue apace, with investment directed at automation across quoting, account management and recommendation systems, building on Go Swag’s existing AI capabilities. Hugo Lough, investment director at lead investor Mercia Ventures, said: “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. Throughout our time speaking with them we’ve been consistently impressed by their innovative instincts coupled with a focus on scalability in everything they do.”
