DETROIT — Swish, a pioneer in programmatic product trials, announced today that it has raised a seed funding round led by BD Ventures, with participation from a roster of influential retail technology and shopper marketing investors.
Founded to modernize how brands drive consumer trials, Swish delivers full-size, in-stock CPG products as free samples directly within shoppers’ grocery orders. The platform leverages proprietary AI to personalize product placement based on transactional data and measures repeat purchase behavior, providing brands with closed-loop results while creating incremental sales for retailers.
“Ultimately, brands want customers to try and then buy their products,” said Adam Stave, CEO and co-founder of Swish. “Demos and mailers are expensive and hard to measure, while digital media continues to fall short. Swish treats the product itself as media—placed directly into baskets, at the right time, for the right people. We offer a massive unlock for retailers and brands looking for measurable performance in product trial.”
The round was led by BD Ventures, co-founded by Jonathan Opdyke and Roger Ehrenberg. Opdyke, who previously co-founded HookLogic and helped shape the retail media industry, said the investment reflects Swish’s ability to address one of the most pressing needs in consumer marketing.
“Product trial is the fundamental goal of all consumer-packaged goods marketing,” said Jonathan Opdyke, Managing Partner of BD Ventures. “Shoppers don’t truly become customers until they actually consume or use the product and decide to buy again. Adam and the Swish team are reinventing this equation for digital commerce, creating a true win-win-win for brands, retailers, and consumers. We believe this could fundamentally change how CPG brands go to market.”
Other notable investors include:
- Jordan Berke, CEO of TOMORROW and former head of Walmart China ecommerce
- Scott Friend, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures and early investor in HookLogic, Jet.com, and Mirakl
- Anil Aggarwal, CEO and founder of ShopTalk, Groceryshop, and Retail Club
- Mathieu Azorin, co-founder of Storetail (acquired by Criteo)
- Al Muzaurieta, founder of digital media agency Good Apple
- Several former executives of HookLogic and CitrusAd
- Continued support from pre-seed investors ID Ventures and MI Rise Pre-Seed Fund
Swish’s early pilots with retailers, such as Stater Bros. Markets, have shown strong results, driving faster household penetration, repeat sales, and increased lifetime value. The company positions its platform as a “headless” solution that integrates easily into existing retail ecommerce stacks or through partners like Upshop.
“Swish was built to solve the real challenges we hear every day from retailers and brands,” said Adam Stave, Founder & CEO of Swish. “Retailers need profitable ecommerce, bigger baskets, and happier shoppers. Brands need measurable, targeted ways to win new customers and prove impact. With this seed round and the backing of experienced leaders in retail media and ecommerce, we’re ready to scale Swish to major retailers and make merchandise the next powerful form of media.”
For more information, visit www.swishbx.com.
