Swish, a Detroit-based programmatic product trial provider, has closed a seed round led by BD Ventures, joined by a group of strategic retail tech and shopper marketing investors. The amount of the seed round was not released.
Swish, founded on the idea of delivering consumers full-size, in-stock consumer packaged goods as samples directly through their regular grocery shopping, is powered by proprietary AI and uses real transactional data to personalize each shopper’s experience.
It is designed to seamlessly add free products into first-party grocery orders, whether for pickup or delivery. By measuring future purchase behavior, Swish states it provides brands with true closed-loop results for their trial investments.
And, by removing the traditional costs and inefficiencies of sampling, Swish makes product discovery a seamless, expected part of the shopping journey, according to the company.
“Ultimately, brands want customers to try, and then buy, their products,” says Adam Stave, co-founder and CEO 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 investment was led by BD Ventures, founded by Jonathan Opdyke and Roger Ehrenberg, which invests in consumer brands and enabling technologies.
“Product trial is the fundamental goal of all consumer-packaged goods marketing,” says 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.”
Additional investors in the deal include:
- Jordan Berke, CEO and founder of TOMORROW, former head of Walmart China ecommerce
- Scott Friend, partner at Bain Capital Ventures and investor in HookLogic, com, Wonder, Mirakl, and Attentive.
- Anil Aggarwal, founder and CEO of ShopTalk, Groceryshop, Retail Club conferences.
- Mathieu Azorin, co-founder and CEO of Storetail (acquired by Criteo).
- Al Muzaurieta, founder and president of Good Apple digital media agency.
- Several former executives of HookLogic and Citrus Ad
Unlike traditional sampling, Swish’s AI engine targets households most likely to convert, capturing new-to-brand purchases within days and tracking repeat sales well beyond the first trial, the company says. Early pilots with retailers including Stater Brothers reportedly have proven how quickly the model drives incremental penetration, velocity, and lifetime value.
“Swish was built to solve the real challenges we hear every day from retailers and brands,” says Stave. “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.”
According to Swish, every trial counts as a full sale for the retailer, enters shopper history, and fuels buy-again behavior while strengthening retail media algorithms. Swish says it sees product not just as a sample, but as the catalyst for integrated campaigns that build long-term loyalty.
For more information, visit swishbx.com.
