Startup Swag: What to Order First and What to Skip
A practical guide to startup swag: the first items worth ordering, sensible quantities for a small team, branding that ages well and how to get kits to remote hires.
By Zintora Team
Startup swag works best when it starts small: a T-shirt or hoodie people actually wear, stickers for laptops and a mug or bottle for the desk. Our Core Cotton T-Shirt starts from £6.79 ex VAT with a minimum of 25, mixed across sizes, so a ten-person team can order sensibly from the first round.
This guide covers what to order first, what to leave until later, how to brand items so they still look right after a rebrand, and how to get swag to people who work from home. Every product and starting price below comes from the live Zintora catalogue on 28 October 2026.
Why startup swag is different
A large company orders merchandise for a known headcount, with a fixed brand and a marketing budget. A startup has none of those. The team may double in a year, the logo may change after a funding round, and every pound spent on merchandise is a pound not spent on the product.
That changes the rules:
- Order for the next six to twelve months, not for ever. Minimums still apply, so plan a first order that covers the current team, the next few hires and a handful of events.
- Choose items people use outside work. A good hoodie is worn at weekends. A cheap one is never worn at all.
- Keep the branding simple. A small logo or wordmark ages better than a slogan tied to this quarter's pitch.
For broader inspiration across company sizes, see our guide to company swag ideas.
Startup swag: what to order first
Prices are starting prices ex VAT; printing and delivery are extra, UK import VAT and duties are paid on delivery.
| Product | Why it works for a startup | From (ex VAT) | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holo Die-Cut Stickers | Laptop stickers on holographic vinyl, ideal for events | £1.47 | 250 |
| Loop Sticker Pack | Five die-cut vinyl stickers in a kraft sleeve | £4.25 | 100 |
| Ember Mug | 350 ml stoneware mug for the office | £6.08 | 36 |
| Core Cotton T-Shirt | 180 g/m² combed cotton, XS to 3XL | £6.79 | 25 |
| Northstar Cap | Six-panel cap with 3D or flat embroidery | £7.86 | 30 |
| Atlas Steel Bottle | 750 ml double-wall steel bottle | £12.87 | 25 |
| Summit Hoodie | 400 g/m² brushed fleece hoodie | £22.88 | 20 |
| Day One Essentials Kit | T-shirt, mug, notebook and stickers for new joiners | £27.88 | 15 |
Stickers: the cheapest way to be seen
Stickers are the classic piece of startup swag. They end up on laptops, which go to coffee shops, co-working spaces and conferences. The Holo Die-Cut Stickers are printed on holographic vinyl that catches the light, and the minimum of 250 suits a first event season. The Loop Sticker Pack holds five die-cut vinyl stickers printed in full colour, in a branded kraft paper sleeve, so it feels like a small gift rather than a handout.
T-shirts and hoodies: wearables people keep
The Core Cotton T-Shirt is made from pre-shrunk, ring-spun combed cotton at 180 g/m², in a unisex cut from XS to 3XL. It comes in white, black, forest green, sand and navy blue, and the minimum of 25 can be mixed across sizes and colours. It takes screen printing, DTG printing for full-colour designs, or embroidery. More options are on the custom T-shirts page.
The Summit Hoodie is the item a team will wear most. It is a 400 g/m² cotton-blend fleece with a double-lined hood, in forest green, black, oatmeal and slate blue, with a minimum of 20. Tone-on-tone embroidery gives a discreet logo that people are happy to wear at weekends. See the custom hoodies page for other styles.
Desk items: mug and bottle
The Ember Mug is a 350 ml stoneware mug with a matt exterior and a speckled glaze inside, in matte black, cream, forest green and clay. The Atlas Steel Bottle holds 750 ml, has double walls with vacuum insulation and comes in matte black, forest green, sandstone and steel. Both are everyday objects that keep the logo in sight on video calls.
The cap
The Northstar Cap is a low-profile six-panel cap in brushed cotton twill, in stone, forest green, black and dusty blue. It suits team outings and event stands. A small embroidered wordmark on the front panel is usually enough.
What to skip in the first order
- Gadgets with a short life. Novelty tech goes out of date and ends up in a drawer.
- Too many SKUs. Every product needs its own minimum and proof. Three or four items are plenty for a first round.
- Dated slogans. "Series A 2026" is fun for a week. Keep it for a sticker, not a hoodie.
- Large quantities of one size. Collect sizes before ordering clothing, and add a few spares in the most common ones.
Swag at events and meetups
For an early-stage company, events are where swag earns its cost. A stand at a meetup, a hackathon or a trade fair needs something small to hand out and something better for the people you really want to talk to:
- For everyone: Holo Die-Cut Stickers, which are cheap per unit and easy to carry in volume.
- For prospects and candidates: a T-shirt, a cap or a Loop Sticker Pack.
- For the team on the stand: matching T-shirts or hoodies, so visitors know who to approach.
Plan event quantities separately from the team order, and have them delivered to the office a few days before the event rather than to the venue.
Startup swag for new joiners and remote hires
Swag is often the first physical contact a new hire has with the company, especially if they work remotely. The Day One Essentials Kit brings a Core Cotton T-Shirt, a Cobble Mug, a Slate Notebook and a sticker pack together in a kraft envelope with a printed welcome card. It is designed to be sent straight to a new joiner's home. The minimum is 15 kits, and production for this kit takes 10 to 15 working days after proof approval.
If you want to build your own set instead, combine a T-shirt or hoodie, stickers and a mug or bottle in a printed kraft box or a rigid gift box. Our guide to the remote team onboarding kit explains how to collect sizes and addresses, and the employee welcome packs page shows the ready-made options.
Branding that survives a rebrand
Many startups change their logo within the first few years. To keep your first merchandise useful:
- Use the wordmark or a simple symbol, not a full lock-up with a tagline.
- Pick neutral garment colours such as black, forest green or sand, which work with most brand palettes.
- Choose tone-on-tone embroidery for clothing: it is discreet, so a later colour change matters less.
- Keep the approved proof and colour codes, so a reorder matches the first batch.
Send your logo as a vector file (PDF, SVG or EPS). You approve every item on a digital proof before production starts, and nothing is produced until you approve it.
Budget and quantities for a small team
A sensible first order for a team of around ten people might be 25 T-shirts, 20 hoodies and a few hundred stickers: the minimums cover the current team, the next hires and an event or two. The quote shows the total for your quantities, branding and delivery, so it is easy to compare options before you commit.
Lead times and delivery
Production takes 10 to 20 working days after proof approval, confirmed in the quote; the Day One Essentials Kit takes 10 to 15 working days. Add time for the quote, the digital proof and delivery. Zintora delivers across the UK and internationally to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, to the office or to each team member's home.
Sustainability questions
Investors and customers increasingly ask startups how they buy. Ask with the quote for material details, an estimated carbon footprint per product and documentation for certified products. The only certificate we name is the GRS of The Tenth House, checked per lot; certificates for other products are available on request.
Startup swag checklist
- First order planned for the next six to twelve months, not for ever
- Three or four items chosen, each checked against its minimum
- Sizes collected for T-shirts and hoodies, with a few spares
- Simple wordmark or symbol chosen, supplied as a vector file
- Garment colours chosen to suit a future rebrand
- Stickers ordered for laptops and events
- Onboarding plan for new joiners and remote hires
- Delivery plan: office or each person's home
- Delivery date realistic with 10 to 20 working days of production plus delivery
Frequently asked questions
What is the best startup swag?
Items people use outside work: a good hoodie or T-shirt, laptop stickers and a mug or bottle. Start with three or four items and add more once you know what the team actually uses.
How much startup swag should we order?
Cover the current team, the next few hires and your events for the coming months. Minimums in our catalogue start at 15 for the Day One Essentials Kit and 20 for the Summit Hoodie.
Can we send swag to remote employees?
Yes. Items can go to the office or to each person's home. The Day One Essentials Kit is designed to be sent straight to new joiners.
How much does startup swag cost?
Stickers start from £1.47 ex VAT, the Core Cotton T-Shirt from £6.79 and the Summit Hoodie from £22.88. Branding and delivery are extra; the quote gives the total.
How long does it take?
Production takes 10 to 20 working days after proof approval, plus delivery, and 10 to 15 working days for the Day One Essentials Kit. The exact schedule is in the quote.
Ready to order your first round? Browse the catalogue, or request a quote with the items, sizes, quantities and delivery date.