Swish Wins 2026 FMItech Pitch Competition
Swish Brand Experiences, a P2PI member company, has been named the winner of the 2026 FMItech Pitch Competition, held during the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference in January.
Swish earned top honors for its programmatic sampling technology designed to modernize how brands reach grocery shoppers.
The annual competition, now in its fifth year, spotlights emerging technology companies with solutions aimed at reshaping food retail. This year’s field included 22 applicants, which were narrowed to six semifinalists and ultimately three finalists following a live virtual pitch round. The finalists then presented on stage at Midwinter, where conference attendees voted to determine the winner.
Swish’s platform enables targeted, automated sampling by inserting full-size product samples directly into consumers’ online grocery orders. The approach is designed to turn merchandise into media, using retailer data to place relevant products into the right orders at the right time — offering an alternative to traditional in-store sampling programs.
Adam Stave, founder and CEO of Swish and a 2025 P2PI Retail Media Awards winner, told P2PI that the recognition validated both the concept and the market need for a more data-driven approach to sampling.
“This recognition from FMI means a great deal to the Swish team,” Stave said. “It’s a strong validation that programmatic sampling is resonating with the market because it solves a real problem in a very practical way. We built Swish to place relevant products into the right shopping orders at the right moments, using retailer data to ensure every sample adds value to the experience. For consumers, that means discovering new products naturally and being inspired to purchase again. For retailers and brands, it means product moving — and moving with purpose.”
“Every major shift in the grocery industry begins with a bold idea,” Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations at FMI, said in a news release. “The FMItech Pitch Competition serves as a launchpad for innovators reimagining how food retailers operate and how grocery shoppers engage.”
According to Stave, feedback from judges and attendees pointed to frustration with legacy sampling models and interest in solutions that deliver measurable results without disrupting the shopper experience.
“What seemed to resonate most with judges and attendees was the clarity and simplicity of the solution,” he added. “Swish introduces an entirely new channel, and after leaving the stage, I heard from many people who had personally felt the pain of traditional sampling. The feedback was consistent: ‘Swish just makes so much sense.’”
