Best tech swag of 2025: What are startups handing out right now?

Startups have always been known to break the mold, and their swag is no different. This year, with global startup funding reaching $91 billion in Q2 alone, companies gravitated away from your standard pens and mugs toward swag that became a currency of its own.

From viral moments to conference floors to what our own clients are ordering, we surveyed the landscape to figure out what's actually landing in people's hands and staying there. Here's a roundup of the best tech swag that startups are handing out right now, and more importantly, why it's working.

Anthropic’s “thinking” caps

Anthropic isn't exactly a scrappy seed-stage startup anymore – in fact, it raised a $13 billion Series F in September – but when it comes to the best tech swag that actually broke through in 2025, we couldn’t start this list anywhere else. 

In early October, Anthropic launched a pop-up in the West Village to promote Claude’s extended “thinking” feature. People could show up, wait in line, and walk away with a free tote bag and a cap embroidered with the word "thinking" on it. 

The hats signalled you were rejecting the sea of half-baked AI hype (the so-called ‘AI slop’) and aligning with the thinkers. As one startup founder put it: "It's a signal that you're in the know. You're working on the most interesting things. You feel like you're a part of this movement." Unsurprisingly, hours after the pop-up opened, the merch quickly ran out. 

Takeaway for brands: The genius wasn't in the product itself – it's just a simple cap after all. Instead, it was Anthropic’s ability to create artificial scarcity and tap into insider status, turning a technical product launch into a cultural moment. So, consider tying swag drops to a specific moment (like a product launch, a conference, or a milestone) and making it clear that once it's gone, it's gone.

Freepik’s holographic tote bags

The best swag can stop people on the street – literally. That's what happened when Freepik, the AI-powered creative platform, showed up to their Upscale Conference in San Francisco with holographic tote bags that became the talk of the event.

Freepik's Product Brand Designer, Bianka Simonidesova, had a clear vision for swag that matched the conference's dark-mode aesthetic with neon accents to capture the energy of AI and creativity. 

The result: holographic totes with custom strap printing. The holographic finish gave the totes a futuristic, premium look that aligned perfectly with an AI conference, while the custom black straps with printing added a level of detail that elevated them beyond standard giveaway territory. 

"The bags got so much love," she said. "People literally walked in off the street asking who made them." 

Takeaway for brands: Freepik could have gone with standard totes and called it a day, but they invested in a distinctive design element that made their merch impossible to ignore. If you're doing a conference or major event, pick one signature item and make it spectacular – something people will want to carry around and show off. 

Cursor’s limited “Tab” memorabilia

For the uninitiated, Cursor is an AI-powered code editor where users press tab to autocomplete lines of code. So in August, Cursor took this feature that developers use hundreds of times a day and turned it into a status symbol: an oversized, standalone tab key that actually worked when plugged into your computer.

Only ultra-heavy users who had pressed tab thousands of times received one; it wasn't something you could buy, win randomly, or get at an event. On Reddit, users started discussing their tab buttons like rare collectibles, reinforcing the in-group signal: if you have one, you're part of the inner circle.

Takeaway for brands: If you have power users, community builders, or customers going above and beyond, create swag that acknowledges their contribution. When merchandise becomes something people earn rather than something they're handed, it transforms from a promotional product into a badge of honor.

BirdseyePost’s custom socks

​​BirdseyePost, a direct mail automation platform, needed conference merch that was practical, memorable, and wouldn't blow their budget. Their swag kit included the usual suspects – totes, notebooks, pens – but the custom socks with a 4-color knit design became the unexpected standout.

Why do socks work? They're genuinely useful, have surprising design flexibility (like full-color knit patterns, embroidery, wild graphics), and they feel like a premium gift rather than generic swag. Plus, people actually wear them, which means your brand gets repeated visibility in a way that a desk trinket never will. 

Takeaway for brands: You don't need a fully custom product to make an impact. BirdseyePost proved that choosing the right base product and then executing well on quality and design can create memorable swag without breaking the bank. The key is finding a vendor who can help you nail the details at a price that actually makes sense for your budget.

For the best 2026 tech swag, think outside of the box

The startups and companies giving out the best tech swag aren't just slapping logos on whatever's cheapest. Instead, they’re thinking out of the box on ways to create moments, build status symbols, and design products people genuinely want to keep.

If you’re ready to create better tech swag, Wayo is here to help. Whether you're planning your first conference drop or leveling up your merch game, our platform helps startups design and produce quality branded products at factory-direct prices.