A compelling story
Brands with a clear point of view.
Unique product
Offerings that stand apart in the market.
Open to guidance
Founders ready to lean on our expertise.
Room to grow
Businesses positioned for exponential growth.
BACKING THE BRANDS REWRITING PROMO.
Rupt Ventures is the first venture fund focused exclusively on the promotional products industry. Founded by industry veterans Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak, it was created to support the founders, products, and ideas capable of moving the industry forward.
We invest in more than promising businesses. We invest in founders with a clear point of view, the resilience to navigate challenges, and the ambition to build something the market has not seen before.
The companies we back offer distinctive products, compelling stories, and meaningful opportunities for growth. They challenge familiar categories, create new ones, and raise expectations for what promotional products can accomplish.
But our involvement does not stop with capital.
Rupt Ventures works alongside founders, bringing industry experience, strategic guidance, operational insight, and relationships that can help turn early momentum into lasting growth. We look for entrepreneurs who understand the opportunity within promo and are ready to use our experience to reach it.
Because changing an industry takes more than a good idea. It takes the right founder, the right support, and a shared commitment to building what comes next.
MEET THE BRANDS WE BACK
Denik
Investment Date: April 2025
The idea for Denik came from a deep desire to show the world that artists can make an impact. Denik's founder, Tyler Tolson, started designing notebooks and using the proceeds to build schools. He sold the notebooks wherever he could: concerts, parties, campus events, and farmers markets.
Since 2011, the brand has grown multiple channels including its wholesale division selling in over 16,000+ retail locations. You can find Denik in Target, Staples, Barnes & Noble and many other stores nationwide. The brand has a loyal follower base with massive online distribution, as well as explosive growth in the Promotional Products industry.
Over the past 14 years since its founding, Denik has helped build 9 schools in developing countries, and supported thousands of artists all over the world.
Founder Bio
Tyler Tolson is the CEO and Founder of Denik. His passion for art and giving back have fueled the vision and efforts of the company. He started the brand in his studio apartment on the campus of Utah State University in 2011. With a focus on design, technology, and product development, Tyler has spent his time at Denik carefully building a powerhouse team of senior and junior leaders.
Tyler's creative approach to business is the ability to turn ideas into revenue. He was named "Young Emerging Leader" by the Leader to Leader Institute in New York, and was selected as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" leaders in the Gift and Stationery Industry. Since 2021 the company has been climbing the ranks of Utah's 50 Fastest Growing companies, as well as America's fastest growing companies on the Inc 5000 list.
When he's not working, he's in full dad-mode, playing hockey, board games, and reading. His greatest accomplishment is marrying the girl of his dreams and raising his 5 rockstar kids.
Ripl Goods
Investment Date: January 2025
RIPL Goods is a give-back brand with a simple yet profound mission: to provide the promo industry with an easy way to create massive social and environmental change.
It all centres around their 3 incredible impact programs: Ocean, Rainforest and Education. Every item from RIPL's range of premium and sustainable products funds a measurable impact in one of those three areas, from employing people in remote coastal communities to collect plastic, to protecting rainforest and funding education. So when a brand buys a RIPL product, they're not just getting an item that the end user will love, they're getting a story to tell. It's time that merch did more. It's time it changed the world.
Founder Bio
Leo Bellis-Jones started his career in the London advertising industry in 2012. But after moving to Australia and falling in love with surfing and freediving in 2018, he knew he wanted to use his storytelling skills to have a positive impact on the ocean that now played such a central part in his life. But it was only during a visit to Bali, where he saw the extent of the plastic problem first-hand, that an idea started to take shape.
Back in Australia, he launched RIPL Goods as a way to help people who love the ocean create positive change, simply by buying a product they'd use every day. Then after a friend and fellow entrepreneur asked to buy RIPL bottles for his team, the move to promo (and the US) eventually took shape.
Since then, RIPL Goods has expanded its range of impact programs and products, connecting people with causes through fashion-forward, sustainable products.
Leo's rarely far from the ocean, so when he's not working you'll often find him underwater, freediving with a camera in hand, taking photos of whales, dolphins and the occasional shark.
Swanky Badger
Investment Date: June 2024
Swanky Badger was established in 2014 when founder, Mark Hanratty, couldn't find gifts for his wedding that would convey just how much he appreciated his wedding party. With a deep focus on personalization, Swanky Badger pivoted its premium line into the promotional products industry in 2022, noting the need for more thoughtful and intentional gift options.
The San Diego-based company has seen huge growth in its first two years, quickly establishing best-selling items in the barware and leather goods categories, thanks to its distinctive "Emotional Promotional" approach. And, with a give-back program supporting Children's Hospitals all over the U.S., it's fast becoming a brand that excites end-users looking for new and unique ways to reward their key stakeholders.
Founder Bio
Mark Hanratty founded Swanky Badger in 2014, three years after moving to California from his native Ireland. Like many businesses, Swanky Badger was born out of a personal need: for Mark, it was a quest to create meaningful gifts for his wedding party, who were making the 5,000-mile trip from Dublin to San Diego.
Unable to find high-quality, highly customizable gifts online, Mark set out on a mission to solve this problem for future grooms and, as it turned out, wives, girlfriends, moms, dads and, more recently, businesses all over the U.S.
Started as a side project, Mark decided, in 2016, to go all-in on Swanky Badger, giving up his full-time marketing job three days before the birth of his first child.
A serious issue at birth, followed by surgery and an extended stay in the NICU, meant that Mark's first weeks as a full-time entrepreneur (and dad) were spent in the hospital gaining a huge admiration for the medical staff who worked tirelessly, night and day, to care for his son. This experience proved to be the catalyst for the launch of Swanky Badger's Give-Back Program, where a portion of every sale is now distributed to Children's Hospitals all over the country.
Now a proud father of 3 young boys, Mark spends his time outside of work coaching his sons' soccer teams and exploring San Diego's food (and drink) scene with his wife.
Visit https://swankypromo.com/
Desk Plants
Investment Date: March 2024
Established in 2018 by Lawrence Hanley, Desk Plants has swiftly risen as a frontrunner in the realm of sustainable and customizable potted plants crafted specifically for corporate gifting purposes. Embracing a steadfast commitment to redefining the landscape of corporate gifting, Desk Plants offers a diverse array of eco-conscious branding solutions. From personalized plant selections to tailored packaging and comprehensive care instructions, Desk Plants ensures that each client's unique needs are met with precision and care.
Founder Bio
Lawrence Hanley is the founder of Desk Plants, a supplier of truly unique, living and sustainable gifts. Lawrence enjoys finding adventures in every way he can. Whether it is his business venture, or getting outdoors and exploring a new park or city on the weekends, he is always looking for new things to discover.
After moving from Boston to Austin, Lawrence created Desk Plants with the foundational mission to bring sustainable wellness products to the desk. Although Desk Plants didn't start out as a promotional supplier, Lawrence has maintained that core mission as the business has pivoted and blossomed in the promo space. By creating an entirely new product category in promo, Lawrence has developed a revolutionary way for companies to get long-term brand visibility without needing to break the budget.
Coming from the marketing and advertising world before starting Desk Plants, Lawrence has a well-rounded knowledge of how brands approach their multi-channel branding strategies. Outside of work, Lawrence can be found outdoors with his dog Henry by his side!
Sweeter Cards
Investment Date: February 2024
Realized Date: July 2024
Sweeter Cards is the first-ever greeting card and gourmet chocolate bar all in one. They are woman (and mom!) owned (WBENC certified), use fair trade certified chocolate, recyclable card packaging, and employ adults with disabilities to bring their two-for-one concept to life.
Their chocolatier has been making unbelievably delicious and ethically-sourced chocolate for over 40 years, and are proud to be based and made in St. Louis, Missouri.
Founder Bio
Stacy Stahl is the founder of Sweeter Cards, the greeting card and gourmet chocolate bar all in one. Stacy loves being a cheerleader for her friends and family and has always taken the time to celebrate others; she was even on "The Ellen Show" after doing so for the friendliest cashier at her local Walgreen's.
In her constant search for meaningful ways to be thoughtful, Stacy repeatedly found it difficult to discover items that were more than a card but less than an overly expensive (and oftentimes wasteful) gift. By combining incredible chocolate with world-class-designed greeting cards, Sweeter Cards accomplishes just that!
This is Stacy's second business rooted in love and sentiments. She was also the founder of HowHeAsked.com, acquired by The Knot, the world's leading wedding platform. Most importantly, Stacy is mom to two toddler boys!