Investment · 22 October 2026

Swaay Technologies raises more than €2m in round led by BVP

Funding will take the Irish industrial technology company into commercialisation.

Mark O'Donnell
Chief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder, Swaay ·
Swaay co-founders Mark O'Donnell, Jean-François Gaudreault, Sébastien Baril and Ciarán Gorman in front of pallets of blank aluminium cans
Swaay co-founders, left to right: Mark O'Donnell (CCO), Jean-François Gaudreault (CTO), Sébastien Baril (COO) and Ciarán Gorman (CEO).

In short

Swaay Technologies, an Irish industrial technology company headquartered in Mullingar, has closed an equity round of more than €2m led by BVP, with participation from members of the BVP Investor Club. The funding takes Swaay into commercialisation: the rollout of its direct-to-shape (DTS) digital print platform for beverage cans, which replaces plastic labels and shrink sleeves, and new roles in Mullingar.

MULLINGAR, IRELAND, 22 October 2026. Swaay Technologies (Swaay), an Irish industrial technology company, has closed an equity investment round of more than €2m, led by BVP with participation from members of the BVP Investor Club. This round will fund Swaay’s commercial ramp-up with the rollout of its distributed direct-to-shape (DTS) digital print platform.

Swaay was founded in 2026 by a management team with decades of experience in the technology, beverage and print industries. It is building a full-stack platform to help beverage co-packers and producers adopt emerging DTS technology.

The founders have established initial management and technical teams in Mullingar, Ireland and Quebec, Canada to position Swaay to serve clients across Europe and North America from the outset.

Key facts

Announced
22 October 2026
Round
Equity investment of more than €2m
Led by
BVP (Business Venture Partners), with participation from members of the BVP Investor Club
Use of funds
Commercial ramp-up and rollout of Swaay's direct-to-shape (DTS) digital print platform, and new roles in Mullingar, Ireland
Headquarters
Mullingar, Ireland
Production and technical hub
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
Founders
Ciarán Gorman (CEO), Mark O’Donnell (CCO), Sébastien Baril (COO), Jean-François Gaudreault (CTO)
Valuation
Not disclosed

Eliminating single-use plastic

The growth of long-tail FMCG consumer brands in recent years, particularly in beverages, has resulted in tens of billions of plastic shrink sleeves and labels now being used globally to address the short-run market. Fragmented labelling rules, national deposit return schemes and demand for tailored messaging add complexity to every run.

DTS printing eliminates plastic labels and shrink sleeves entirely by printing artwork directly onto the container. As a result, brands get far greater flexibility, easier recycling and shorter lead times.

A billion cans a year have already moved away from plastic as early adopters have proven the benefits. Billions more will follow as DTS closes the remaining gaps on cost, geographic availability and quality.

Swaay is built to tackle these remaining hurdles head-on by embedding new manufacturing innovation with software and data to deliver a scalable platform to drive widespread DTS deployment.

“Brands care whether they can get a market-ready product in weeks, in the quantity they need and in the markets they want to serve or test. This round helps us serve this real demand commercially.”

Mark O’Donnell, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder, Swaay Technologies

Opportunity to scale

DTS is already a multibillion-euro sector and growing rapidly. Swaay is focused on beverage cans, where the case for moving away from plastic labels is strongest. These ambitions are anchored in deep experience and a strong team.

CEO and co-founder Ciarán Gorman previously co-founded the Bevcraft Group. He said:

“I’ve just spent a decade on one successful international scale-up journey and I’m now ready for the next challenge. This time round, it’s a different sector, different founder team and different solution set, but the same principles of using technology to solve long-tail complexity.”

“I see a huge opportunity to build and scale Swaay into a global technology-driven company from Ireland. BVP and the BVP Investor Club understood our ambition from the very first meeting, and we are delighted to have them with us on this journey.”

Ciarán Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, Swaay Technologies

Investment

The investment from BVP and members of the BVP Investor Club moves Swaay into commercialisation, with a solid runway to build revenue and gain market traction. It will directly support a number of new roles in Mullingar, Ireland. The company did not disclose the valuation.

Two 440ml aluminium cans printed with Swaay x BVP Business Venture Partners branding and a multicolour geometric pattern
Cans printed with Swaay and BVP branding to mark the round.

“Swaay has an operating team that has built and run manufacturing businesses before, and in this sector execution is everything. Short-run labelling is a real and rising cost problem for brands, and cans keep taking share from other packaging formats. Swaay has a credible plan to make direct-to-shape printing work at scale. We are proud to lead this round, and it is a strong signal that so many members of the BVP Investor Club chose to back the team alongside us.”

Stephen Burdock, Head of Investments, BVP

Transaction details

Swaay retained Niamh Gibney, Gibney Hogan (Dublin, Ireland) on Legal, Aidan Heavey, RBK (Athlone, Ireland) on Corporate Finance, Jackie Masterson and Mike Scanlon, RBK (Athlone, Ireland) on Taxation and Conor Meaney, PwC on specialist Taxation support.

BVP was supported by Kristofer O’Shea, Byrne Wallace Shields (Dublin, Ireland) for Legal.

Background

Swaay Technologies is headquartered in Mullingar, Ireland and has a production and technical hub at Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It was founded by Ciarán Gorman (CEO), Mark O’Donnell (CCO), Sébastien Baril (COO) and Jean-François Gaudreault (CTO).

Swaay’s initial growth plans were first announced publicly in a joint statement by the Canadian and Irish governments, issued during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s official visit to Ireland in June 2026.

Questions

Common questions.

How much did Swaay Technologies raise?

Swaay Technologies closed an equity investment round of more than €2m, announced on 22 October 2026. The company did not disclose its valuation.

Who led Swaay's investment round?

The round was led by BVP (Business Venture Partners), an Irish investment firm headquartered in Dublin, with participation from members of the BVP Investor Club.

What will Swaay use the funding for?

The funding moves Swaay into commercialisation. It pays for the commercial ramp-up and rollout of Swaay's direct-to-shape digital print platform and directly supports a number of new roles in Mullingar, Ireland.

What is direct-to-shape (DTS) printing?

Direct-to-shape printing applies artwork directly onto the container, such as an aluminium beverage can, instead of using a plastic label or shrink sleeve. It removes the plastic, makes the pack easier to recycle and shortens lead times for short runs.

Where is Swaay based?

Swaay Technologies is headquartered in Mullingar, Ireland, with a production and technical hub at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is set up to serve clients across Europe and North America.

Who founded Swaay Technologies?

Swaay was founded by Ciarán Gorman (CEO), Mark O'Donnell (CCO), Sébastien Baril (COO) and Jean-François Gaudreault (CTO). Ciarán Gorman previously co-founded the Bevcraft Group.

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