SwapBots
SwapBots is a Liverpool-based AR toys-to-life startup that sells modular collectible physical toys (9 bots, 729 combinations) animated through a free Unity and Vuforia mobile app, targeting children aged 5-12 and their families via crowdfunding and direct pre-orders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SwapBots does
SwapBots is a Liverpool, UK-based augmented reality toys-to-life startup founded in 2015-2016. The company designs collectible, modular physical toys — 9 base bots with swappable heads, bodies, and bases producing 729 combinations — that are scanned with a smartphone or tablet and animated through a free AR mobile app built on the Unity game engine and the Vuforia AR platform. The product is targeted at children aged 5-12 with mobile device access and their parents, with secondary appeal to AR and gaming early adopters; the company has exhibited at Gamescom, TNW Amsterdam, and Unity Unite to build awareness. Manufacturing is outsourced to Creata in Shenzhen, China.
The business model is hardware-led with no in-app purchases and no digital monetization layer. Revenue mechanics rely entirely on unit sales of physical toy sets, with a free companion app whose role is to drive attach and repeat purchase rather than generate software revenue. Go-to-market is a mix of crowdfunding (IndieGoGo InDemand, Kickstarter), direct pre-orders through swapbots.co, beta tester community recruitment, and earned media plus event activations. Pricing is positioned at a 'pocket money' level to differentiate from higher-priced toys-to-life peers. Distribution is currently self-serve/PLG via crowdfunding and event demos; no retail placement is disclosed in the input data.
The company was pre-revenue at the data window, with a lean team of roughly 8-10 people including co-founders John Keefe and Andy Cooper (Andy), Head of Operations Annie O'Toole, PR & Comms Phil Charnock, 3D Artist Emily Cheung, Graphic Artist Mike Snowdon, Unity/Vuforia Developer Tom Southworth, and Ben McWilliams. Capital sources have been modest — grants from UK Games Fund and Tech North's Northern Stars programme, an SOSV HAX Boost accelerator placement, two undisclosed early funding events totaling roughly $85K, and crowdfunding pre-orders — rather than priced institutional equity rounds.
SwapBots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SwapBots
- Legal name
- SwapBots
- Website
- https://swapbots.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SwapBots is a Liverpool-based AR toys-to-life startup that sells modular collectible physical toys (9 bots, 729 combinations) animated through a free Unity and Vuforia mobile app, targeting children aged 5-12 and their families via crowdfunding and direct pre-orders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SwapBots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collectible Toys
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dolls, Plush & Action Figures Retail (CRALAFAD)
Keywords
Where SwapBots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
SwapBots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Physical Toy Sales: Revenue from selling collectible modular toy products. Toys feature swappable components (heads, bodies, bases) and are sold as collectible sets. Manufacturing handled by Creata in Shenzhen, China.
- Free Mobile App: Free AR gaming app that overlays digital animation onto physical toys. No in-app purchases, monetizing through physical toy sales rather than digital purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Collectible Toy Sets - Affordable pricing targeting children and families |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
SwapBots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SwapBots designs, manufactures and sells collectible, customizable physical toys that come to life through a free augmented reality mobile app. The product line consists of nine unique bot characters with swappable heads, bodies and bases producing 729 combinations, paired with single and multiplayer AR games built on Unity and Vuforia. Revenue is generated through physical toy sales at an affordable "pocket money" price point, with no in-app purchases required.
Product overview
SwapBots offers a toys-to-life product line consisting of physical collectible toys paired with a free AR video game app. The core offering includes physical bots (with 9 bots and 729 combinations through swappable heads, bodies, and bases) that users scan with their phone or tablet to see come alive via augmented reality. Single and multiplayer games are available with no in-app purchases. An optional Activity Pack provides printable games and a design competition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SwapBots Collectible AR Toys Physical collectible toys with swappable parts (heads, bodies, bases) that come to life through an augmented reality mobile app. Includes 9 unique bots with 729 possible combinations, sold as collectible sets manufactured by Creata in Shenzhen, China.
- SwapBots AR Video Game App Free mobile application using augmented reality (Unity + Vuforia) to overlay digital animations onto physical SwapBots toys when scanned with a phone or tablet camera. Supports single and multiplayer gameplay with no in-app purchases.
- SwapBots Activity Pack Printable activity pack with colouring-in sheets, mini-games (spot-the-difference, word search), and a Make-a-Bot design competition where winning entries are produced as actual toys.
Quantifiable outcome
- 729 unique combinations from 9 bots through modular design
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SwapBots
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SwapBots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
SwapBots partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Creata (Shenzhen Factory)coreSwapBots co-founder John visited Creata's Shenzhen factory to oversee toy manufacturing. Creata is the toy manufacturer producing the physical SwapBot products.
- VuforiamajorVuforia is the AR platform used by SwapBots developer Tom Southworth to create augmented reality experiences for the toys.
- UnitymajorUnity game engine is used to create SwapBots characters and the overall gaming experience, as discussed by developer Tom Southworth.
- IndieGoGocoreIndieGoGo InDemand is used for pre-order sales and ongoing crowdfunding campaigns for SwapBots products.
- KickstartercoreKickstarter is used for launch funding and product pre-orders for SwapBots.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SwapBots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hasbro: Hasbro is a global toy incumbent with strong retail distribution, licensed franchises and a portfolio that increasingly overlaps with tech-enabled play. Its breadth and capital make it the kind of strategic acquirer or competitor relevant to SwapBots' trajectory.
- WowWee: WowWee specialises in tech-driven consumer toys (robotic dogs, drones, Fingerlings). Its focus on combining hardware with app-driven interactivity makes it a comparable incumbent in the connected-toy space where SwapBots plays.
- Spin Master: Spin Master is a large global toy company with a portfolio that includes tech-enabled and collectible toys. As a broad incumbent, it has the retail relationships and IP leverage a startup like SwapBots would need to compete at scale.
- Mattel: Mattel is a global toy incumbent that has invested in AR/connected experiences for brands like Hot Wheels and Barbie. Its scale, retail presence and toy-industry IP make it a relevant broader-incumbent comparable for SwapBots' go-to-market ambition.
Emerging players
- Merge VR: Merge makes AR/VR toys and educational products for kids, including Merge Cube — a similar AR-toy intersection at a comparable accessible price point, making it a relevant emerging peer in the kids' AR-toy niche.
Direct peers
- Anki: Anki built consumer robotics/AI toys (Cozmo, Vector) that blended physical products with app-driven digital experiences — closely analogous to SwapBots' physical-toy-meets-mobile-app proposition, though using robotics rather than AR.
- Nintendo (amiibo): Nintendo's amiibo line is the canonical toys-to-life product — physical figurines that interact with video games via NFC. SwapBots targets the same physical-digital collectible toy mechanic, just using AR instead of NFC and targeting a younger/cheaper price point.
- Disney (Disney Infinity): Disney Infinity was a major toys-to-life franchise built around Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars characters. SwapBots competes in the same physical-figure-plus-video-game category, although without Disney's IP library — highlighting both the market opportunity and the IP disadvantage.
- Activision Blizzard (Skylanders): Skylanders pioneered the toys-to-life category with collectible physical figures that unlock in-game characters. SwapBots operates in the same product category with a lower-priced, AR-based variant targeting younger children.
- The LEGO Group (LEGO Dimensions): LEGO Dimensions was a premium toys-to-life system combining LEGO construction with interactive gaming. Although discontinued, it defined the upper end of the collectible-toy-meets-game segment that SwapBots competes in at a more accessible price.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SwapBots social profiles
Digital presenceSwapBots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SwapBots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
SwapBots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SwapBots M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SwapBots
What does SwapBots do?
SwapBots designs, manufactures and sells collectible, customizable physical toys that come to life through a free augmented reality mobile app. The product line consists of nine unique bot characters with swappable heads, bodies and bases producing 729 combinations, paired with single and multiplayer AR games built on Unity and Vuforia. Revenue is generated through physical toy sales at an affordable "pocket money" price point, with no in-app purchases required.
Is SwapBots a public or private company?
SwapBots is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SwapBots founded?
SwapBots was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SwapBots based?
SwapBots is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does SwapBots make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Physical Toy Sales are the primary driver. The others are free Mobile App.
Who are SwapBots's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hasbro, WowWee, Spin Master and Mattel. Merge VR is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Anki, Nintendo (amiibo), Disney (Disney Infinity), Activision Blizzard (Skylanders) and The LEGO Group (LEGO Dimensions).
Does SwapBots have an API?
No public API is recorded for SwapBots.
What industry is SwapBots in?
SwapBots's product category is Collectible Toys. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAD, Dolls, Plush & Action Figures Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 3944.