MAO

What MAO does

MAO (MAO Sàrl) is a Swiss B2B promotional items and corporate gifting company headquartered in Epalinges, near Lausanne, Switzerland. The company sources, customizes, and distributes promotional merchandise, branded corporate gifts, and merchandising solutions to Swiss and select European business clients. Notable named customers include Nestlé Health Science, Philip Morris International, CERN, EPFL, WHO, Airglaciers, The Chedi Andermatt, and HUG (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève), spanning healthcare/pharmaceutical, research, education, aviation, hospitality, and government sectors. MAO positions itself as a 'curiosity seeker,' specializing in original and unusual objects with full project management from concept through delivery.

The company operates a three-platform digital architecture: mao.swiss serves as the main corporate portal for stock and customized promotional products; luxe.mao.swiss is a dedicated luxury co-branding portal featuring premium fashion houses (HUGO BOSS, Cerruti 1881, Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Ungaro, Festina, Daniel Wellington, Ice-Watch); and shop.mao.swiss provides direct e-commerce purchasing across product categories. Customization techniques include screen printing, engraving, embroidery, hot stamping, and sublimation, with quality control using AQL inspection standards (MIL-STD 105E). Its supply chain spans Switzerland, Europe, and Asia, with approximately 40% of sales manufactured in Asia, 35% in Europe, and 25% in Switzerland (2020 figures).

The revenue model is transaction-based with quote-based pricing per project or order. For orders exceeding CHF 5,000, a 50% deposit is required, with balance payment due within 10 days; logistics costs are included in quoted prices. MAO employs 1-10 people and sells primarily through direct B2B sales engagement, its Epalinges showroom, and digital channels. The primary customer segment is Swiss businesses and organizations broadly (horizontal segmentation), with a secondary use-case segment for premium/luxury corporate gifting accessed via the dedicated luxe.mao.swiss portal.

Name

MAO

Legal name

MAO Sàrl

Website

https://mao.swiss

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MAO is a Swiss B2B promotional items and corporate gifting company serving Swiss and select European enterprises. Operating via three digital platforms (mao.swiss, luxe.mao.swiss, shop.mao.swiss), it sources, customizes, and distributes branded merchandise including premium luxury brand collections for corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Epalinges

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Promotional Items Sales: MAO generates revenue through the sale of customized promotional items, corporate gifts, and merchandise. The business model involves sourcing products from reliable producers (Switzerland, Europe, Asia), applying customization/branding (screen printing, engraving, embroidery, etc.), and delivering finished products to business customers. Both stock items and bespoke/customized objects are offered. Revenue is transaction-based with quotes provided per order.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MAO is a Swiss B2B promotional merchandise company that sources, customizes, and delivers corporate gifts and branded objects for businesses. The company operates three platforms—mao.swiss for stock and customized items, luxe.mao.swiss for luxury fashion and watch brand merchandise, and shop.mao.swiss for self-service browsing—and provides end-to-end project management from concept through delivery, applying branding techniques such as screen printing, engraving, embroidery, hot stamping, and sublimation with AQL-based quality control (MIL-STD 105E). Supply originates from producers in Switzerland (25%), Europe (35%), and Asia (40%) per 2020 figures.

Product overview

MAO operates as a Swiss B2B promotional items and merchandising company with a three-platform architecture: (1) mao.swiss serves as the core portal for stock and customized promotional products including tech accessories, eco-items, office supplies, textiles, and full project management services; (2) luxe.mao.swiss is a premium co-branding portal offering luxury brand merchandise from Hugo Boss, Cerruti 1881, Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Ungaro, Festina, Ice-Watch, and Daniel Wellington, plus unbranded premium products; (3) shop.mao.swiss is a direct e-commerce platform organized by product categories. Services include customized support, a network of reliable producers across Switzerland, Europe, and Asia, A-to-Z project management, and quality control using AQL standards. The company produces approximately 40% from Asia, 35% from Europe, and 25% from Switzerland (2020 figures).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• luxe.mao.swiss: Luxury co-branding portal featuring premium brands including Hugo Boss, Cerruti 1881, Cacharel, Christian Lacroix, Ungaro, Festina, Ice-Watch, and Daniel Wellington for corporate gifting.

Products and services

• Customized Corporate Gifts Tailored promotional products developed with custom measurements, materials, and branding for Swiss and European businesses. Personalization techniques include screen printing, embroidery, engraving, hot stamping, and sublimation; supply can be drawn from the Switzerland, Europe, and Asia producer network.
• Stock Promotional Items Ready-made promotional products from the mao.swiss catalog, including Bluetooth speakers, charging stations, vacuum flasks, notebooks, pens, bags, bottles, and umbrellas designed to accept customer brand logos via MAO's customization techniques.
• Luxury Branded Corporate Gifts Premium co-branding offering distributed through the luxe.mao.swiss portal, featuring HUGO BOSS, Cerruti 1881, Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Ungaro, Festina, Ice-Watch, and Daniel Wellington product lines (gifting, notebooks, writing instruments, small leather goods, umbrellas, phone cases, watches), plus the unbranded 'Just Brand It' premium capsule. Pricing is account-based.
• Project Management Services Full-service project management from concept through delivery, including reliable-producer coordination across Switzerland, Europe, and Asia, customization support, AQL quality inspection (MIL-STD 105E), and logistics handling for corporate promotional campaigns.

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HUGO BOSScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO distributes HUGO BOSS branded merchandise and accessories including writing instruments, notebooks, phone cases, SLG (small leather goods), and umbrellas for corporate gifting purposes through their luxe.mao.swiss portal. Multiple HUGO BOSS catalogs are available including Gifting 2026, Notebooks 2026, Writing Instruments 2026, SLG 2026, and Umbrellas 2026.
• FestinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO offers Festina watches and accessories collection through their luxury portal. Festina is a Swiss luxury watch brand founded in 1902, distributing approximately 5 million watches annually across 90+ countries.
• Cerruti 1881coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO distributes Cerruti 1881 branded writing instruments, leather goods, and accessories. Cerruti 1881 is an Italian luxury fashion house known for refined menswear and accessories.
• UngarominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO offers Emanuel Ungaro branded accessories combining femininity, prints, and exquisite attention to details and colors for luxury corporate gifting.
• Christian LacroixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO distributes Christian Lacroix contemporary and dynamic accessories collection. The French fashion house is known for its exubérant, colorful, and baroque style originating from Arles.
• CacharelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO offers Cacharel branded products featuring romantic, feminine designs. Founded in 1958, Cacharel is an iconic French fashion brand known for Liberty prints and feminine silhouettes.
• Daniel WellingtoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO distributes Daniel Wellington watches and accessories. DW is known for bridging traditional watchmaking with modern trends, offering affordable luxury timepieces with strong social media presence.
• Ice-WatchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAO offers Ice-Watch watches and accessories. Founded in Belgium in 2007, Ice-Watch is known for colorful, fashionable, and accessible watches targeting multiple styles, materials, and demographics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: One of the largest North American/UK promotional products distributors with a broad catalogue across thousands of SKUs. Comparable to MAO on the stock promotional items and self-service e-commerce (shop.mao.swiss) motion, but at much larger scale and without the Swiss luxury-brand angle.
• Polyconcept: Holding company for several major promotional product brands (Leeds, Bullet, JournalBooks, etc.), one of the world's largest promotional merchandise companies. Comparable as a broad incumbent portfolio operator in the same B2B promotional merchandise category.
• HALO: Large US-headquartered promotional products distributor and contract supplier for enterprise marketing teams. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the B2B promotional merchandise category with multi-product sourcing and enterprise account management.
• BIC Graphic: Global promotional products division of BIC, offering writing instruments, lighters, and shavers customised for B2B marketing. Comparable on the writing-instruments side of MAO's catalogue and on global supplier scale.

Direct peers

• Premiumsquare: European (French-headquartered) specialist in premium and luxury corporate gifts, distributing branded merchandise from fashion houses to enterprise clients. Comparable to MAO's luxe.mao.swiss model in particular, with similar luxury-brand partnerships and registered-account pricing for B2B gifting.
• Brand Addition: International B2B merchandise and branded gift solutions provider with offices across Europe. Closely matches MAO's 'concept-to-delivery' project management model, multi-category sourcing, and enterprise customer orientation.
• XD Connects: European promotional products supplier focused on sustainable and eco-friendly merchandise with a curated multi-category catalogue. Directly comparable to MAO's eco-product and broad promotional portfolio, with similar multi-region sourcing.
• PF Concept: One of Europe's largest promotional products distributors, offering a multi-brand portfolio with extensive sourcing across Europe and Asia. Directly comparable to MAO's standard promotional items business (mao.swiss) in product range, supplier model, and B2B customer base.
• Senator (promotional pens): German promotional writing instruments brand offering custom-branded pens and accessories for corporate customers. Comparable to MAO on the promotional writing instruments and luxury gifting sub-categories, particularly the HUGO BOSS and Cerruti writing lines MAO distributes.
• Prodir: Swiss-based manufacturer of promotional writing instruments, founded 1975 and serving B2B customers across Europe. Comparable to MAO as a fellow Swiss-headquartered promotional products specialist with a focus on premium, customisable merchandise.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marketing-advertising-objects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MAO