GRWM: Founder has more than swag; his platform matches companies with merch Gen Z will actually wear

A lot of branded swag gets buried at the bottom of a drawer after being collected from a special event or trade show — never again to see the light of day, Ivan Hadzhiev said, noting his new startup is helping companies think outside the bag when they design and distribute promotional products.

“We’re making merch people want to keep,” said Hadzhiev, founder of Merchpath. “Around 70 percent of swag ends up discarded, thrown away, and goes to landfills. We’ve all been at an event or conference where they give us stuff we didn’t ask for. Most of the time it’s not thought through, it’s not quality, and it’s not practical.”

Instead of churning out throwaway items, Merchpath delivers premium products with staying power, like duffel bags, hats, or varsity jackets for executives who want to look sharp while repping their brand, he explained.

“The old school way of slapping a logo on a T-shirt or a hat and calling it a day isn’t going to work,” Hadzhiev said. “A brand is not being shown off when it’s on a cheap T-shirt. If anything, that’s harmful. It’s harmful to the company and to the environment.”

Ivan Hadzhiev showcases Merchpath to attendees of Startland News’ Startup Crawl at Mosaic in the Live! Block at the Power & Light District; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

A personable approach to swag

A KCRise Fund-branded duffle bag by Merchpath; photo courtesy of Merchpath

Merchpath treats merchandise as a branding tool, rather than a giveaway, he said, creating items that reflect a company’s identity with subtlety and quality.

Recent duffel bags designed for KCRise Fund’s investor summit are one example, Hadzhiev noted.

“The bags matched KCRise Fund’s colors, had inside pockets, premium zippers,” he detailed. “(The venture fund) handed them out to investors and partners, and we got the best feedback.”

Even T-shirts sourced through Merchpath are given a high-tech twist — outfitted with NFC tags that link to a URL when tapped by a phone, allowing companies to track engagement, Hadzhiev said.

“We treat it as branding at the end of the day,” he explained. “That brand should show quality and thoughtfulness.”

Merchpath product shot

Tech-first merchandising

Merchpath also brings a digital-first angle to the $26 billion swag market. Through a partnership with Kansas City-based supplier SourceEazy, the company offers a tech-enabled design studio and customized swag stores.

RELATED: ‘The American dream is the Midwest’, SourceEazy founder says a year after winning LaunchKC grants competition

Onboarding kits, client gifts, and employee gear can all be ordered directly through an online platform while Merchpath manages storage and fulfillment.

The streamlined platform allows companies to skip the clunkiness with communication of traditional vendors. 

“You can customize everything,” Hadzhiev said. “Change the colors, tags, even NFC touch points. No one wants to back-and-forth email anymore. This puts it all in one place.”

Ivan Hadzhiev, Merchpath; courtesy photo

From finance to founder

Hadzhiev’s entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by Kansas City’s startup ecosystem, he said. After immigrating with his family from Bulgaria in 2003, he grew up in Blue Valley Schools before studying finance at UMKC.

“There was always something in me that didn’t want to go that route,” he said. “I wanted to do new things that were exciting and innovative.”

While classmates pursued accounting or corporate finance careers, Hadzhiev took another path. He interned with a venture capital firm, then joined Venture for America before working at Novel Capital, where he gained hands-on experience in business development, partnerships, and fundraising.

“I really got to wear a lot of hats, jack of all trades,” he said. “That prepared me to be an entrepreneur, just learning what it takes to build a business.”

Along the way, he co-founded Villager Studio, a clothing brand that gave him firsthand experience in apparel. That venture unexpectedly led to his first taste of making swag.

“Randomly, people started asking us to make merch because we had all these supplier connections,” he said. “That was my first experience making swag for startups, schools, and events. Eventually, I split off and started Merchpath.”

Positioned for the World Cup

Kansas City’s role as a FIFA World Cup host city in 2026 represents a massive opportunity, Hadzhiev emphasized.

“Bars and restaurants are going to be packed for 40 days straight,” he said. “Everyone should be selling World Cup merch. It doesn’t have to be licensed by FIFA. They can make custom designs specific to their brand and give visitors something they can keep and cherish.”

Merchpath has already partnered with organizations like KCRise Fund and is distributing 100 free sample boxes to businesses, each stocked with a custom T-shirt and hat to showcase quality and spark new partnerships.

Filling a generational gap in merchandise

Ivan Hadzhiev, Merchpath; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Long term, Hadzhiev envisions Merchpath becoming the go-to vendor for a new generation of marketers.

“There’s a big hole in the market,” he said. “Gen Z knows Gen Z. People want to be heard and acknowledged the way they are. A lot of the competition in this space hasn’t kept up with the digital-first, design-led wave. Merchpath can.”

Through building Merchpath, Hadzhiev is focused not only on creating better products, but also on creating lasting growth in his hometown.

“Hopefully within the next 6 to 12 months I can start hiring some people in Kansas City,” he said. “That’s the coolest part for me as an entrepreneur. You get to provide opportunities outside of the products you’re selling. You’re creating economic opportunity.”