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SIMO
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June 24, 2026
SIMO Keeps Inventory In Stock with Clearco Rolling Funding
Headquarters
Massachusetts, USA
Industry
Food & Beverage
Clearco Products
Since launching in late-2019, Slate Milk has rapidly grown into a nationwide protein beverage brand, which led them to Clearco. With flexible, non-dilutive ecommerce funding, Slate Milk was able to pursue a more aggressive plan, while keeping the business in a healthy position.
“Clearco was the right capital partner for an important stage of Slate’s growth. They helped us outpace our plan and helped us move to our next chapter on our own terms. And through it all, we had a strong relationship with the Clearco team, one that will continue even after we’ve graduated”
— Manny Lubin,
Co-Founder of Slate Milk
The Challenge
Growth capital that matches the pace of ecommerce business
“The money that you make today isn’t necessarily going to successfully fund hyperspeed growth,” says Manny Lubin, Co-Founder of Slate Milk. “When it comes to something that you have to actually create—something tangible—a lot of times that takes capital.”
Growth requires capital before it produces revenue and moving faster often means making larger commitments earlier. As Slate evaluated its next stage, the team saw opportunities to grow more rapidly, but in order to pursue those opportunities while keeping the company in a healthy position, it needed the right funding partner.
The Solution
A funding partner for ambitious brands with big plans
Slate had been in conversation with Clearco for years before the timing aligned for the companies to formally work together.
“Clearco was the right partner for us when we realized our goals may be a bit ambitious but achievable,” says Manny. “We developed a great relationship with Clearco and never felt like we were reporting to a bank. It felt like we were working with another startup—like together, we were growing our businesses.”
For Manny, what made the relationship work was not simply access to capital. It was the willingness of the Clearco team to understand their business, discuss opportunities openly, and explore what was in Slate’s best interest as they grew.
“We’d get opportunities that, on the surface level, might not look beneficial today but could be beneficial tomorrow. Clearco was always willing to investigate these opportunities with us instead of them just saying, ‘No, this is the deal.’ It felt like a true partnership; their openness to exploring is something we’ve always appreciated,” adds Manny.
The Results
Triple-digit growth and graduation from revenue-based funding
- Triple-digit annual growth since launch
With Clearco’s funding, the company has achieved triple-digit annual growth on average since launching in late-2019, all while expanding into nationwide retail and evolving its product portfolio around what customers wanted.
The business eventually reached a stage where a different financing structure made more sense for what came next. For Clearco, Slate’s graduation was not the loss of a customer. It was the outcome the partnership was built to support from the very beginning.
“Clearco was the right capital partner for an important stage of Slate’s growth. They helped us outpace our plan and helped us move to our next chapter on our own terms,” explains Manny. “And through it all, we had a strong relationship with the Clearco team, one that will continue even after we’ve graduated.”
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