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Slate Milk
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June 24, 2026
Slate Milk's Triple-Digit Growth with Rolling Funding
TKEES found demand for its inclusive footwear began to outpace supply and turned to Clearco for growth capital that freed up cash flow to expand product lines and scale the business.
“Clearco is like a double-shot of espresso. The funding allowed us the time and energy to do more of what we wanted to do, and faster. It allowed us to hire more people, purchase more inventory, and generally, gave us more freedom to grow on our terms”
– Jesse Burnett,
Co-Founder, TKEES
The Challenge
Demand Outpacing Supply
From the beginning, TKEES faced a good problem: customers wanted more products than the company could keep in stock.
Access to funding has been their main challenge from the start, especially after raising venture funding and being frustrated with the tradeoff of giving up ownership in the business they had worked so hard to build.
The Solution
Funding Without Giving Up More Equity
When TKEES connected with Clearco, the founders immediately felt aligned with the company’s ecommerce-first approach and understanding of direct-to-consumer businesses. “Clearco made it really easy and genuine to do business together,” said the founders, Carly and Jesse Burnett.
TKEES strategically allocated Clearco’s growth capital toward marketing expenses. This allowed the business to preserve cash flow and reinvest it into other growth priorities, including new product development and expansion into apparel.
The Results
More Freedom to Invest Across the Business
- More than doubled the size of the business
Since first receiving Clearco funding, TKEES has more than doubled in size. By funding marketing initiatives externally, the company was able to redirect cash flow toward strategic growth investments that otherwise may have been delayed.
“Clearco is like a double-shot of espresso. The funding allowed us the time and energy to do more of what we wanted to do—and faster. It allowed us to hire more people, purchase more inventory, and generally, gave us more freedom to grow on our terms,” says Jesse Burnett, Co-Founder of TKEES.
