KEY Launches All-Natural Energy Drink Powered by Ketones
The female-founded brand secures $4 million in seed funding and announces retail launch with Erewhon
KEY, an all-natural energy drink harnessing the power of ketones, launched to modernize the $62B energy drink market. Co-Founded by two trailblazing executives from rival beverage companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, Karishma Thawani and Tekla Back,, KEY offers a clean alternative without the sugar shock or caffeine jitters that give energy drinks a bad rap.
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Simultaneously, KEY announces the oversubscribed close of a $4M seed round led by AgFunder, one of the world's most active foodtech and agtech investment funds. With additional backing from Alethia, the leading beverage VC and AgFunder SIJ Impact Fund, the round will support strategic retail distribution, inventory and marketing efforts.
In an industry saturated with sugar-laden, artificial stimulant sips, KEY is unlocking an alternative source of genuine energy from ketones. The ketones in each beverage deliver long-lasting smooth energy, instead of a sugar spike followed by a crash. Additionally, unlike the synthetic ketones found in supplements today, KEY uses pure active natural ketones made using fermentation.
KEY’s debut collection features the following flavors with all-natural ingredients: Pineapple Passionfruit, Grapefruit Peach and Ginger Lime. Each of the varieties has a SRP of $3.75.
In addition to launching direct-to-consumer and on Amazon, KEY will roll out its first line of beverages at select, curated retailers including celebrity-favorite Southern California health grocer Erewhon and targeted high-traffic retailers across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Hamptons. With over 25 years of combined experience in the food & beverage industry, Co-Founders Thawani and Back, are combining old school retail and online community building to scale fast, balancing brand building and distribution.
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