About KEY
KEY is a Consumer company based in Wilmington (United States) founded in 2024 by Tekla Back and Karishma Thawani. It operates as an all-natural ketone-based energy drinks are produced for sustained performance. KEY has raised $4 million across 1 funding round from investors including AgFunder, Alethia Fund I and SDG Impact Japan. Its chief executive is Tekla Back. Its website drinkkey.com draws about 17 thousand monthly visits. KEY offers products and services including Ginger Lime, Pineapple Passionfruit, Grapefruit Peach, and Variety Pack. Its focus areas include Food and Agriculture, Food & Beverage Products, Beverages and Energy Drinks. Its legal entity is KEYED, Inc. Its competitors include Runa, Kill Cliff, A-GAME, Lucky Beverage and ZOA and 4 more; 6 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Key Energy Drink was founded in 2024 by former executives from Coke and PepsiCo and is headquartered in Wilmington, United States. Operations center on the functional beverage sector, where all-natural energy drinks are manufactured using ketones. These products deliver long-lasting energy without blood sugar spikes or caffeine jitters, targeting the broader energy drink market with a focus on natural formulations.
- Headquarters Wilmington, United States
- Founders Tekla Back, Karishma Thawani
- SectorsConsumer
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website drinkkey.com
- Social LinkedIn Instagram
- Legal Name Keyed, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$4M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$4M (USD), Seed
Apr 2024
- InvestorsAgFunder
& 2 more
Products & Services of KEY
KEY offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Ginger Lime, Pineapple Passionfruit, Grapefruit Peach, and Variety Pack.
Natural ketone-based drink providing smooth energy with ginger flavor.
All-natural beverage offering sustained energy from ketones.
Ketone-powered drink for anxiety-free energy with fruit taste.
Assortment of flavors for sampling natural energy options.
Funding Insights of KEY
KEY has successfully raised a total of $4M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Seed round of $4 million completed in April 2024. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $4M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Seed — $4M
- First Round $4M
(Apr 2024)
- Investors Count 3
All 1 funding rounds of KEY with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | $4M | Seed | – | AgFunder |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in KEY
KEY has secured backing from 3 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include AgFunder, Alethia Fund I and SDG Impact Japan.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital fund focused on ag-tech and food-tech sectors | – | agfunder.com | San Francisco, United States | |
Investment portfolios are managed to promote sustainability and circular economy. | 2021 | sdgimpactjapan.com | Tokyo, Japan | |
Alethia Fund I is focused on beverage industry investments. | – | alethiavp.com | - |
Investor details for KEY
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of KEY
2 people are tracked at KEY (2 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Tekla Back | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Karishma Thawani | Co-Founder & COO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for KEY
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of KEY
2 dated milestones of KEY, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded KEY is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $4.0M.
Competitors of KEY
KEY has 9 listed competitors in our database, 6 of them funded. They include Runa, Kill Cliff, A-GAME, Lucky Beverage and ZOA, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| runa.io | 2009 | London, United Kingdom | $65.1M | 92 | Global payout infrastructure is provided by Runa for businesses. | |
| killcliff.com | 2013 | Atlanta, United States | $29.1M | 40 | Sports and energy drinks and supplements are manufactured. | |
| drinkagame.com | 2018 | Clermont, United States | $28.63M | – | Sports drinks are marketed through an internet-first brand. | |
| luckybevco.com | 2023 | Austin, United States | $29.95M | – | Zero sugar energy drinks are provided by Lucky Beverage. | |
| zoaenergy.com | 2020 | United States | – | – | Zero sugar energy drinks, pre-workout powders, and apparel are manufactured. | |
| monsterenergy.com | 2002 | Coronado, United States | – | – | Produces and markets a popular brand of energy drinks for consumers. | |
| drinkrecover.com | 2014 | Culver, United States | $53.17M | – | Energy and sports drinks are provided by an internet-first brand. | |
| getgorgie.com | 2022 | Boca Raton, United States | $31M | – | Energy drinks are distributed via an internet-first brand model. | |
| drinkjuvee.com | 2021 | Los Angeles, United States | – | – | Internet-first brand offering energy drinks |
Detailed competitors of KEY
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of KEY
The website of KEY (drinkkey.com) receives about 17.3K visits a month.
- Monthly visits17.3K
▲ 80.9% vs previous month
Top companies in Food & Beverage Products & Processing
10 companies that operate in the same segment as KEY (Food & Beverage Products & Processing), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Platform offering a subscription-based delivery service for fresh milk and groceries | 2015 | Gurugram, Haryana, India | USD 228.42 M | USD 99.78 M | 3,464 | |
Hens and cattle are reared to supply eggs and butter. | 2007 | Austin, Texas, United States | USD 49.96 M | USD 759.44 M | 598 | |
Subscription-based coffee products are offered by an internet-first brand. | 2013 | Gurugram, Haryana, India | USD 112.84 M | USD 25.83 M | 2,059 | |
Provider of bakery-cafe services and a loyalty program | 1987 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | USD 145.61 M | – | – | |
Meat and seafood products are delivered via an online platform. | 2015 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 564.84 M | USD 97.26 M | 2,828 | |
Dry snacks and coffee are manufactured and distributed. | 2015 | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India | USD 16.52 M | USD 208 K | 29 | |
Food, snacks, and beverages are produced and distributed globally. | 1898 | Purchase, New York, United States | – | USD 93.92 B | 319,000 | |
Multi-category organic dairy products are offered online. | 2010 | Tiptur, Karnataka, India | USD 58.15 M | USD 23.34 M | 810 | |
Packaged food products are offered through an online platform. | 2019 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 37.6 M | USD 4.41 M | 168 | |
Multi-category food and beverage products are produced and distributed globally. | 1866 | Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland | – | USD 2.36 B | 16,250 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Key
Complete news archive for KEY
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about KEY
KEY was founded in 2024.
KEY is headquartered in Wilmington, United States. It is registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States.
Tekla Back is the current CEO of KEY. They have also founded this company.
KEY is a funded company, having raised a total of $4M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $4M, raised on Apr 2024.
Key Energy Drink was founded in 2024 by former executives from Coke and PepsiCo and is headquartered in Wilmington, United States. Operations center on the functional beverage sector, where all-natural energy drinks are manufactured using ketones. These products deliver long-lasting energy without blood sugar spikes or caffeine jitters, targeting the broader energy drink market with a focus on natural formulations.
KEY's top competitors include Runa, GORGIE and RECOVƎR 180°.
KEY offers Ginger Lime, Pineapple Passionfruit, Grapefruit Peach, and Variety Pack.
KEY has 3 investors. Key investors include AgFunder, Alethia Fund I, and SDG Impact Japan.
KEY operates through Keyed, Inc..