What Clek does

Clek Inc. is a privately held, family-owned Canadian car seat manufacturer headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, and is the only car seat company operating manufacturing in Canada. Founded in 2009 by individuals with automotive industry backgrounds (founder Chris Lumley), the company applies vehicle safety engineering principles, including crumple-zone technology, metal load legs, steel substructures, and rigid-LATCH installation systems, to child passenger safety seats. Clek's product portfolio spans three categories: infant car seats (Liing, Liingo), convertible car seats (Foonf, Fllo), and booster seats (Oobr, Olli, Ozzi), with prices ranging from $89.99 (Ozzi) to $559.99 (Foonf). Proprietary safety features include the REACT (Rigid-LATCH Energy Absorbing Crumple Technology) and EACT (Energy Absorbing Crumple Technology) systems, an energy-absorbing metal load leg on the Liing that reduces crash forces by up to 40%, and an industry-leading 9-year product expiration across the range, with a Lifetime Extended Warranty introduced in January 2024.

Clek generates revenue through a hybrid direct-to-consumer and authorized-retail model. The DTC storefront at clekinc.com offers free shipping on orders over $99, financing through Affirm, price-match guarantee, and phone/chat support staffed by certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Authorized retailers include Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel Kids, Albee Baby, Pottery Barn Kids, and Amazon, with some retailers offering complimentary car seat installation services. Additional revenue streams include proprietary accessories (P-thingy, Kick-thingy, Mat-thingy, Drink-thingy, Infant-thingy, cup holders, bases, adapters, replacement parts), gift cards in $50-$500 denominations, and a $59.99 end-of-life car seat recycling kit. The company also operates the only North American car seat recycling program (since 2013), achieving 95% material recovery by weight, and was the first car seat company to remove brominated and chlorinated flame retardants from its products in 2014.

The company's primary customer segments are research-oriented parents of infants and young children, families with multiple children requiring 3-across installations in compact vehicles, and urban/mobile families using rideshare and taxi services. Distribution is concentrated in the USA and Canada. Clek has built recognition through extensive press coverage and awards from publications including Forbes, Wirecutter (NY Times), Good Housekeeping, Babylist, Car and Driver, and NY Magazine's Strategist. The company has no external institutional investment, no public listing, and no disclosed venture capital funding, operating as an independent going concern with 11-50 employees.

Name

Clek

Legal name

Clek Inc.

Website

https://clekinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clek is a Canadian family-owned car seat manufacturer (founded 2009, Kitchener, Ontario) that designs, engineers, and assembles premium infant, convertible, and booster child safety seats using automotive-inspired crumple technology, metal load legs, and steel substructures, selling direct-to-consumer and through premium retailers including Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel Kids, Albee Baby, and Amazon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Car Seats

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Seating and Interior Trim Manufacturing (33636)

SIC

Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Safety Seat & ISOFIX/LATCH Hardware Manufacturing (IMACAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Automotive Seating Systems Manufacturing (Frames/Mechanisms/Foam/Complete Seats) (IMACAKAA)

Keywords

• Child car seats
• Infant car seats
• Convertible car seats
• Booster seats
• Child safety products

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Car Seat Sales: Clek generates primary revenue through direct-to-consumer sales of infant car seats, convertible car seats, and booster seats via their e-commerce platform (clekinc.com). Products range from $89.99 (Ozzi booster) to $559.99 (Foonf convertible), with infant seats starting at $299.99 (Liingo) and $499.99 (Liing).
2. Accessories: Clek sells proprietary accessories including Mat-thingy ($49.99), Drink-thingy ($24.99), P-thingy ($39.99), Infant-thingy ($79.99), Kick-thingy ($39.99), and car seat adapters, bases, and replacement parts.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in $50, $100, $250, and $500 denominations for customer purchases.
4. Car Seat Recycling Program: Clek charges $59.99 for a recycling kit that includes prepaid shipping, with customers receiving a 10% off coupon for their next purchase. By weight, 95% of car seat components are recycled through this program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clek designs, engineers, and manufactures premium child car seats from its Kitchener, Ontario facility, offering infant car seats (Liing, Liingo), convertible car seats (Foonf, Fllo), and booster seats (Oobr, Olli, Ozzi). The product line features proprietary safety systems including REACT and EACT crumple technology, energy-absorbing metal load legs, steel and magnesium substructures, rigid-LATCH installation, and flame-retardant-free and PFAS-free Ziip fabric covers. Clek sells direct through clekinc.com and through authorized retailers, with a complementary car seat recycling program operated in partnership with Canadian and U.S. organizations.

Product overview

Clek is a Canadian car seat manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of child safety seats across three categories: infant car seats (Liing, Liingo), convertible car seats (Foonf, Fllo), and booster seats (Oobr, Olli, Ozzi). The product line includes premium safety features such as REACT/EACT crumple technology, rigid-LATCH installation systems, steel substructures, and extended rear-facing capabilities up to 50 lbs. Clek differentiates through fabric innovation including flame-retardant free Ziip covers and Mammoth merino wool blends, supported by industry-leading warranties and a North American recycling program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foonf Convertible Car Seat

Quantifiable outcome

• Metal Load Leg reduces crash forces passed to child by up to 40%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Recycling Program Partners (Canada and US)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Clek has established strategic partnerships in both Canada and the United States to manage car seat disassembly, recycling, and reintroduction of plastic, metal, foam, and fabric components into other products. This recycling program was established in 2013 and is the only car seat recycling program in North America.
• Stroller ManufacturerscoreTechnology or IntegrationClek Liing and Liingo infant car seats are compatible with a wide range of stroller brands through third-party testing and ASTM compliance. Compatible strollers include UPPAbaby, Babyzen YOYO, Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, and many others. Adapters are typically manufactured by the stroller brands themselves.
• Maxi-CosicoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Clek Liing and Liingo infant car seats are designed to work with Maxi-Cosi car seat adapters, which are universal with most strollers, enabling broad stroller compatibility without proprietary Clek adapters.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Britax Child Safety: Britax is a direct premium competitor in child car seats, sharing Clek's positioning around advanced safety engineering (e.g., ClickTight installation, anti-rebound bars) and serving the same safety-conscious parent demographic at comparable premium price points.
• Nuna: Nuna is a direct premium peer offering infant car seats, convertible seats, and boosters with comparable design-forward aesthetics and premium pricing, frequently co-listed with Clek in Wirecutter and Babylist awards.
• UPPAbaby: UPPAbaby is a direct premium competitor that sells its own Mesa infant car seat and competes for the same affluent-parent demographic, while also being a stroller-compatibility partner for Clek's Liing/Liingo — creating a hybrid competitor/partner dynamic.
• Maxi-Cosi: Maxi-Cosi is a direct competitor in infant car seats globally and a stroller-adapter partner for Clek, with overlapping premium-safety positioning and broad retail distribution through Dorel's juvenile-products network.
• Cybex (Goodbaby): Cybex is a direct premium peer offering infant, convertible, and booster seats with automotive-inspired design and crash-test performance claims similar to Clek's REACT/EACT technology story.
• Diono: Diono is a direct peer specializing in slim-profile convertible car seats (e.g., Radian series) targeting the same 3-across and multi-child use case that Clek's Foonf and Fllo address, with comparable premium positioning.
• Peg Perego: Peg Perego is a direct premium peer offering infant seats and convertible car seats with comparable Made-in-Italy/European engineering credentials and a parallel premium-retail distribution strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Chicco (Artsana): Chicco is a broad incumbent with a wide car seat portfolio spanning premium and mid-tier price points, frequently co-listed with Clek in best-of parenting roundups and competing across Clek's full infant/convertible/booster lineup.
• Graco (Newell Brands): Graco is the mass-market incumbent dominating car seat volume share; while Clek does not directly compete on price, Graco sets the affordability benchmark and is the primary trade-down alternative for Clek's premium positioning.
• Evenflo (Goodbaby International): Evenflo is a broad incumbent with both value-tier and premium (e.g., Symphony, Revolve360) car seats, representing the scaled-enterprise alternative that competes with Clek through pediatrician channels and broader distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/clekinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/clekinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/clekinc
• TikToktiktok.com/@clekinc
• Xx.com/clekinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clek-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clek