Cle

What Cle does

Clé is a San Rafael, California-based direct-to-consumer retailer of artisan tile, founded in 2012 by Deborah Osburn. The company operates an e-commerce platform offering approximately 1,739 SKUs across eight material categories — zellige, cement, stone, terracotta, ceramic, brick, terrazzo, and metal — with price points ranging from $12/sqft to approximately $700/sqft. The catalog is structured into three curation tiers (Classics, Heritage, and Maison clé) and a dedicated outdoor sub-brand called OUTERclé, with frequent named-designer collaborations (including Zio & Sons, Sarah Sherman Samuel, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Bobby Berk) used to refresh the assortment and reinforce premium positioning.

The business model is self-serve e-commerce with global shipping, monetizing through direct tile sales without disclosed reliance on a dealer or distributor channel. Revenue mechanics are unit-driven, with margin shaped by the artisan sourcing model, the multi-tier price architecture (entry Classics through Platinum/Gold ultra-luxury), and specification-stage sales into designer and architect projects. Clé is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, suggesting a self-funded or profitable operation at its current 11-50 employee scale. There is no disclosed leadership team beyond the founder, no AI or machine learning capability referenced, and no public revenue or growth metrics.

Name

Cle

Website

https://cletile.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clé is a San Rafael, California-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of artisan tile (zellige, cement, stone, terracotta, ceramic, brick, terrazzo, metal), serving homeowners, designers, and trade customers globally through its own platform and the OUTERclé sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tile Product Sales: clé generates revenue through the direct sale of artisan tiles to customers. Products are sold per square foot with pricing ranging from approximately $12/sqft for budget-friendly classics to over $600/sqft for premium offerings like gold and platinum zellige tiles. The company also sells bundles and offers made-to-order products with minimum order quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

clé is an artisan tile design house that designs, curates, and sells handcrafted tiles across eight material collections — zellige (authentic Moroccan), cement, natural stone, terracotta, ceramic, brick, terrazzo, and metal — organized into three curation tiers (clé Classics, clé Heritage, Maison clé) and featuring exclusive designer collaborations. The company sells directly to consumers and design professionals through its own e-commerce platform (cletile.com) with pricing on a per-square-foot basis, and supports sample purchases, full-tile orders, and made-to-order products with minimum order quantities.

Product overview

clé tile is an artisan tile company offering a diverse portfolio of handcrafted tiles across eight core material collections: clé zellige (authentic Moroccan hand-molded glazed terracotta), clé lapidary (natural stone library featuring limestone, marble, slate, and travertine in sculpted/mosaic formats), clé cement, clé brick, clé terracotta, clé terrazzo, clé ceramic, and clé metal. Products are organized into three curation tiers: clé Classics (affordable staples), clé Heritage (small-batch artisan tiles embracing handcraft imperfections), and Maison clé (exclusive boundary-breaking collaborations). The company offers extensive designer collaborations including Ruan Hoffmann, Deborah Osburn, Cristina Celestino, Zio & Sons, Erica Tanov, Eskayel, and Giovanni De Maio. All tiles are sold through direct e-commerce with pricing ranging from approximately $12-$700 per square foot and are suitable for residential and commercial applications including interior/exterior walls, floors, bathrooms, showers, kitchens, fireplaces, and pools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• clé Classics: Affordable staple tiles including subway, penny-round, and carrara options ideal for first-time buyers or budget-conscious projects
• clé Heritage
• Maison clé

Quantifiable outcome

• clé offers the largest curated selection of authentic Moroccan zellige tiles in the United States market

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cristina CelestinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian designer Cristina Celestino has created multiple exclusive tile collections with clé, including the Lapidary + Cristina Celestino collaboration featuring sculpted stone mosaics inspired by 1970s Milan design, and various terracotta and ceramic collections under the Fornace Brioni + Cristina Celestino partnership. Her collections are featured under the Maison clé curation as premium, exclusive offerings.
• Zio & SonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Zio & Sons featuring modular octagon patterns and customizable mosaic border designs. The collection includes charred cedar octagon and natural bouchon tiles, plus various color combinations. Products are made-to-order with 16-18 week lead times.
• Ruan HoffmanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African artist Ruan Hoffmann has created the Postcards from Myself cement tile collection with clé, featuring hand-painted patterns and playful travel-inspired color stories. The collection includes tiles like the Tokioyo series with vibrant color palettes.
• Deborah OsburncoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerclé founder Deborah Osburn created the Watermark porcelain tile collection, featuring hand-dyed indigo tones and shibori-inspired variation. The collection also includes the Deborah Osburn: Malachite series under the lapidary stone library.
• Erika TanovminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigner Erika Tanov collaborated with clé on cement tiles featuring exhilarating patterns and a wide-ranging color palette, including the Fern collection in plaster and black colorways.
• EskayelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEskayel tile collection inspired by nature and travel, blending fluid pattern and color palette with grounded cement form.
• Giovanni De Maio + Cristina CelestinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediterranean-inspired ceramic tile collection featuring colorful ceramic storytelling from Italian designers Giovanni De Maio and Cristina Celestino, including the Chloris collection with various colorways like Creta.
• Fornace BrionicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian manufacturer Fornace Brioni partnered with clé on multiple collections including cotto (terracotta) tiles and ceramic tiles under the Fornace Brioni + Cristina Celestino partnership, celebrating Italian terracotta craftsmanship and natural variation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heath Ceramics: California-based maker of artisan ceramic tile and tableware with a strong design-brand identity; comparable to clé on craft heritage, designer collaborations, and California lifestyle positioning.
• Walker Zanger: Luxury tile and stone brand with curated collections including zellige and natural stone; directly comparable to clé in materials, premium positioning, and designer-channel focus.
• Fireclay Tile: Direct-to-consumer artisan tile maker (ceramic, brick, glass) with strong design collaborations and B Corp positioning; competes with clé in the handmade/design-forward tile segment serving homeowners and designers.
• Ann Sacks: Premium tile and stone retailer (part of Kohler) with showrooms and design-trade focus; competes with clé's Maison clé tier in the high-end designer/specifier market.
• Country Floors: Long-standing importer and retailer of artisan tile including zellige, cement, and stone; competes directly with clé on handmade imported collections and designer trade relationships.
• TileBar: Online-first tile and stone retailer with broad assortment and private-label collections; competes with clé on the e-commerce/DTC channel and increasingly on designer-style offerings at lower price points.
• Artistic Tile: Specialty retailer of designer tile and stone with showrooms and a strong trade-program; overlaps with clé on natural stone, mosaic, and premium designer collections.

Broad incumbents

• Bedrosians Tile & Stone: Large national tile and stone distributor with showrooms and a broad assortment; competes with clé at the value and mid-tier and increasingly in designer-inspired collections.
• Emser Tile: Major tile and natural stone distributor with national footprint; competes with clé across residential and commercial channels and pressures pricing on mid-market offerings.

Emerging players

• Zia Tile: Online-focused artisan tile retailer specializing in cement, zellige, and terracotta; a smaller, emerging DTC brand with overlapping assortment and target customer to clé.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tileenvy
• Facebookfacebook.com/cletiles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cle