Hands-free footwear brand Kizik secures 20 million dollar funding

Kizik, a hands-free shoe brand, has closed a 20 million dollar Series B funding round which it will use to launch a kidswear line and develop its retail footprint.

Led by consumer-focused private equity fund The Newcastle Network, the funding will help to boost the Utah-based brand’s reach, bringing its slip-on shoes to more consumers as well as more footwear categories.

In a release, HandsFree Labs Inc., its parent company which boasts more than 100 patents and patents pending, said that alongside kids shoes, Kizik will also be launching hands-free high tops and Chelsea boots.

“Hands-free shoes are what we do. Kizik’s easy-on shoes provide our customers with industry-disrupting convenience and comfort, and those customers are choosing Kiziks as their everyday shoe” said Kizik CEO, Monte Deere, in a release.

Deere continued: “Our online sales growth is phenomenal. Kizik’s partnership with The Newcastle Network will help us expand our Kizik product and reach a wider audience.”

The news follows a previously entered intellectual property licensing partnership between HandsFree Labs and Nike.