Ana March, Co-Founder & Creative Brand Director of Clarity.

Ana March

In a category dominated by sodium-heavy stick packs and continuous ad spend, Clarity Health Co. sold through 94% of its first inventory run with zero dollars on customer acquisition. The Los Angeles-based hydration brand focused on embedding inside the communities most likely to actually use the product.

Clarity’s early growth has been driven by a deliberate, boots-on-the-ground approach to community integration rather than traditional paid marketing. From hydrating runners at the LA Marathon to showing up consistently at local run clubs like WeHo Run Club and Beaches Tropicana, the brand embedded itself directly into the environments where performance and recovery matter most. Events like Runchella 2026, in partnership with Live WeHo and Lululemon, allowed Clarity to connect with highly engaged, health-conscious consumers in real time, turning product sampling into immediate brand trust and word-of-mouth traction.

"If you don't have capital, you have to have proximity," shared Ana March, co-founder and Creative Brand Director, and co-founder Beau Terwilliger. “The biggest mistake early founders make is trying to look big instead of actually being embedded where their customer lives. Showing up consistently in the right rooms, whether that’s events, communities, or niche environments, builds trust far faster than paid ads ever will. People buy from brands they’ve experienced, not just seen. The second is to treat distribution and community as the same strategy. Instead of thinking about retail, partnerships, and ambassadors as separate channels, they should all ladder up to one thing: access to your ideal customer in a trusted environment. When your product lives inside studios, clinics, or communities that already have credibility, you inherit that trust instantly. Lastly, build systems that turn your earliest supporters into growth engines. Whether it’s ambassador programs, referral incentives, or simple word-of-mouth loops, your first customers should feel like they’re part of building the brand. When done right, you don’t just acquire customers, you create advocates. That’s how you scale without burning cash.”

Beyond events, Clarity built a presence across Los Angeles through a mix of strategic retail placements and wellness partnerships. The product is now available in seven curated locations, including fitness studios, recovery spaces like Liv Sauna & Cold Plunge in West Hollywood, and specialty retailers like Pink Dot. The brand also extended into adjacent wellness ecosystems by supplying chiropractors, supporting local fire and police departments, and collaborating with fitness communities such as the LA Flag Football League. These touchpoints positioned Clarity not just as a product, but as a daily performance tool embedded into multiple aspects of consumers’ routines.

A major driver of Clarity’s 94% sell-through rate and zero CAC has been through its athlete and ambassador network. The company launched a Clarity Athletes program, signing high-performing college athletes, including Gavin Doty, Donovan Isale, and Ahmad Robinson. Rather than relying on paid endorsements, the brand leaned into performance-driven visibility. Gavin Doty’s national exposure during March Madness broadcasts, for example, created organic awareness at scale. Combined with a broader ambassador program where athletes earn commissions through personalized codes, Clarity turned its community into a distributed sales force, aligning incentives while maintaining authenticity.

The product was developed with Dr. Bhaveen Kapadia, who pushed back on the category’s sodium-first orthodoxy. "Hydration isn't simply about how much water you consume; it's about whether your body can actually utilize it at the cellular level," Dr. Kapadia said. “The product is built around a balanced sodium-to-potassium-to-magnesium framework, with pink Himalayan salt for sodium, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate, calcium aspartate, and ionic trace minerals. Sodium pulls fluid in, potassium distributes it intracellularly, and magnesium stabilizes the nervous and muscular systems through the cycle.”

Clarity has seen that a community-first launch compounds over time. Their first launch nearly sold out with no acquisition cost, and an audience that is talking about the product without being asked to. As they continue to grow, they plan on replicating the same model of proximity to community partners, like-minded events, and athletes that create the ripple effect needed at scale.