ClearCourse

What ClearCourse does

ClearCourse is a London-headquartered, Aquiline Capital Partners-backed vertical SaaS and embedded payments group founded in October 2018 by Gerry Gualtieri and now led by CEO Christina Hamilton. The company operates a buy-and-build model, having acquired more than 40 software and payments businesses since inception, and serves over 20,000 customers across six industry verticals: Field Services, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Sports & Leisure, and Public Sector & Not-for-Profit. Acquired brands are retained and operate under their existing identities (e.g., GOb2b, Harbour Assist, CSY Retail Systems, ThinkSmart Software, Motasoft, Davidson Richards/OpSuite, Computers for Flooring/Carman, Rezcontrol, Fetchify, Circdata Fusion, Silverbear, intelligentgolf, Blue Zinc, Pursuit Software).

The group's technology architecture pairs purpose-built vertical SaaS products (covering EPOS, job management, scheduling, marina management, healthcare practice management, B2B eCommerce, address validation, and event technology) with a proprietary embedded payments layer branded ClearAccept, plus Clear Direct Debit for subscription-based organizations. Each subsidiary delivers sector-specific workflows such as supplier and stock management (Carman), class scheduling and automated invoicing (ThinkSmart), cloud-based marina operations (Harbour Assist), and Microsoft Dynamics 365-based CRM for membership organizations (Silverbear). Integration breadth spans ERP, CRM, POS, accounting, warehousing and eCommerce platforms via subsidiary APIs, with Fetchify extending address validation coverage across 240+ countries.

ClearCourse's revenue model combines recurring subscription licensing for its software products with transaction-based embedded payment processing and ancillary professional services for implementation, customization and training. Pricing is quote-based and varies by vertical and subsidiary. Distribution occurs through direct sales via retained subsidiary sales teams, supported by centralized shared services (HR, finance, payroll, cybersecurity, legal and compliance) provided to acquired entities. The group is privately held, backed by Aquiline Capital Partners, with Simon Black (former CEO of SagePay and PPRO) serving as Chair of the Board since September 2025.

Name

ClearCourse

Legal name

ClearCourse Partnership Holdings Limited

Website

https://clearcourse.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ClearCourse is a London-based, Aquiline Capital Partners-backed vertical SaaS roll-up that has acquired 40+ software businesses across field services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, sports & leisure and public sector, serving 20,000+ SME customers with embedded payments (ClearAccept).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vertical SaaS Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Banking, Account Aggregation & Payment Initiation APIs (BPAMAFAJ)

Keywords

• Vertical saas software
• Embedded payment solutions
• Epoint of sale systems
• Business management software
• Sme software platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription-based Software Licensing: ClearCourse generates revenue through subscription licensing of its industry-specific software solutions. Customers pay recurring fees for access to sector-specific management software including EPOS, job management, scheduling, CRM, and other vertical SaaS products.
2. Embedded Payment Processing: Revenue generated from integrated payment solutions embedded within ClearCourse's software products. The company provides payment processing capabilities to its software customers, generating transaction-based revenue.
3. Professional Services and Implementation: Revenue from implementation, customization, training, and consultancy services supporting software deployments across acquired subsidiaries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ClearCourse is a London-based holding group that acquires, operates, and integrates vertical-specific software businesses serving SMEs and targeted enterprises across six sectors: Field Services, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Sports & Leisure, and Public Sector & Not-for-Profit. Across its portfolio of 40+ acquired brands, it sells subscription-based industry software (EPOS, CRM, scheduling, job management, marina, golf, event, and B2B eCommerce platforms) and layers a proprietary embedded payments offering (ClearAccept, Clear Direct Debit) directly into those software products.

Product overview

ClearCourse is a provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, established in London in 2018. The company operates a platform-plus-acquired-brands architecture, where ClearAccept/Clear Direct Debit serves as the embedded payments layer integrated across all products. The portfolio includes: GOb2b (B2B eCommerce), Harbour Assist (marina management), CSY Retail Systems (retail EPOS), ThinkSmart Software (club scheduling), Motasoft (garage management with planned AI), Kurve (self-service kiosks/pointOne EPOS), Davidson Richards' OpSuite (retail management), Computers for Flooring's Carman (flooring transactions), Rezcontrol (hospitality), Fetchify (address validation API), Circdata's Fusion (event technology), Silverbear (Dynamics 365 CRM for membership), intelligentgolf (golf club management), Club Systems International (sports management), Pursuit Software (jewellery POS), Blue Zinc (healthcare rehabilitation), The EPOS Bureau (farm shop EPOS), TISSL (hospitality EPOS), EKM (eCommerce), and Cymba (mobile marketing for charities). Industry verticals include Field Services, Healthcare, Retail & Hospitality, Sports & Leisure, and Public Sector & NFP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ClearAccept
• Clear Direct Debit
• GOb2b B2B eCommerce Platform
• Harbour Assist
• CSY Retail Systems EPOS
• ThinkSmart Club Scheduling SaaS
• Motasoft Virtual Garage Manager
• Kurve Self-Service Kiosk
• OpSuite by Davidson Richards
• Carman by Computers for Flooring
• Rezcontrol by Avon Data Systems
• Fetchify Address Validation
• Circdata Fusion Event Technology
• Silverbear CRM
• intelligentgolf
• Club Systems International
• Pursuit Jewellery POS
• Blue Zinc Healthcare Software
• EKM eCommerce Platform
• The EPOS Bureau
• Eworks Manager Job Management
• Cymba Mobile Marketing

Quantifiable outcome

• Carman processes approximately 10% of all UK flooring transactions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lightspeed Commerce: Publicly-traded vertical SaaS for retail and hospitality with integrated payments. Overlaps with ClearCourse's hospitality and retail verticals and offers a market-tested benchmark for vertical-SaaS-plus-embedded-payments unit economics.
• Sage Group: UK-listed incumbent in accounting, payroll, and ERP software serving SMEs. Broader and more established, but its UK dominance and embedded-payments experimentation make it a relevant incumbent comparable for ClearCourse's SME vertical focus.

Direct peers

• Toast: US-listed vertical SaaS + embedded payments platform for restaurants. Most directly comparable business model archetype: vertical-specific software with integrated payment processing — directly illustrating the roadmap ClearCourse is pursuing with ClearAccept.
• The Access Group: UK-based vertical SaaS roll-up backed by Hg Capital that acquires and integrates industry-specific software products for SMEs and mid-market across HR, healthcare, legal, education, and membership — the closest analogue to ClearCourse's buy-and-build model and vertical scope.
• Jonas Software: Subsidiary of Constellation Software operating a global vertical SaaS roll-up across fitness, hospitality, retail, sports and membership verticals — directly comparable to ClearCourse's vertical coverage and indefinite-hold acquisition style.
• Total Specific Solutions: European vertical SaaS roll-up sponsored by Hg Capital that acquires market-leading vertical software businesses. Same roll-up playbook as ClearCourse, with comparable discipline around retaining acquired brand identity and operational autonomy.
• IRIS Software Group: UK vertical SaaS roll-up (Hg Capital then BC Partners) focused on accountancy, HR, payroll, and education verticals. Highly comparable in terms of PE sponsorship, UK footprint, and acquisition-led growth across regulated professional verticals.
• Volaris Group: Vertical SaaS roll-up within Constellation Software focused on mission-critical software for niche markets. Closely mirrors ClearCourse's strategy of acquiring established category-leading vertical brands and operating them autonomously.

Emerging players

• Phorest: Vertical SaaS for salon, spa, and clinic management with payments and CRM. Comparable in scope to ClearCourse's healthcare and sports & leisure divisions and an example of a focused vertical SaaS that has scaled internationally on a single niche.
• Mindbody: Vertical SaaS for fitness, wellness, and beauty businesses with payments embedded. Closely comparable to ClearCourse's ThinkSmart and Blue Zinc assets serving class-based and rehabilitation businesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clearcourse-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A37 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ClearCourse