ClearStar
ClearStar is a private equity-backed provider of employment background screening, drug testing, and continuous monitoring services for employers, staffing firms, healthcare, transportation, and government clients, processing 6M+ screenings annually across 230+ countries via its integrated platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersAlpharetta, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ClearStar does
ClearStar is a U.S.-headquartered provider of employment background screening and human capital integrity services, founded in 1995 as Compass, Inc. in Alpharetta, Georgia and operating today as a private equity-backed platform under Hanover Investors Management LLP following a September 2020 take-private transaction. The company serves employers, staffing firms, healthcare organizations, and government agencies across verticals including Aerospace & Defense, Healthcare, Transportation, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Retail, and Non-Profits, processing 6M+ screenings annually across 230+ countries with a U.S.-based service team operating remotely across 20+ states.
The core offering is a browser-based screening platform combining proprietary technology (CourtMojo covering 1,000+ county jurisdictions; Sphere for international records; ClearMD for drug and occupational health with 20,000+ collection sites; ClearID for identity verification; ScreenMeNow for mobile candidate experience; Medical Information Services) with partner-powered capabilities (Equifax Smart Screen for instant criminal checks, Equifax Continuous Watch for ongoing monitoring across 140M+ booking records and 2,000+ jail interfaces). An AI-powered social media screening module analyzes text, image, and multimodal content across 200+ languages with analyst review. The platform is integrated with 16+ ATS/HRIS systems including SAP, Workday, Dayforce, iCIMS, UKG, Greenhouse, Smart Recruiters, Paycor, Lever, and Eightfold.ai.
ClearStar monetizes primarily through transaction-based per-screen pricing (a model it pioneered in 2000) supplemented by subscription revenue from Continuous Watch monitoring. Tiered packages (Basic, Standard, Professional) plus flat-rate Smart Screen address SMB through enterprise segments, with consultative enterprise field sales supported by self-service portal access. Differentiators include PBSA accreditation, ISO 27001/27701, SOC 2 Type II, and Data Privacy Framework certifications; 30+ years of operational history; and post-2020 M&A expansion via Accutrace (2021) and Employment Screening Resources (2021) to build coast-to-coast U.S. coverage.
ClearStar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ClearStar
- Legal name
- ClearStar
- Website
- https://clearstar.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ClearStar is a private equity-backed provider of employment background screening, drug testing, and continuous monitoring services for employers, staffing firms, healthcare, transportation, and government clients, processing 6M+ screenings annually across 230+ countries via its integrated platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ClearStar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Employment Background Screening Software
- NAICS
- Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County) (BPACALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening (BPAKAEAA), Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD), Social Media & Online Reputation Screening (BPACALAL)
Keywords
Where ClearStar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alpharetta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ClearStar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Background Screening Services: Transaction-based and subscription pricing for criminal background checks, verifications, global screening, and related services. ClearStar pioneered transaction-based pricing in the industry in 2000.
- Drug & Occupational Health Screening: Drug testing and clinical services coordinated through ClearMD platform. Revenue from MIS grew 400% in two years following 2012 launch.
- Continuous Monitoring: Ongoing subscription for continuous criminal monitoring services powered by Equifax, delivering near real-time alerts throughout employment.
- Social Media Screening: AI-powered social media screening with analyst-reviewed reports delivered as part of comprehensive screening packages.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Basic - Core screening for foundational hiring needs including National Criminal Database Search and first 3 county court criminal record checks. |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard - Expanded screening for evolving teams with education verification and employment verifications. |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional - Full-scope screening for complex hiring programs with professional reference verifications. |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Smart Screen - Flat-rate pricing with no state-imposed surcharge surprises. |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ClearStar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ClearStar provides technology-based employment screening services for employers, staffing firms, and government agencies. Its core offerings include criminal background checks, drug and occupational health screening (ClearMD), continuous employee monitoring, identity verification, social media screening, and global background checks across 230+ countries, delivered through a browser-based platform with ATS/HR integrations. Pricing is primarily transaction-based with subscription options for continuous monitoring.
Product overview
ClearStar is an employment screening platform offering a comprehensive suite of solutions organized as a unified platform with modular products. The core platform is complemented by proprietary tools including ClearMD (drug and occupational health screening), ClearID (identity verification), ScreenMeNow (mobile candidate experience), CourtMojo (automated court records), Sphere (global screening), and MIS (medical information services). These integrate with Smart Screen by Equifax for instant criminal checks and Continuous Watch for ongoing employee monitoring. The platform serves employers, staffing firms, healthcare organizations, and government agencies across industries including Aerospace & Defense, Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Non-Profits, Retail, Staffing & Recruiting, and Transportation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ClearMD: Industry-leading platform for drug and occupational health screening, fully automated and built for scale.
- ClearID
- ScreenMeNow
- Smart Screen
- CourtMojo
- Sphere
Products and services
- Background Checks Complete background screening solution confirming identity, assessing history, and ensuring compliant hiring. Covers criminal checks, verifications, monitoring, and global searches across 230+ countries for employers, staffing firms, and government agencies.
- Drug & Occupational Health Screening (ClearMD) Drug and occupational health screening platform with 20,000+ drug test locations, 5,000+ rated medical clinics, automated workflows, and real-time status updates for employers managing DOT and non-DOT testing programs.
- Pre-Employment Screening Integrated screening platform combining criminal, credit, MVR, verification, and drug screening in one digital workflow with mobile-first candidate experience and built-in FCRA and EEOC compliance for hiring teams.
- Social Media Screening FCRA-compliant AI-powered social media screening analyzing text, visual, and multimodal content for risk signals including violence, hate speech, discriminatory language, and illicit behavior, with analyst-reviewed reports across major platforms and 200+ languages.
- Smart Screen by Equifax Instant criminal background screening powered by Equifax's proprietary data networks, delivering FCRA-governed compliant 'no records found' consumer reports in seconds with flat-rate pricing and no state-imposed surcharge surprises.
Quantifiable outcome
- 6M+ screenings completed annually
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ClearStar
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ClearStar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
ClearStar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Employment Screening Resources (ESR)coreAcquired in December 2021 (120 days after Accutrace) as part of Hanover's accelerated growth strategy. Founded by industry pioneer Les Rosen. Added compliance expertise and coast-to-coast presence.
- Accutrace, Inc.coreAcquired in August 2021. Pennsylvania-based consumer reporting agency founded in 1989. Part of Hanover's acquisition strategy to build unified platform and coast-to-coast presence.
- SingleSource Services CorporationminorAcquired in 2014. Florida-based firm founded by former Inspector of Scotland Yard, expanding direct client base from ~500 to 2,600 overnight.
- EquifaxcorePowered by Equifax's Continuous Watch for continuous criminal monitoring (140M+ records, 2,000+ jail interfaces) and Smart Screen instant criminal screening. Equifax provides proprietary data networks for core product offerings.
- SAPcoreCertified integration partner. SAP logo displayed on website indicating seamless background and medical screening integration with SAP SuccessFactors and other SAP HR platforms.
- WorkdaycoreCertified integration partner enabling seamless screening within Workday HR platform workflows.
- DayforcecoreCertified integration partner for Ceridian Dayforce HR platform enabling integrated screening ordering.
- Smart RecruiterscoreCertified integration partner enabling screening integration within Smart Recruiters ATS platform.
- PaycorcoreCertified integration partner for Paycor HR platform.
- Eightfold.aicoreIntegration partner for Eightfold.ai talent intelligence platform.
- EmploycoreIntegration partner for Employ ATS/HR platform.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
ClearStar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Checkr: Tech-enabled background screening platform focused on API-first delivery and gig-economy/high-volume hiring; competes with ClearStar in mid-market and enterprise accounts with a developer-led product.
- Cisive: Enterprise background screening firm with strong healthcare, financial services, and transportation verticals — overlapping with ClearStar's primary compliance-driven segments.
- IntelliCorp: Background screening company with a focus on education, healthcare, and government verticals, offering similar pre-employment and ongoing monitoring capabilities as ClearStar.
- First Advantage: Global background screening provider offering criminal, identity, compliance, and drug screening with comparable vertical depth in transportation, healthcare, and financial services.
- Universal Background Screening: Mid-market background screening provider with comparable service offerings, ATS integration approach, and emphasis on vertical compliance programs (healthcare, transportation, education).
- HireRight: Global employment screening provider serving similar enterprise, staffing, and transportation verticals with comparable ATS/HRIS integration strategies and transaction-based pricing.
- InfoMart: U.S. background screening company offering criminal checks, employment/education verifications, drug testing, and continuous monitoring with a comparable focus on ATS integrations and vertical specialization.
- Accurate: Background screening and identity verification provider serving enterprise and mid-market customers with overlapping ATS/HRIS integration partnerships and FCRA-compliant offerings.
- Sterling: One of the largest U.S. background screening providers offering criminal, identity, employment, and drug screening with similar vertical specialization and enterprise customer base as ClearStar.
Emerging players
- Certn: Tech-enabled background screening challenger with API-first platform and AI-driven risk scoring, increasingly competing for the same mid-market and staffing customer segment as ClearStar.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ClearStar social profiles
Digital presenceClearStar compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
ClearStar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ClearStar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
ClearStar subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
ClearStar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ClearStar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ClearStar
What does ClearStar do?
ClearStar provides technology-based employment screening services for employers, staffing firms, and government agencies. Its core offerings include criminal background checks, drug and occupational health screening (ClearMD), continuous employee monitoring, identity verification, social media screening, and global background checks across 230+ countries, delivered through a browser-based platform with ATS/HR integrations. Pricing is primarily transaction-based with subscription options for continuous monitoring.
Is ClearStar a public or private company?
ClearStar is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was ClearStar founded?
ClearStar was founded in 1995. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ClearStar based?
ClearStar is headquartered in Alpharetta, United States, in the North America region.
How does ClearStar make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Background Screening Services are the primary driver. The others are drug & Occupational Health Screening, continuous Monitoring and social Media Screening.
Who are ClearStar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Checkr, Cisive, IntelliCorp, First Advantage, Universal Background Screening, HireRight, InfoMart, Accurate and Sterling. Certn is listed as an emerging player.
Does ClearStar have an API?
Yes. API-driven architecture enabling certified integrations for ATS platforms and technology partners to integrate background, drug, and occupational health screening into their products. Specific API type (REST/GraphQL), authentication method, rate limits, versioning, and sandbox availability not specified in available source content.
What industry is ClearStar in?
ClearStar's product category is Employment Background Screening Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACALAA, Criminal Background Checks (National/State/County), with a secondary code of BPAKAEAA, Pre-Employment Background Checks & Screening. Its NAICS code is 561611 and its SIC code is 8071.