What Clear Business does

Clear Business is a UK-based multi-service aggregator that consolidates essential business services — broadband, energy (gas and electricity), water, mobile, digital voice, card payments, and business insurance — into a single supplier relationship and single monthly bill. The company operates as a trading brand of the Verastar Group, with regulated subsidiaries including Clear Business Water Limited, Sinq Power Limited (electricity), Economy Gas Limited (gas), Inspire Payment Services Limited (payments), and FCA-authorised TBO Services Limited (insurance brokerage, FRN 498555). Headquartered in Manchester with additional offices in Sale and Glasgow, Clear Business focuses exclusively on UK small businesses, serving an estimated 125,000–135,000 customers and arranging insurance for more than 30,000.

The product portfolio is built on a horizontal aggregator model where Clear Business typically rents underlying capacity from upstream partners (O2/Virgin Media O2 for mobile, Worldpay for card processing, Simply Business for insurance panel access with AXA/Churchill/Hiscox/AIG) and bundles these for resale. Core technical components include full-fibre (FTTP) broadband up to 900Mbps with Wi-Fi 6 routers, automatic 4G back-up, cloud-based Digital Voice ahead of the 2027 PSTN/ISDN switch-off, Android-powered Smart Terminals and POS systems, and the Customer Zone self-serve portal unifying account management across energy, water, telecoms, and payments. Value-add modules include Wi-Fi Reach mesh, 4G Broadband Back-Up, smart-meter Display Units, and Flexible Business Funding (cash advance up to £1,000,000 repaid as a percentage of daily card sales).

Revenue is generated predominantly through subscription or recurring models across telecoms, energy, water, and insurance brokerage commissions, with transaction-fee economics on card processing (£1.2 billion annual volume processed across 9,000+ merchants). Go-to-market is sales-led via website, phone, live chat, WhatsApp, and field sales for card terminal deployment, supplemented by the Simply Business insurance distribution channel and Trustpilot-led social proof. Pricing is positioned at the entry-level end of SMB services — broadband from £30.99/month and insurance from £5.64/month — emphasising consolidation and switching-fee coverage as primary acquisition levers. The company is privately held with no disclosed external institutional investors.

Name

Clear Business

Legal name

Clear Business

Website

https://clearbusiness.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Clear Business is a UK multi-service aggregator bundling broadband, energy, water, mobile, digital voice, card payments, and business insurance for small businesses, operating as a Verastar Group trading brand serving over 135,000 UK SMB customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telecommunications Services: Revenue from business broadband (fibre packages up to 900Mbps), digital voice (cloud-based phone services), and business mobile (SIM packages with data bundles). Services include equipment rental, line rental, and usage charges.
2. Business Energy Supply: Revenue from supplying business gas and electricity at fixed prices. Includes renewable electricity tariff options. Billing is monthly based on meter reads or estimated consumption.
3. Business Water Supply: Revenue from water and wastewater services to small businesses in England and Scotland. Fixed and variable charges based on consumption or rateable value.
4. Business Insurance Brokerage: Clear Business acts as a non-advised broker earning commissions from insurance sales. They compare quotes from multiple insurers including AXA, Churchill, Hiscox, and AIG for small businesses.
5. Card Payment Processing: Revenue from card transaction processing fees. Charges include transaction fees, scheme fees, and monthly membership fees. Next-day settlement available for additional fee.
6. Business Funding/Cash Advances: Provides flexible funding up to £1 million based on average card turnover. Repaid as percentage of daily card sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clear Business is a multi-service aggregator that bundles essential business services — broadband, business mobile, cloud-based digital voice, business gas and electricity, business water, business insurance, and card payment processing — into a single supplier relationship with one consolidated monthly bill for UK small businesses.

Product overview

Clear Business is a multi-service business essential services aggregator for UK small businesses, offering a unified platform that bundles broadband, energy (electricity and gas), water, mobile, Digital Voice, card payments, and business insurance under a single provider and single bill. The core product portfolio consists of seven integrated service lines: Business Broadband (full-fibre up to 900Mbps with Wi-Fi 6 router, 4G back-up, and optional Wi-Fi Reach mesh), Business Energy (fixed-price electricity/gas with 100% renewable tariff option), Business Water (commercial water supply in England and Scotland), Business Mobile (5G SIM-only via O2 network), Digital Voice (cloud-based phone service replacing PSTN ahead of the 2027 switch-off), Card Payments (Android Smart Terminals, Online Payments, POS systems with next-day Faster Payments settlement), and Business Insurance (brokerage via Simply Business partner quoting from AXA, Churchill, Hiscox, AIG). The Customer Zone self-serve portal unifies account management across energy, water, telecoms, and payments. Value-add modules include 4G Broadband Back-Up, Wi-Fi Reach mesh, and Flexible Business Funding (cash advance up to £1M). The company serves over 135,000 UK small businesses and arranges insurance for over 30,000 customers, operating as a trading brand of Verastar Limited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clear Business Water: Business water supply services for small businesses in Scotland and England, part of the Clear Business utilities bundle offering.
• Clear Business Energy
• Digital Voice
• Customer Zone

Products and services

• Business Broadband Business fibre broadband with speeds up to 900Mbps, available as full-fibre (FTTP), part-fibre (FTTC), or copper. Includes Wi-Fi 6 router, automatic 4G back-up, and optional Wi-Fi Reach mesh system. Targeted at UK small businesses.
• Business Energy (Electricity & Gas) Fixed-price business gas and electricity tariffs with optional 100% renewable electricity backed by wind farms. Includes free smart meter installation for eligible customers. Supplies approximately 130,000 small businesses.
• Business Water Business water supply services for small businesses in England and Scotland. Offers competitive commercial water rates, no-fee switching, and potential annual savings of approximately £164 for Scottish customers. Supplies over 55,000 Scottish customers and over 25% of the Scottish business market.
• Business Mobile

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves Scottish small businesses over £164 on average annually on water bills
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Simply BusinesscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClear Business has partnered with Simply Business, one of the UK's largest business insurance brokers, to offer tailored quotes from leading insurers including AXA, Churchill, and Hiscox. The partnership allows Clear Business to provide comprehensive insurance comparison services to their small business customers through Simply Business's online platform.
• O2 (Virgin Media O2)coreTechnology or IntegrationClear Business mobile services are provided through the award-winning O2 network. O2 has been recognized as Best Network for Business (Mobile Industry Awards 2022), Best Network for Reliability (Global Wireless Solutions 2018-2021), and Network of the Year (Mobile Industry Awards). This network partnership ensures reliable mobile connectivity for Clear Business customers.
• WorldpaycoreTechnology or IntegrationClear Business card payment processing is powered by Worldpay, the UK's #1 best performing payment gateway provider (The Strawhecker Group 2025 Real Transaction Metrics Awards). Worldpay provides the secure card processing infrastructure enabling Clear Business to offer card terminals, online payments, and POS systems to small businesses.
• Global PaymentssecondaryTechnology or IntegrationFor customers on legacy merchant agreements, Clear Business uses Global Payments (GPUK) as their acquiring banking partner for card processing and PCI fees.
• AXAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAXA is one of the leading insurers providing quotes through the Simply Business partnership for Clear Business insurance customers. Available as a coverage option for public liability, professional indemnity, and other business insurance needs.
• ChurchillcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurchill is one of the leading insurers providing quotes through the Simply Business partnership for Clear Business insurance customers.
• HiscoxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHiscox is one of the leading insurers providing quotes through the Simply Business partnership for Clear Business insurance customers, specializing in tailored business coverage.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SumUp: Global card-terminal and payment-acceptance provider with strong UK SMB penetration. Competes directly with Clear Business on card machines and online payments for small merchants.
• Dojo: UK SMB-focused card payment processing and acquiring business offering card terminals and integrated POS. Competes head-to-head with Clear Business Card Payments for the same small-merchant segment.
• Love Energy Savings: UK business utilities broker comparing business energy, water, and telecoms for SMBs. Closely comparable to Clear Business on the energy/water broker model and target segment.
• Opus Energy (part of Drax): UK business energy supplier focused on small and mid-sized businesses. Directly comparable to Clear Business Energy on customer segment, fixed-price tariffs, and renewable options.
• Paymentsense (now part of Stripe): UK card payments and merchant services provider focused on small businesses, offering card terminals, online payments, and POS. Directly competes with Clear Business's payments vertical and serves an overlapping SMB customer base.
• Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus): UK multi-utility bundle (energy, broadband, mobile, insurance) targeting households and small businesses via a single-bill model. Closest analogue to Clear Business's bundled essential-services proposition for UK SMBs.

Emerging players

• Simply Business: UK business insurance broker and Clear Business's insurance partner. While an ally today, Simply Business also reaches SMBs directly with similar coverage products and represents both a partnership channel and an indirect competitive threat.

Broad incumbents

• Square (Block, Inc.): Global SMB payments, POS, and software provider with strong UK presence. Competes with Clear Business Card Payments as a broader-platform incumbent offering integrated software-plus-payments rather than payments-only.
• Shell Energy Business: Large incumbent business energy and broadband provider in the UK. Overlaps with Clear Business's energy and telecoms lines as a broader-portfolio competitor with greater brand and capital.
• British Gas Business: Incumbent UK business energy supplier serving SMBs and larger commercial customers. Competes with Clear Business Energy and has vastly larger scale but broader customer mix beyond SMBs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/_clearbusiness
• Facebookfacebook.com/ClearBusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clear-business-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeatverastar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Clear Business