What Clear Horizon IS does

Clear Horizon IS Limited is a UK-based enterprise software company that develops CHiME, an industry-specific application designed exclusively for regulated network operators in the energy, water, and rail sectors. Founded in 2014 by Heather McCusker and Paul McKeon in Macclesfield, the company focuses on improving field force productivity for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) by addressing workforce scheduling, work management, fault dispatch, contractor deployment, job verification, and regulatory compliance workflows. CHiME is positioned as the first application built specifically for network operators, featuring no-code configuration that enables multiple processes to be supported out of the box without programming, and is backed by European and US patents.

The technology stack centres on the CHiME platform with a sub-product, CHiME Locate, which handles fault management and dispatch. The platform is designed to reduce data input time for field teams, maximise volumes per site visit, and enable faster work execution. Clear Horizon IS maintains ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 27001 (information security), and Cyber Essentials certifications, indicating an enterprise-grade security posture suitable for critical infrastructure buyers. Customer evidence cited on company materials includes UK Power Networks (98% of selection-process users said CHiME was an improvement; 100% said they could use it immediately), SSE Networks, SP Electricity North West (fault management and net-zero preparation), Cadent Gas, ESB Networks, and adjacent service providers such as NRE Services, TreeSmiths, and Oakwick.

The business model is a recurring subscription enterprise licence sold via a direct, field-based sales motion to UK and Irish regulated utilities, evidenced by 'Enquire Now' and 'Request a Demo' CTAs and quote-based pricing rather than published tiers. Marketing is concentrated in industry events and customer testimonials rather than broad digital acquisition. As of July 2026, Clear Horizon IS is a subsidiary of Skewb, which is backed by BGF, following Skewb's first corporate acquisition; co-founders have remained with the business to continue CHiME investment. The combined entity now has the stated objective of extending CHiME while integrating Skewb's broader capabilities.

Name

Clear Horizon IS

Legal name

Clear Horizon IS Limited

Website

https://clearhorizon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clear Horizon IS provides CHiME, an enterprise field-productivity software platform built exclusively for regulated network operators in the UK and Ireland's energy, water, and rail sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Macclesfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing/Subscription: Enterprise software licensing model for the CHiME application targeting regulated network operators in energy, water, and rail sectors. Revenue generated through software deployment to utility companies, with the co-founders remaining post-acquisition indicating continued business operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clear Horizon IS develops and licenses CHiME, an industry-first enterprise software application built exclusively for regulated network operators (energy, water, and rail) to improve field force productivity, accelerate work execution, and manage growing regulatory volumes. The platform combines scheduling, work management, and fault dispatch with a no-code configuration layer, and is sold on a subscription/licensing basis to utility companies.

Product overview

Clear Horizon IS offers CHiME, an industry-first productivity application for regulated network operators (energy, water, and rail sectors). The product portfolio centers on CHiME as the core platform, which includes a sub-product called CHiME Locate for fault management and dispatch. Together, these solutions are designed specifically for network operators to improve field force productivity, address regulatory requirements, and manage increasing work volumes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHiME CHiME is an enterprise software application designed exclusively for regulated network operators (electricity, water, rail) to improve field force productivity, accelerate work execution, manage regulatory compliance, and handle increasing regulatory volumes. It includes scheduling, work management, fault dispatch, contractor deployment with BYOD, and a no-code configuration engine that supports multiple processes without programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of operational staff said they could use CHiME in their roles immediately
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Power Factors: Power Factors provides renewable energy asset performance and operations software to utilities and asset owners, addressing similar regulatory and productivity pressures on utility field operations as Clear Horizon's CHiME platform. Both are vertical SaaS vendors competing for utility operating budgets.
• Trimble Unity (formerly Cityworks): Trimble Unity is a utility-focused asset and work management platform used by municipalities and investor-owned utilities for field operations, very similar to CHiME's network operator productivity use case. Both target regulated utility field forces with pre-built workflows for work execution and inspection.

Broad incumbents

• AVEVA (Schneider Electric): AVEVA's industrial software portfolio, including its utilities solutions, addresses asset and operations management for network operators. It overlaps with Clear Horizon in serving DNOs but as part of a much larger industrial software suite.
• Esri Utility Network Management: Esri's ArcGIS Utility Network Management is a GIS-centric platform for utility network operators covering asset mapping, work management, and field operations, partially overlapping with CHiME's network-operator productivity focus.
• ServiceNow Field Service Management: ServiceNow FSM targets utilities and other asset-intensive industries with workflow and dispatch capabilities. It competes with CHiME in regulated field force management, but as part of a much broader enterprise platform rather than a vertical-specific product.
• IFS Field Service Management: IFS provides an enterprise FSM and EAM suite with utility industry templates targeting field workforce productivity at energy and water utilities, overlapping with CHiME on scheduling, dispatch, and regulatory-aligned workflows.
• Salesforce Field Service: Salesforce Field Service (built on the ClickSoftware acquisition) is a broad-based FSM suite used by utilities alongside other industries; it overlaps with CHiME on scheduling, work management, and contractor dispatch, but is a horizontal platform rather than a network-operator-specialized product.
• Bentley OpenUtilities: Bentley Systems' OpenUtilities suite (including AssetWise) is sold to electric, gas, and water utilities for network asset and operations management, competing for the same network-operator IT budgets as CHiME.
• GE Vernova GridOS: GE Vernova's GridOS and utility grid management offerings serve distribution network operators with operational and asset-management software, overlapping with CHiME's productivity focus while being part of a much broader grid portfolio.
• Hexagon EAM: Hexagon's Enterprise Asset Management suite (HxGN EAM, formerly Infor EAM) is widely used by utilities for asset and work management, competing with CHiME for network operator operations budgets as a broader EAM platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Horizon IS