News and Views

London, 7 February 2024 – ClearCourse, a leading provider of industry-specific software and embedded payments for SMEs and targeted enterprises, announces the acquisition of ThinkSmart Software (“ThinkSmart”), an independent software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) provider delivering an innovative technology for businesses that offer clubs and classes in the UK and Australia as well as other global markets. This strategic acquisition will be integrated as part of ClearCourse’s growing Business Services division. Founded in 2008, ThinkSmart is a scheduling and customer management platform for businesses that conduct classes and take bookings. Today, ThinkSmart serves approximately 2,500 customers predominately within the children’s activities sector, offering a user-friendly, intuitive product which helps “class-based” businesses with managing all day-to-day administration. Its award-winning software helps clients across the tennis, swimming, gymnastics, dance, music and sports sectors automate processes so that they can spend more time managing their business and working with their customers. ThinkSmart’s innovative technology streamlines several business admin tasks, including class scheduling, customer management and communications as well as invoicing and payments systems. Christina Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce ThinkSmart as the latest software business to join our group. We look forward to welcoming the ThinkSmart team, led by founder Andy Leigh and UK Managing Director George Bentley, and working with them to enhance their offering across the growing, class-led activities sector. This investment is a further milestone in the growth of ClearCourse which continues to expand in the UK market as well as internationally.” Andrew (Andy) Leigh, Founder and Managing Director of ThinkSmart, commented: “In ClearCourse we have found a likeminded, customer-focused partner that will support a new phase of growth for ThinkSmart. As part of ClearCourse, we will be focused on continuously improving the industry-specific software solutions we offer our customers across the world, as well as looking for opportunities to expand our services.” George Bentley, UK Managing Director said: “ClearCourse has built a unique and compelling group of software companies and payments capabilities, and we are excited to continue growing our business supported by the rich experience and infrastructure now available to us. In particular, working with ClearCourse will enable us to offer our UK growing customer base market-leading, embedded Direct Debit and card payment solutions which will make accepting and managing payments quicker and easier.” Established in London in 2018, ClearCourse is a leading software and embedded payment specialist servicing SMEs and targeted enterprise customers. The group’s vertical software solutions provide essential, market-leading technology to help their customers manage and grow their businesses. Since inception, the company has undergone rapid growth by acquiring 40 leading software and payments solutions in the market verticals in which it operates: Retail & Hospitality, Golf & Leisure, Business Services and Membership Services. Christina Hamilton added: “ClearCourse is a growth company with a clear ambition to help our customers build great businesses with our industry-specific software and embedded payments solutions. We acquire small- and medium-sized businesses and integrate them into the ClearCourse group of companies to benefit their growth and development, while delivering the same for our customers with their own growth aspirations. Our acquisition of ThinkSmart is our first investment in 2024 and marks a successful start to what we expect to be a year of continued growth for ClearCourse.” The terms of the deal are undisclosed.

ClearCourse, a leading provider of industry-specific software and payments for UK SMEs, announces the appointment of FinTech veteran Nathan Best as Chief Operating Officer.

Mark brings a wealth of experience to the role, having held senior finance positions in publicly traded and privately held technology companies for over 20 years.

ClearCourse has officially been named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Wellbeing (2023) by Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture. Great Place to Work’s culture experts analysed thousands of employee surveys, assessing people’s holistic experiences of well-being at work to determine the UK's Best Workplaces™ for Wellbeing list. The surveys asked employees to comment on how their company supports their work-life balance, sense of fulfilment, job satisfaction, psychological safety and financial security. Evaluations also included assessing how well the organisation could deliver consistency of their employee experience across all departments and seniority levels.

As a software and payments business that spends every day developing and implementing technology solutions for our clients, it’s always enjoyable to work with businesses that have huge experience behind them. Businesses that have seen trends develop and emerge – businesses that have ridden the highs and lows that have naturally come along. Of course, to thrive in business for decades or more requires vision, foresight and tremendous acumen – and a deep understanding of what customers need today, and – perhaps more importantly – tomorrow. That’s precisely what Voisins department store in St Helier, Jersey, has in abundance. The UK’s oldest family-owned department store was founded in 1837 and has been using ClearCourse brand Swan Retail’s solutions for the best part of two decades to help run both the in-store and online parts of its fashion, beauty and homeware business via its SRS (Swan Retail System) , Cygnus EPOS and FUSE customer loyalty app .

For more than 25 years, The EPOS Bureau has provided technology and software to farm shop and food retail businesses in the UK and Ireland. The long-standing relationship with Market Harborough-based Farndon Fields is a prime example of what can be achieved over the long term. Farndon Fields credits The EPOS Bureau as being 'instrumental' in the growth of their business – and the farm shop industry.

ClearCourse, a leading group of innovative technology brands providing integrated software and payments solutions, today announces the acquisition of Clear. Focused on innovative software solutions for the non-profit and transport sectors, Clear will expand ClearCourse’s established and growing footprint in the third sector while creating new opportunities within the transport sector.

ClearCourse, a leading provider of integrated software solutions, today announces the appointment of Christina Hamilton as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Christina succeeds founding CEO Gerry Gualtieri, who assumes a new position as a non-executive board member of ClearCourse.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes here at ClearCourse to build what we hope is a brilliant business. But what does that really mean? To one person, a brilliant business could be one that is solely focused on making as much money as possible; to another, it could mean a business that creates brilliant products and has a positive impact on the world. For us, it’s a combination of many aspects. Of course, we need to make money so we can invest it back into the business and our brands to help them grow; we also want to create and develop brilliant products and affect the lives of people who use our software in a positive way. But to us, a brilliant business is about far more than that. It’s about creating an environment that attracts brilliant people. It’s about that environment bringing out the best in them, celebrating and embracing their diversity, and all of the talent, insight and inspiration they bring. And it’s also about creating a spirit of inclusiveness that goes far beyond our business and into our communities. It’s about harnessing the power of what is now a sizeable business to create a genuine impact on the world around us.