CHICAGO, July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced today that it has made a significant investment in Clear Capital (the "Company"), a leading national real estate analytics, data solutions, and valuation technology company. GTCR is partnering in the investment with Clear Capital's co-founder and CEO Duane Andrews and its strong existing management team to further invest in the Company's growth and strengthen its market leadership. The transaction represents Clear Capital's first outside investment, with GTCR becoming the Company's majority shareholder and Mr. Andrews retaining substantial equity ownership.
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Clear Capital is a leading provider of valuation technology, analytics and data solutions for the mortgage and real estate industries. Since its founding in 2001, Clear Capital has consistently led the industry in developing innovative technology-driven solutions for customers across the mortgage and real estate value chains. Today, Clear Capital is the industry's leading provider of alternative valuations and technology-powered appraisals, leveraging its advanced technology platform, innovative products and deep customer relationships to differentiate itself in the marketplace. Clear Capital's product suite supports over five million real estate and housing finance transactions annually, and its digital floor plan offering, CubiCasa, is used in approximately 30% of all new real estate listings nationwide.
GTCR will work closely with Mr. Andrews and Clear Capital's management team to enhance and expand the Company's leading valuation and data offerings, further invest in its technology platform and infrastructure, and accelerate M&A activity. The investment will also support the continued growth and integration of CubiCasa, which has quickly established itself as the market's leading digital floor plan solution. GTCR's investment builds on the firm's deep domain expertise across the real estate and mortgage technology ecosystem, including its prior investment in Optimal Blue, a leading digital mortgage marketplace and provider of mortgage data analytics and capital markets technology.
In addition, experienced technology executive Scott Happ has joined Clear Capital's Board of Directors and will serve as an active Director and advisor to the Company. Mr. Happ brings over 40 years of experience in the mortgage and mortgage technology industry. He previously partnered with GTCR during its investment in Optimal Blue, where he served as CEO from 2016 to 2022. Prior to Optimal Blue, Mr. Happ was the founder and CEO of Mortgagebot, a pioneer in digital mortgage point-of-sale technology.
"Clear Capital's innovative technology platform, combined with its deep expertise delivering data-driven solutions, positions it as a leader in this rapidly evolving market," said Michael Hollander, Managing Director at GTCR. "This investment underscores GTCR's commitment to backing exceptional management teams and leveraging our expertise in technology and financial services to drive transformational growth."
"Partnering with GTCR represents an exciting new chapter for Clear Capital, enabling us to scale our platform, expand product offerings and continue to provide innovative solutions for the real estate and mortgage industries," said Mr. Andrews. "Our mission remains the same: to build confidence in real estate decisions to strengthen communities and improve lives. Through this strategic investment, we can build upon this mission even further."
"As the real estate landscape continues to undergo rapid change, Clear Capital stands out for its unique technology-driven platform and proven ability to profitably expand and innovate," said David Lalo, Director at GTCR. "We look forward to partnering with Duane and the entire Clear Capital team to accelerate the Company's growth trajectory and continue to deliver exceptional value to its customers. We also plan to pursue strategic acquisitions to further expand Clear Capital's product set."
Wells Fargo and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisors to GTCR on the transaction and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as GTCR's legal counsel. American Discovery Capital served as financial advisor to Clear Capital and O'Melveny & Myers LLP served as Clear Capital's legal counsel.