Creating ClearCourse: our M&A approach with Josh Rowe

September 22, 2022

At the heart of our mission to bring together the best people and software to get the very best outcomes for customers is a focused and driven mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy.


Every day, the ClearCourse M&A team scours the country, identifying and having conversations about the right businesses to bring into the group – with a target of 40 new acquisitions in the next four years.


The business was launched in 2018 with a proactive buy-and-build strategy; a focus that hasn’t really changed in the almost five years and nearly 40 acquisitions that have followed.


“We look to buy businesses that have at least £1m turnover, and they all have a certain theme – and that theme focuses on payments,” says Joshua Rowe, ClearCourse’s Head of M&A.


“We look for software businesses that enable customers of those businesses to transact, usually by a card or sometimes direct debits.


“That then guides you towards software that’s used in consumer-based transactions – golf clubs, pharmacies, clinics, restaurants and retail stores, for example.”

The importance of payments

 

The payments aspect is important to any acquisition because of ClearAccept, ClearCourse’s own payments solution.


ClearAccept is integrated into the software to process payments – but that payments opportunity is only part of the story when the M&A team is identifying businesses to bring into the group.


The businesses ClearCourse targets tend to be mature and established in their markets.


“The reason for that is that we want businesses that are stable, have a good management team in place and are making money, so are positively profitable.


“We’re not looking to buy early-stage venture capital businesses – we’re generally looking for reasonably established businesses that have a strong vertical sector alignment that differentiates them, and have customers who value their solution in the long-term.”

The ClearCourse vision: working better together


From the perspective of a potential acquisition, there’s a lot to be gained.


Our payments solution, ClearAccept, enables businesses to offer their customers an excellent payments experience – something which is sometimes overlooked when designing customer journeys and creating customer experience.


“We’re not disruptive when we acquire a business,” says Joshua.


“A lot of the businesses we acquire are family owned or run. They started small and have grown, and people have a lot of attachment to them. They don’t want to sell to a company that will come in and dismantle it.


“When we buy businesses that resonate in their marketplace, we keep them as standalone brands. We want the management team to stay in place – they’re the ones who know the business – and we provide centralised back office services to ease that admin burden.


“This lets them focus on what they are good at, which is usually product development, customer relationships and sales.”

Those back office functions include HR, compliance and financial reporting, which, together with the integration of ClearAccept, can provide a tremendous foundation for future growth.


If needed, new acquisitions can also benefit from our in-house marketing, branding and communications resources, and a go-to-market strategy that relaunches the business to the industry will be developed to ensure the right messages are being communicated.

The benefits of being part of the ClearCourse group


As well as helping to realise a business’ potential, being part of the ClearCourse family of brands does offer several additional benefits.


Being part of the group means there’s significant support – both in terms of personnel and finances. Opportunities to grow the business are always sought, and good ideas are backed.


The businesses that join ClearCourse also come into a driven and forward-thinking environment, which means there are always opportunities to have conversations and gain insights and ideas from other ClearCourse businesses at a group level, too.


After all, our brand motto is ‘working better together’.

By Justin Still June 25, 2025
LONDON, 25 June 2025 : ClearCourse, a provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, today announced the appointment of Sacha Bielawski as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Sacha will lead ClearCourse’s financial strategy, working with senior leaders to accelerate organic growth, drive profitable sales, and deliver the company’s goal of being a leading engine powering small and mid-sized businesses across the UK. Before joining ClearCourse, Sacha spent nearly nine years as Chief Financial Officer at Coople, a leading digital staffing agency, where he led corporate expansion initiatives and oversaw the Group’s financial strategy. He has also held senior roles within private equity and investment firms, where he focused on identifying and scaling high-potential businesses through strategic M&A, financial restructuring and investment projects across Europe and the US. Sacha builds on the achievements of Mark Grafton who will be leaving the company later this month. “We’re delighted to welcome Sacha Bielawski as ClearCourse’s new CFO at this exciting time in the company’s continued evolution” said Christina Hamilton, CEO. “His extensive expertise in scaling businesses, leading growth acceleration programmes and driving innovation and efficiency will be instrumental in delivering our next phase of growth.” “I am delighted to join ClearCourse at such a pivotal time in its journey,” Sacha Bielawski said . “I believe the company is well-positioned to capitalise on the convergence of software and payments, an accelerating trend that presents compelling organic growth opportunities over the coming years. “As ClearCourse continues to acquire software companies in high growth verticals, I look forward to leveraging my entrepreneurial experience to engage with business owners considering a partnership with ClearCourse and to support them post-acquisition to grow further within our platform. “ClearCourse is a business with significant potential, and I am excited to contribute to its next chapter of growth and long-term value creation.”
June 10, 2025
LONDON 10th June 2025 : ClearCourse, the provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, announces the acquisition of Rezcontrol by Avon Data Systems Ltd., a leading property management systems (PMS) provider for the hospitality industry. Avon Data Systems Ltd. is one of the largest privately-owned UK technology partners in the property management systems industry, with clients ranging from big hotel groups such as Fuller’s Hotels and Inns to independent hotels across the UK. Founded in 1986, Avon Data Systems Ltd. launched its flagship product, Rezcontrol, in 2020, combining over 30 years’ experience in providing software for the hospitality sector with the latest technology to offer its customers a sophisticated and intuitive tool that’s adaptable to their changing needs. Today, Rezcontrol serves over 450 hotels across the UK, helping them to streamline operations, from guest communications and housekeeping to payments and distribution. Whether a full-service hotel or a pub with rooms, Rezcontrol can be tailored to a customers’ needs, and offers many additional integrations from table reservations and point-of-sale, to CRM and revenue management. A key differentiator for Avon Data Systems Ltd. is its commitment to providing white-glove, personalised support to its customers. Many of its colleagues have direct hotel and hospitality experience, enabling them to act as a collaborative, knowledgeable partner to hotels. This ensures that their customers not only gain a state-of-the-art PMS but also benefit from a knowledgeable team focused on helping them maximize Rezcontrol's potential for their businesses. Joining the ClearCourse group at this time will support Avon Data Systems Ltd.’s ambitious growth plans to become the go-to-solution in the market. The cross-selling opportunities with other leading products in ClearCourse’s portfolio, such as TISSL and Giftpro, will provide Rezcontrol customers with a one-stop-shop for PMS, POS, gifting, embedded payments and more. ClearCourse aims to become a leading engine powering small businesses in the UK by putting big tech solutions in the hands of founders and their growing businesses. This latest addition to the group marks an important step in line with this vision. Christina Hamilton, CEO of Clearcourse said : “It is fantastic to welcome Avon Data Systems into the ClearCourse group as part of our Retail & Hospitality Software division, which will further strengthen our offering in this high-growth sector. Avon Data Systems’ Rezcontrol is an innovative solution that puts cutting-edge software in the hands of growing businesses who need them most. We are excited by the natural integration points of Rezcontrol into our existing customer bases, strengthening the ClearCourse value proposition as an integrated and comprehensive solution set for our customers.” Sarah Cade, Managing Director of Avon Data Systems Ltd. said : “We’re really excited to be joining the ClearCourse group to supercharge our next stage of growth. For the past 30 years, we’ve been working with our customers to ensure we are providing them with the innovative solutions they need to run their businesses smoothly and efficiently. ClearCourse is the ideal strategic partner to continue building on our goal of becoming the go-to solution for hospitality businesses looking for reliable, integrated software and payment solutions.”