InforCapital
M&A Transaction•

GTCR Invests in real estate analytics firm - InforCapital

GTCR acquires majority stake in Clear Capital, bolstering its real estate tech portfolio with plans to expand valuation service.

AM
Alvaro de la Maza

Partner at Aninver

Key Takeaways

  • Sector: Technology Software & Gaming.
  • Geography: United States.

Analysis

GTCR, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago, Illinois, has acquired a majority stake in Clear Capital, a real estate technology company headquartered in Reno, Nevada. This marks the first external investment for Clear Capital since its founding in 2001. Duane Andrews, co-founder and CEO, will retain significant equity and continue to lead alongside the current management team.

Clear Capital is a prominent provider of real estate analytics, valuation solutions, and data-driven platforms across the United States. The company supports over five million real estate and housing finance transactions annually and is known for its digital floor plan product, CubiCasa, which is used in about 30% of all new real estate listings nationwide. CubiCasa operates with a strong footprint in the U.S. and expanding adoption in international markets.GTCR will partner with Clear Capital’s leadership to scale its technology platform, enhance valuation offerings, and pursue new M&A opportunities. This investment builds on GTCR’s history of growth-focused investments in financial and real estate technology, including its successful backing of Optimal Blue, a mortgage data and analytics platform based in Plano, Texas.

As part of the transaction, Scott Happ, a veteran mortgage technology executive based in the Midwest U.S., joins the board of Clear Capital. Happ previously served as CEO of Optimal Blue and was the founder and CEO of Mortgagebot, based in Mequon, Wisconsin.

Legal and financial advisors from major U.S. markets participated in the deal. Wells Fargo (San Francisco, CA) and Houlihan Lokey (Los Angeles, CA) advised GTCR, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, headquartered in New York, acted as GTCR’s legal counsel. American Discovery Capital (Newport Beach, CA) advised Clear Capital, with legal support from O’Melveny & Myers LLP (Los Angeles, CA).

The investment reinforces GTCR’s commitment to backing mission-critical platforms in real estate, fintech, and enterprise software, while positioning Clear Capital for its next phase of national and international growth.

As of now, the financial terms of GTCR's investment in Clear Capital have not been publicly disclosed. This transaction marks Clear Capital's first external investment since its founding in 2001, with GTCR acquiring a majority stake while co-founder and CEO Duane Andrews retains significant equity.