Celebrating the UK’s scale-up community

November 2, 2022

On Thursday night, the ClearCourse team are heading to Tobacco Dock for the Business Leader Scale-Up Awards evening, honouring the dynamic scale-up businesses fuelling the UK economy. As a team, we’ll be there to celebrate ClearCourse as a finalist in two categories – Technology Scale-Up and Overall Scale-Up Business.

 

Over the course of our own journey, we’ve found that a core part of being a scale-up is ambition. ClearCourse was launched to be a diverse and innovative group that approached software development differently. We’re now a four-year-old business on target to have 1000 people employed next year – just one example of the aspirations and achievements that we can expect to see highlighted at this year’s ceremony.


But while we’re focused on advancing our own growth, it’s important not to overlook the vital wider ecosystem in which we operate. When we talk about boosting the economy and supporting local communities, people are rightly inclined to mention start-ups as a driving force for investment and innovation. Less discussed is the integral role of scale-up businesses – those who have been through their first rounds of funding, who see a high rate of growth and have built the strong foundation of expertise and support required to scale even further.

Making a payment at a furniture store

In the technology sector and beyond, scale-ups are a lynchpin to the collective process of growth itself. How so? They attract investment, having built the capability to mitigate early risks and promise more stable returns. They create new jobs and lean into untapped pools of talent, striving to build an integrated and focused workforce from the small and mighty teams we see at businesses just starting out. And finally, they encourage new thinking and innovation, with the interest and material capacity to truly invest in the potential of their partners and the people within their teams. The time and commitment that go into scaling a business cannot be underestimated. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, but it can also be incredibly rewarding – and its ripple effect is huge.


At ClearCourse, our ‘Working Better Together’ philosophy echoes our approach to growth as a group. Scaling up doesn’t just describe our development as a collective, but it applies to the integrated back-office infrastructure we provide for our product teams, and the collaborative way that we develop our payments service alongside growing businesses.



To be recognised as one of the organisations helping to drive this vital part of the UK business world is a huge accolade, and we’re looking forward to celebrating the success and achievements of every business in the scale-up community on Thursday night.

A member of staff at a farm shop smiles as she operates an EPOS terminal

Software and Payments Specialist ClearCourse Acquires Cloud-Based Retail Software Provider, Davidson Richards

July 29, 2025
LONDON 29 July 2025: ClearCourse, the provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs, announces the acquisition of Davidson Richards, a leading retail management and EPOS (electronic point of sale) systems provider. Davidson Richards provides cloud-based management and EPOS systems tailored to the retail industry. Founded in 1977 and based in Derby, Davidson Richards launched its flagship product, OpSuite, in 2012 after recognising the need to address gaps left by off-the-shelf products. Today, OpSuite enables retailers to centralise and streamline operations by integrating with core systems such as accounting software, eCommerce platforms, mobile and loyalty applications, and warehousing. Trusted by many leading garden centres – a sector where OpSuite has established a strong reputation – its extensive functionality also makes it suitable for a broad range of sectors, including grocery, fashion, and furniture. Joining the ClearCourse group will enable Davidson Richards to expand their offerings, providing customers with in-house payment and eCommerce solutions. By offering these in partnership with other specialist ClearCourse companies, Davidson Richards will be able to focus on building new client relationships and to profile the benefits of OpSuite to new retail market segments. Led by a long-serving expert team including ex-retailers, Davidson Richards offers its clients consultancy, training, bespoke development and dedicated in-house support. Their customer centric approach means that many of the Davidson Richards team are directly involved in technical or support delivery for clients to provide greater value to its clients. ClearCourse aims to become the engine powering small and medium businesses across the UK by putting big tech solutions in the hands of founders and their growing businesses. Davidson Richards offers a clear opportunity for ClearCourse to deepen its presence in the retail sector, and its long-standing, loyal customer base and experienced team closely align with ClearCourse’s culture and values. Christina Hamilton, CEO of ClearCourse said: “We are delighted to welcome Davidson Richards into the ClearCourse group as part of our Retail & Hospitality Software vertical. OpSuite is a market leading product that is well positioned to expand its innovative offering into new sectors. We are excited about the natural integration this partnership enables, as OpSuite will be able to offer in-house payment and other commerce enabling solutions through the wider ClearCourse group products.” Keith Bateman, Sales Director at Davidson Richards said: “This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for our business and customers. Joining the ClearCourse group will enable us to enhance the service we offer our customers, particularly through the introduction of an in-house Electronic Funds Transfer solution. ClearCourse is the ideal partner to help us to grow the business through an increased investment into marketing and to reach more customers.”

ClearCourse welcomes new Chief Financial Officer, Sacha Bielawski

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.”