At a Glance
Rating Breakdown
About Clearco
Clearco started in Toronto in 2015 with a blunt pitch to e-commerce founders: take our money, keep your equity. Over $4 billion funded to 10,000+ brands later, the model has held up. You get a flat fee of 6-16% on the funded amount instead of the compounding factor rates that traditional MCAs charge. On a $200K advance, that is $220K-$232K total versus $260K+ from a typical 1.30 factor rate MCA. No equity, no board seats, no personal guarantee. The underwriting works differently than bank statement review. Clearco plugs directly into Shopify, Amazon, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Stripe. The algorithm evaluates your unit economics at the SKU level -- customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, return on ad spend, cohort retention. It models whether each additional dollar of ad spend will generate a profitable return before giving you the capital to spend it. The data is the collateral. The honest caveats. Clearco had a rough 2022-2023 -- significant layoffs, product pivots, questions about stability. They have since stabilized, but that history is worth knowing. Eligibility requirements tightened: you generally need $10K+ monthly revenue and 6 months of operating history. If you are not in e-commerce or D2C, the platform will not work for you. And the revenue-share repayment of 5-20% of daily gross revenue can quietly compress margins for months if you are not watching it.
Key Features
Non-Dilutive Capital
Zero equity taken. Zero board seats. Zero warrants. You get the capital and keep 100% of your company. At a \$5M valuation, giving up 15% for \$300K costs you \$750K. Clearco charges \$327K for the same money at a 9% flat fee.
Platform Integrations
Clearco connects directly to Shopify, Amazon, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Stripe. No uploading bank statements or sending PDFs to an underwriter. The system pulls live data and generates a decision.
Revenue Share Repayment
Repayment is a fixed percentage of daily revenue. Sell \$5,000 today and 10% goes to Clearco. Sell \$800 tomorrow and only \$80 does. No fixed monthly payment that ignores what your business actually earned.
Low Flat Fees
A flat 6-16% fee means you know the total cost the day you sign. \$200K at 10% costs \$220K total. Period. No compounding, no escalating interest, no hidden charges that inflate the number over time.
Marketing Spend Financing
Clearco can pay Google, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok directly on your behalf. The money never touches your bank account, so there is no temptation to divert ad budget to other expenses.
How It Works
Connect Your Platforms
Link your Shopify or Amazon store and your Google/Facebook ad accounts to Clearco's dashboard. The system starts pulling data immediately.
Instant Evaluation
The algorithm crunches your revenue, ad spend efficiency, customer acquisition costs, and growth trajectory. You get a funding decision in hours, not days.
Receive Your Offer
Your offer shows the flat fee and total repayment amount. No equity, no personal guarantee, no hidden costs buried in the fine print.
Deploy & Repay
Accept and get funded in 24-48 hours. Repayment runs as a fixed percentage of daily revenue until the advance plus fee is paid off.
What They Do
- Revenue-Based Financing
- Marketing Spend Financing
- Inventory Financing
- Working Capital
Debt Types They Take On
- Merchant Cash Advance
- Revenue-Based Financing
- Invoice Financing
- Growth Capital
Fee & Cost Structure
Regulatory & Trust
Review Summary
Notable Case Studies
D2C Supplement Brand Scaling Facebook Ads
Bootstrapped supplement brand doing \$120K/month on Shopify needed \$300K to triple Facebook and Instagram ad spend for a product launch. The MCA broker quoted 1.35 factor rate (\$405K total). A VC offered \$300K for 15% equity -- equity that would be worth \$450K at the next valuation.
Amazon FBA Seller Pre-Series A Inventory
Amazon FBA seller averaging \$200K/month needed \$500K for Q4 inventory. Series A was planned in 90 days so equity dilution was off the table. Banks wanted 6+ weeks of underwriting and personal real estate as collateral.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero equity dilution and no personal guarantee — truly non-dilutive capital that preserves founder ownership and protects personal assets
- Flat fees of 6-16% translate to effective APRs of 15-45%, dramatically below the 60-350% range typical of factor-rate MCAs
- Real-time platform integrations (Shopify, Amazon, Google Ads, Stripe) enable underwriting in hours rather than days with no manual document uploads
- Revenue-share repayment automatically adjusts to actual sales volume, preventing the cash flow crunch that fixed daily ACH creates during slow periods
- SKU-level unit economics analysis means the platform only funds ad spend and inventory purchases it has modeled as profitable, reducing the risk of over-leveraging
Cons
- Exclusively serves e-commerce and D2C brands — service businesses, brick-and-mortar retailers, and SaaS companies outside the e-commerce stack are ineligible
- 2022-2023 financial restructuring including significant layoffs raised questions about platform stability that operators should monitor
- Revenue-share repayment of 5-20% of daily gross sales can meaningfully compress margins for lower-margin businesses during the repayment period
- Tightened eligibility now generally requires $10K+ monthly revenue and 6+ months of operating history, excluding early-stage brands that previously qualified
User Reviews (16)
perfect for ad spend financing specifically
Clearco paid my Facebook and Google ads directly. The money never touched my bank account which removed the temptation to divert ad budget elsewhere. $75K specifically for marketing spend at 7% flat fee. Revenue-share repayment meant I paid more during holiday season (when ad spend generated the most revenue) and less during slow months. Smart model for D2C brands scaling through paid acquisition.
Toronto HQ means slightly different vibe than US funders
Clearco is Canadian. The customer service hours, the communication style, and some of the legal terms reflect their Toronto roots. Not a problem exactly, just different from dealing with a NYC or Miami funder. My Shopify store got $40K at 8% flat fee. Process was smooth. Just be aware that support availability might not perfectly align with US business hours, especially if you're on the West Coast.
kept 100% equity and grew 3x in one year
Took $150K from Clearco at 10% flat fee instead of giving up 20% equity to a VC. Used the money to scale Facebook ads for my skincare brand. Revenue went from $40K/month to $120K/month. The advance paid for itself in 4 months from the revenue growth alone. If I'd given up equity, that 20% would now be worth $600K+ given our new valuation. Clearco saved me from one of the most expensive mistakes a founder can make.
non-dilutive capital literally saved my equity
At a $5M valuation, giving up 15% equity for $300K means giving away $750K in value. Clearco charged me $327K total for the same money (9% flat fee). I kept 100% of my company. No board seats, no warrants, no interference with my decisions. For any D2C brand raising money, do the math on equity dilution vs Clearco's flat fee before taking VC money. The difference is massive. My Shopify store is thriving and I own every share.
good product but the eligibility requirements tightened
Clearco now requires $10K+ monthly revenue and 6 months operating history. These thresholds were lower a few years ago. For established D2C brands this is fine. For newer e-commerce entrepreneurs who need growth capital to scale from $5K to $50K monthly, Clearco isn't an option anymore. The tightened requirements reflect their post-2023 conservatism. My Amazon FBA store qualified at $15K/month. $30K at 7% flat fee.
revenue share repayment is perfect for seasonal e-com
My Etsy/Shopify business does 60% of annual revenue between October and December. Clearco's revenue-share means I pay way more during Q4 and barely anything in Q1-Q2. The repayment naturally follows my business cycle. $50K at 6% flat fee = $53K total. Paid off in 5 months because Q4 was massive. For seasonal e-commerce, this repayment model is infinitely better than fixed daily ACH.
the revenue share percentage can quietly eat margins
Clearco takes 5-20% of daily gross revenue as repayment. At 15%, that means on a $10,000 sales day, $1,500 goes to Clearco before I pay for product cost, shipping, or anything else. On a 30% margin product, Clearco's cut is literally half my profit. The flat fee looks cheap but the daily revenue share impacts profitability more than people realize. Calculate your daily margin AFTER the revenue share before signing.
flat fee is so much better than factor rates
Factor rate of 1.30 on $200K = $260K total. Clearco flat fee of 10% on $200K = $220K total. That's $40K savings for the same capital. And the fee doesn't compound — it's fixed the day you sign regardless of repayment speed. No compounding interest, no variable costs, no surprise charges. For e-commerce brands comparing MCA vs Clearco, the flat fee structure is objectively cheaper in almost every scenario.
great for inventory financing specifically
Clearco is ideal when you need to buy inventory for a specific sales event or season. I used $60K at 8% flat fee to pre-order inventory for a product launch. Revenue-share repayment meant the advance paid itself back from launch sales. The alignment between use of funds (inventory) and repayment source (product sales) is perfect. For ongoing working capital needs, other products might make more sense.
the platform integrations are impressive but limited
Clearco connects to Shopify, Amazon, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Stripe. Great if you use those platforms. But my e-commerce client uses WooCommerce and Pinterest Ads — neither integrates. The algorithm needs the data connections to underwrite. If you're on the supported platforms, the experience is seamless. If you're on anything else, you're out of luck. $60K at 9% flat fee through my Shopify store.
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Important Merchant Cash Advance Disclaimers
- A merchant cash advance is not a loan. It is a purchase of future receivables at a discount. Factor rates, not APRs, are used to express the cost of capital. Effective APRs on merchant cash advances can range from 40% to over 350% depending on the term and factor rate.
- Repayment is typically collected daily or weekly via automatic ACH debits or a percentage of credit card sales. This means your repayment amount fluctuates with revenue but withdrawals occur every business day, which can strain cash flow during slow periods.
- Most MCA agreements require a personal guarantee from the business owner. In the event of default, the MCA provider may pursue the owner's personal assets, including bank accounts and property.
- MCA providers commonly file UCC-1 liens against your business assets. This lien may prevent you from obtaining additional financing until the advance is fully repaid and the lien is released.
- Merchant cash advances are not regulated by federal lending laws such as the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). State regulations vary widely, and some states have limited consumer protections for MCA products.
- Stacking multiple merchant cash advances (taking a second advance before the first is repaid) significantly increases the risk of default and can lead to aggressive collection actions including confessions of judgment in some jurisdictions.
- Zogby does not provide merchant cash advances or business financing. We are an independent comparison service. We do not fund advances, process applications, or guarantee approval on your behalf.
This page is informational, not financial or legal advice. Talk to a qualified professional before making any big money decisions.
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