Clair Raises $23.2M Series B to Expand Earned Wage Access via National Bank

Clair, a pioneering fintech company offering Earned Wage Access (EWA) solutions originated by national bank Pathward®, N.A., announced a $23.2 million Series B funding round. The round was led by Upfront Ventures, the lead investor in Clair’s Seed round, with continued participation from existing backers including Thrive Capital. This fresh capital comes as demand grows for low-cost, transparent access to earned wages among American workers.

1. Addressing the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Challenge

78% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck; 83% want real-time access to their earnings.
After medical insurance, on-demand pay is the most requested employee benefit.
Employers increasingly adopt advanced payroll and human capital management (HCM) platforms, creating an ideal environment for embedded EWA solutions.

2. Clair’s Seamless, Compliance-Focused Platform

Clair bridges cashflow gaps with a user-friendly experience embedded directly into employers’ payroll and workforce management systems.
Employees can access earned wages instantly without interest, supporting liquidity needs without debt.
Employers benefit by attracting and retaining talent with this high-demand benefit, while partner platforms gain a compliant, trusted EWA solution backed by a national bank.

3. Scaling Through Key Partnerships

Clair recently partnered with Gusto, a comprehensive payroll and HR platform. Since launching in July 2024, 43% of users took their first advance within 2 minutes, demonstrating strong adoption.
Clair serves over 29,000 business locations and plans to leverage its new funding to deepen integration with payroll and workforce apps used by over 50 million U.S. employees.

4. Investor and Industry Endorsements

Nico Simko, CEO and Founder, emphasized Clair’s vision of workforce management platforms becoming “workforce super apps” where embedded instant wage access is essential.
Aditi Maliwal, General Partner at Upfront Ventures, highlighted Clair’s user-focused design and massive market opportunity.
The partnership with Pathward®, N.A. ensures bank-originated, no-interest advances, reinforcing regulatory compliance and consumer trust.

Leadership Quotes
“We strongly believe payroll and workforce management providers are becoming workforce super apps,” said Nico Simko. “Embedding instant wage access as a simple 3-click solution is a major untapped market.”
Aditi Maliwal added, “Clair’s elegant workflow and broad partner integrations uniquely position them to bring Earned Wage Access to millions more workers.”

Clair’s $23.2 million Series B positions the company to accelerate growth and expand access to bank-backed Earned Wage Access. As more employers and payroll platforms embed on-demand pay, Clair’s transparent, no-interest advances backed by a national bank set a new standard in employee financial wellness and workforce management.