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Clair Secures $23.2M Series B to Expand Embedded Earned Wage Access Across U.S. Workplaces
The fintech platform plans to accelerate partnerships with payroll and workforce software providers.
Clair has raised $23.2 million in a Series B funding round led by Upfront Ventures, with continued participation from existing investors including Thrive Capital. The company says the capital will support the expansion of its embedded Earned Wage Access (EWA) infrastructure across the United States.
The funding announcement follows a period of growing demand for real-time pay options among American workers. According to company data cited in the announcement, over 75% of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck, and more than 80% have indicated interest in accessing earnings as they are earned. EWA has become a popular solution for employers looking to meet this demand and differentiate compensation packages in competitive labor markets.
Clair operates by embedding its technology into payroll and workforce management platforms, allowing employees to access portions of their earned wages before traditional payday cycles. The service is integrated into platforms such as Gusto and TriNet, among others, enabling users to request wage advances through the software tools they already use for scheduling and payroll.
Use of Proceeds and Market Strategy
According to Clair, the funding will be used to expand integrations with additional payroll and HR technology platforms and to scale its distribution across more employer networks. The company currently operates across more than 29,000 business locations and aims to reach a wider segment of the estimated 50 million U.S. workers using modern workforce software.
Clair offers its EWA service in partnership with Pathward®, N.A., a nationally chartered bank. Advances are issued through this banking partner, enabling the company to comply with existing financial regulations and structure its offering with bank-backed credibility. The service is promoted as fee-free for employers and includes no interest charges for employees.
The company frames EWA as a liquidity solution for workers and a tool for businesses to improve employee engagement and retention. It is designed to function as part of a broader payroll and benefits stack, integrated directly within third-party platforms through application programming interfaces (APIs).
Embedded Finance Model
Clair’s model aligns with broader trends in embedded finance, where financial tools are integrated directly into non-financial platforms. This approach allows employers and software providers to deliver financial services without building standalone infrastructure.
Since its launch, Clair has facilitated millions of dollars in wage advances through its partnerships. Recent product adoption data indicates that a large share of employees take their first advance shortly after gaining access, signaling interest in more flexible pay arrangements.
The company’s latest partner rollout with Gusto reflects a focus on high-growth HR software providers that serve small and medium-sized businesses. Clair reports that many of these partnerships have been structured to allow workers to access their wages within a few clicks inside existing dashboards or mobile apps.
Industry Context
Earned Wage Access remains a growing category within the fintech sector, attracting attention from both technology firms and regulators. While the service is often positioned as a voluntary benefit, it has drawn interest from policymakers who are evaluating how wage advances are issued, disclosed, and repaid.
Clair’s alignment with a national bank and emphasis on compliance have been key to its positioning as a viable embedded solution for platforms seeking to offer wage access without managing the regulatory overhead directly.
In addition to its partnerships with employers and HR platforms, Clair is also targeting software providers that wish to add EWA features to their offerings without building or managing financial processes internally.
Looking Ahead
With the Series B round completed, Clair plans to grow its partner ecosystem and expand usage across additional employer groups. The company’s focus remains on embedding its product into widely adopted workforce and payroll applications to increase adoption and maintain a consistent user experience.
As competition in the EWA sector increases and regulatory attention expands, companies offering embedded wage access tools may face new requirements related to disclosure, data use, and underwriting. Clair’s current model—backed by a federally regulated financial institution and integrated directly into employer systems—positions it to navigate that environment while scaling access to a broader segment of U.S. workers.
