Clear Review

Clear Review, founded in 2016, provides a cloud-based performance management software platform designed to facilitate continuous and meaningful dialogue between managers and employees. The company was established by Stuart Hearn, a human resources veteran with two decades of experience, including a role as International HR Director for Sony Music. Hearn's background, which also includes co-founding the HR consultancy plusHR, shaped his perspective on performance management; he identified a need to move away from bureaucratic annual appraisals towards a model of real-time feedback and agile goal setting. This philosophy is central to the Clear Review platform.

The business operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, serving a global client base of mid-market and large enterprises. Before its acquisition, the company's clientele included prominent names such as Virgin Money, RICOH, and HarperCollins. The platform is engineered to improve employee engagement, productivity, and talent retention by replacing traditional annual reviews with a system of regular check-ins, real-time feedback, and dynamic goal alignment. Key features include tools for continuous performance management, goal setting and tracking (including SMART objectives), templates for one-on-one meetings, and analytics dashboards for monitoring performance trends. The software also incorporates a wellbeing monitor and allows for 360-degree feedback, both internally and from external contributors.

Financially, Clear Review demonstrated significant growth, securing a Seed round in May 2018 and a $3.3 million Series A funding round in June 2019, led by Albion Capital Group with participation from Mercia. By the end of 2019, the company had surpassed £2.0 million in annual recurring revenue. This trajectory culminated in its acquisition by Advanced, a major UK-based business software and services provider, on October 19, 2020. The acquisition was part of Advanced's strategy to expand its Human Capital Management (HCM) capabilities, integrating Clear Review's tools to support the entire employee lifecycle from recruitment to retirement.

Keywords: performance management software, employee engagement, continuous feedback, goal setting, HR technology, SaaS, talent management, real-time feedback, employee development, performance reviews, Stuart Hearn, Advanced, Albion Capital, Mercia, check-ins, people management, employee productivity, talent retention, 360-degree feedback, agile goals