ClearEstate
Founded 2020 · 87 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
ClearEstate provides a technology platform for settling estates, automating administrative tasks and reducing professional fees for executors managing the estate settlement process.
Also known as Clear Estate
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ClearEstate operates an online platform paired with in-house estate professionals to help families plan estates and executors settle them. On the planning side, the company offers online will creation, powers of attorney for property and personal care, document storage, a net worth tracker and estate planning dashboards, plus guided plans built with estate professionals and annual plan reviews. On the settlement side, it supports executors through probate applications, initial death notifications, discovery of assets and liabilities, communications with financial institutions and third parties, tax filings, liquidation and distribution of assets, and closing the estate.
Services are tiered. In Canada, plans include Probate and Probate & Taxes packages (the latter adding preparation of the final T1 return, first estate T3 return and tax clearance certificate application), while U.S. plans add final 1040 and first estate 1041 returns. A Professional Representative offering has ClearEstate's trust partner act as estate representative with ClearEstate acting as agent to carry out the full settlement, described as typically 200+ hours over 12 to 18 months. On the planning side, a Professional tier names a professional executor for the future estate settlement. The company states it does not provide legal advice, is not a law firm, and does not advise on litigation or investment planning, referring such matters to a network of licensed legal professionals.
Leadership listed on the company site includes CEO and co-founder Davide Pisanu (previously with Davis Polk & Wardwell, Canada's Department of Justice, McKinsey & Company and Cirque du Soleil), CTO Pascal Brisset (previously SVP of Engineering at TapClicks) and CRO Alex Gauthier, previously a product manager at startups including Acquisio.
Founding story
Founded in 2020 to address a gap in estate guidance. Co-founder Alexandre Gauthier initiated the company after settling his own late mother's estate and experiencing the administrative burden facing executors firsthand.
Business model
ClearEstate sells flat-fee estate planning and estate settlement service packages directly to consumers, delivered through a proprietary online platform staffed by lawyers, accountants, trust officers and client support specialists. For full-service executorship, it works with a trust partner that acts as estate representative or trustee while ClearEstate acts as agent, charging a percentage of estate fair market value.
Flat-fee packages for planning and settlement plus asset-based fees for professional representative and trust services. Canadian settlement plans start at $4,948 (Probate) and $7,248 (Probate & Taxes); U.S. plans start at $4,648 and $6,748. Estate planning plans start at $2,125 (Core, individual) and $4,125 (Professional, individual), with annual subscription fees of $99 and $129 respectively. The Professional Representative settlement offering is priced at 1.75% of estate fair market value with a $21,000 minimum; professional executor services at death are 1% of fair market value (minimum $16,000) and ongoing trustee services 0.75% per year (minimum $6,000). Add-ons include $650 for estates with no will or complex probate. Settlement fees are payable by the estate.
Traction
The company states that more than 100,000 planners and executors have used its checklists, that it helps thousands of families each year, and that it assists more families with estate settlement per month than most lawyers do per year. It had roughly 50 employees at the time of its February 2022 Series A, with a stated target of more than 120 by the end of 2022.
Latest developments
The company markets both estate planning (online wills, guided planning with a Core tier formerly named "Complete," and a Professional tier with a named professional executor) and end-to-end estate settlement, with an advisor channel and same-day consultations. Its current investor list includes Investissement Québec, IGM Wealth Management and Canada Life Assurance in addition to earlier Series A participants.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as a technology-enabled alternative to traditional lawyers, notaries and trust companies for estate settlement. The company contrasts its 1.75% representative fee and $21,000 minimum with standard executor compensation of about 5% of estate assets charged by lawyers and other professionals, and with trust company tiered schedules starting near 4% with minimums around $25,000.
Upfront flat-fee pricing instead of hourly billing, a centralized online platform for documents, progress tracking and communication, unlimited document updates and annual plan reviews on planning packages, and access to professional executor/trustee services at lower asset-based fees than traditional trust offices.
Technology
A web platform providing an executor portal and beneficiary portal, guided step-by-step task workflows, document builder and storage, connected financial account tracking, a net worth tracker, a distribution tree for visualizing an estate plan, progress tracking, estate plan and estate transaction reports, and online chat with estate professionals.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer online acquisition supported by free probate and estate planning checklists, free 30-minute consultations with estate specialists, Trustpilot reviews, and an advisor channel. Distribution is reinforced by strategic institutional backers in wealth management, insurance and banking.
Executors settling a deceased family member's estate, and individuals and couples planning their own estates, including those without a suitable family candidate to serve as executor. The company also markets to advisors and has offered bereavement benefits packages to employers.
Geography
Headquartered in Montréal, Québec, with offices reported in Ontario, California and Texas at the time of its Series A. Services cover all Canadian provinces and select U.S. states including California, Arizona, Nevada, New York, Tennessee and Texas, in English and French.
History
Created in 2020 in Montréal, the company built a platform and professional services offering for executors and planners. In February 2022 it announced a US$13.25 million (C$16.8 million) Series A led by OMERS Ventures, with plans to expand into Florida, New York, Texas and adjacent states and to grow headcount from 50 to more than 120 by the end of that year. Its offering has since broadened from estate settlement into online wills, guided estate planning and professional executor services, with backing from Diagram Ventures, OMERS Ventures, Investissement Québec, IGM Wealth Management, Canada Life Assurance and NAventures.
Risks & controversies
ClearEstate states it is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice; complex litigation, contested estates and specialized tax matters must be referred to external licensed professionals at additional cost to the estate. Engagement requires all acting executors to agree and the estate to be free of conflicts or claims. Quoted prices exclude notarization, notice to creditors, estate administration tax, title transfer costs and third-party professional services, and add-ons may apply for multi-executor, business-interest, trust or multi-jurisdiction estates.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 6
by search overlap
Companies competing with ClearEstate for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsClearEstate announced a US$13.25 million (C$16.8 million) Series A round led by OMERS Ventures with participation from Diagram, Torstar, Triangle Capital and NAventures, the venture arm of National Bank of Canada. Proceeds were earmarked for hiring and U.S. expansion.
$13.3M source ↗
Following the Series A, ClearEstate stated plans to expand into the four most populous U.S. states (California, New York, Texas and Florida) and adjacent states, and to grow its team from 50 to more than 120 people by the end of 2022.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- ClearEstateclearestate.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ClearEstate do?
- ClearEstate is a Montréal-based platform combining software and estate professionals to handle estate planning, probate and settlement.
- Who are ClearEstate's investors?
- ClearEstate's investors include OMERS Ventures, Diagram, NAventures.