Clickshare
Amherst, US · 1 known investors
Find your way into Clickshare
Clickshare provides software that helps newspapers manage web content and build customer relationships through a registration and subscription system. The platform enables users to access content across multiple publisher sites and partner services through a single trusted login.
Also known as Clickshare Service Corp.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Clickshare Service Corp., based in Amherst, Massachusetts, offers authentication and e-commerce technology for digital content, marketed under the "Digital Calling Card" registered trademark and described by the company as operating since 1997. Its stated capabilities cover access control and metering across websites, tablets and mobile devices, single sign-on provisioning, and integration with a publisher's existing circulation system for both new and existing subscribers.
The company positions itself as having experience with metered-access paywalls, a model associated with publishers that limit the amount of content a non-subscriber may view before requiring payment or registration.
Founding story
Bill Densmore is identified as the founder. His background is in newspapers, including roles as reporter, owner, publisher and sales executive, and he is also described as director and editor of the Media Giraffe Project, a consulting fellow to the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism, and principal of Densmore Associates.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company describes itself as a single sign-on provider with proven experience in metered-access paywalls; its published materials do not quantify its share or scale.
Technology
The company describes an authentication and access-control platform that meters content consumption and enforces paywall rules across web, tablet and mobile endpoints, acts as a single sign-on provider, and integrates with publishers' existing circulation systems so that both new and existing subscribers can be recognized and authorized.
Go-to-market
Marketing materials emphasize integration with circulation systems and metered-access paywalls, indicating publishers and other operators of subscription-based digital content as the intended customers.
Geography
Headquartered in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States.
History
The company's site dates its activity to 1997. Richard A. Lerner joined in 1999 as Chief Technology Director and became President in 2002, a period the company describes as a transition from an angel-funded inception to a revenue-focused growth stage. Gregory A. Smith joined as VP-Business Development in 2003.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsSmith, previously VP - Latin America for Mastercard and with prior roles at the finance affiliate of General Motors of Brazil and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, joined Clickshare in 2003 to lead sales strategy and new business development.
Lerner became President in 2002, leading the company's transition from an angel-funded inception to a revenue-focused growth stage.
Lerner, a computer scientist with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, joined Clickshare in 1999 as Chief Technology Director and serves as Chief Executive & CTO and principal technology architect.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Clickshareclickshare.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Clickshare do?
- Clickshare Service Corp. is an Amherst, Massachusetts provider of authentication, access control and e-commerce software for digital content.
- Who founded Clickshare?
- Clickshare was founded by Bill Densmore.
- Who are Clickshare's investors?
- Clickshare's investors include CEI Ventures.
- Where is Clickshare headquartered?
- Clickshare is headquartered in Amherst, US.