Built by operators, for operators.
Scale is the sister company of Clearwater Capital. We help funded operators turn capital into compounding growth — instead of watching it disappear.
We started Clearwater Capital because too many great operators were getting funded — and then watching their business die from poor capital deployment.
Banks wouldn't help them. Their CPA did the tax return and left. Most consultants charged $10K a month for slide decks. So they took the advance, did their best, and a year later half of them were stacked and bleeding.
It wasn't the capital that failed. It was the lack of a plan, a CFO, a marketing engine, a renewal strategy. So in 2026 we launched Scale — the team we wished we had when we funded our first business.
Four years. One hard lesson.
Scale is the answer to a pattern we kept seeing across the operators we funded.
- 2022Clearwater Capital foundedStarted funding U.S. small businesses overlooked by traditional banks.
- 2024$25M fundedCrossed the $25M-funded mark, with operators across 12 industries.
- 2025The pattern emergedWe started seeing the same post-funding failures repeat. Great capital, no plan.
- 2026Scale launchesSister company built to help the operators we fund actually deploy the capital.
Four principles.
The things we won't compromise on, even when it would be easier or more profitable to.
- 01Operators firstWe've run businesses. We know what it feels like to make payroll when receivables are late. Every recommendation is built from that posture, not from a slide template.
- 02Restraint over flashWe don't pitch ten services when one will fix the problem. We'd rather scope tight than charge wide. Long-term trust beats short-term margin.
- 03No black boxesYou see every number we see. You hear every vendor pitch we hear. We document everything in writing. If something looks bad to us, we say so.
- 04Stop the bleeding firstNew revenue doesn't fix a leaky bucket. Before any growth move, we make sure the existing operation isn't losing money you don't know about.
Started Clearwater in 2022 after watching too many funded operators struggle without a real plan. Runs strategy, sales, and the Operator Pass program personally.
Reviews every file. Times every renewal. Manages every funder relationship. If your numbers need to clear a box, Chris knows the box.
Plus a vetted network of 40+ specialists — bookkeepers, fractional CFOs, marketing agencies, CRM implementers, AI integrators, hiring partners — all pre-negotiated, all accountable.