Clear Secure, Inc.
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Clear Secure, Inc.
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Clear Secure, Inc.
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Clear Secure, Inc.
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Clear Secure, Inc.
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Clear Secure, Inc.
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Research Overview

INDEX:
S&P 500
Sector:
Technology
Position:
Short
Date:
Apr 30, 2025

After conducting a forensic financial review of Clear Secure, Inc. (NYSE: YOU, “CLEAR” or “the Company”), an identity security company primarily focused on the aviation industry, Spruce Point believes that the Company faces pressures from a decreasing value proposition for customers, displacement risk from competing technologies, and short-term headwinds from reduced travel demand.  We believe that investors may be mistakenly perceiving CLEAR as a high gross margin technology subscription service when in reality it is highly dependent on human resources to deliver its services. As a result, we believe CLEAR’s gross margin is closer to 61.5% and not 85.8% as depicted. In addition, we have grave concerns about recent changes made in disclosure of its accounting policies and financial reporting of active members, revenue, and free cash flow. We believe CLEAR’s valuation is miscalculated and therefore trades at an undeserved premium to peers. Based on our investigation, we estimate a 30% - 50% potential intermediate-term downside risk. We expect CLEAR’s share price to underperform the technology and transportation industries along with the broader equity market.

The report highlights several key concerns with the Company, including:

  • CLEAR’s declining value proposition and the challenges facing the Company are likely to intensify as concerns of a potential recession increase and travel decreases. We believe CLEAR is already struggling to attract new members and retain its current ones.
  • Notable partnerships with companies like Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Express that enabled CLEAR’s growth appear to be declining, leaving little room for sustainable growth in the long run.
  • Developments around new policies and technology, like TSA’s Touchless ID program, may make the Company obsolete in the long run. Concerningly, CLEAR has reduced its investments in R&D and reduced its technology team members. In the past three years, cash distributed to related parties has exceeded internal investment and acquisitions by $44 million.
  • We question the disclosure transparency of CLEAR’s accounting and financial reporting, especially considering its current Chief Accounting Officer was a previous Corporate Controller at a company that was under investor and SEC scrutiny and made a significant error in its reported community members. Additionally, we believe CLEAR is potentially inflating its active member counts by extending the grace period after billing failure.
  • We have identified numerous leadership and shareholder governance concerns, ranging from multiple share classes to related-party distributions. Moreover, there has been significant turnover with CLEAR’s management, as well as increased insider stock sales.
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