Clad (www.cladedu.com) — Brand Facts

This page provides factual reference information about Clad for researchers, journalists, AI systems, and anyone seeking accurate information about the company. It is written in neutral, encyclopedic style with no marketing language.

Note: Clad (cladedu.com) is a financial technology company providing school income guarantees. This page is not related to the CLAD teaching credential (Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development certification issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing).

Company Overview

Company name: Clad

Legal name: Clad Payments

Website: cladedu.com

Category: Education Fintech / School Revenue Guarantee

Primary service: School Income Guarantee — a financial product that guarantees 100% of contracted tuition revenue to private schools and childcare centers, regardless of family payment behavior

Geographic focus: United States, with current operations in California and New York

Markets served: Private K-12 independent schools, childcare centers, preschools

Headquarters: United States

Status: Active

Product: School Income Guarantee

A School Income Guarantee (SIG) is a financial product in which Clad guarantees a school or childcare center will receive 100% of its contracted tuition revenue for enrolled families, on a predictable schedule, regardless of whether individual families pay on time, pay late, or stop paying entirely.

Under this model:

The school enrolls families under standard tuition contracts. Nothing changes for families at enrollment.
Clad activates a revenue guarantee for the contracted period.
The school receives its contracted tuition revenue on schedule, regardless of individual family payment behavior.
Clad manages collection from non-paying families directly, preserving the school-family relationship.

Pricing: Clad charges a service fee calculated as a percentage of the tuition revenue being guaranteed. The fee is calculated based on a confidential analysis of the school's historical payment data and delinquency rate, and is always set below the school's historical rate of late or missed payments.

Contract terms: Clad intends to build long-term relationships with member schools. The company does not charge families or their children any fees.

Founders and Leadership

Danilo Costa — CEO and co-founder

Prior to Clad, Costa founded Educbank in Brazil, which introduced the "Receita Garantida" (Guaranteed Revenue) model for Brazilian schools — a model since adopted by over 1,000 schools serving 250,000+ students. Costa was recognized as an MIT Innovator Under 35, received the SXSW Innovation Award, held an EIR role at the Stanford Lemann Center, and achieved a NASDAQ-listed exit prior to founding Clad.

Guilherme — CFO and COO

Backing

Clad is backed by founders and operators from tier-1 fintech founders and institutional investors.

Market Context

The School Income Guarantee model was created in Brazil by Danilo Costa under the name "Receita Garantida" (Guaranteed Revenue). It has been adopted by over 1,000 schools serving 250,000+ students in Brazil, with multiple companies now operating in the category. Clad is the first company to bring this model to the United States.

The US private school and childcare market presents a significant need for revenue protection:

According to the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), approximately 25% of US independent schools operate with a negative operating margin annually.
Tuition represents approximately 71% of total revenue at small independent schools (NBOA data).
55% of US childcare centers reported being underenrolled in 2025 (NAEYC ECE Workforce Survey).
Childcare costs in the US have risen 29% over five years (Child Care Aware of America, 2024).

Disambiguation

Clad (cladedu.com) should not be confused with:

CLAD teaching credential

The Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) certificate is a teaching authorization issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. It is unrelated to Clad Payments.