CashNews.co
By Riley Kaminer
Kristine Viera never imagined her journey would take her from the trenches of construction finance to the forefront of fintech innovation. Yet, that’s exactly where she found herself as the founder and CEO of ClearCloser, a Miami-based startup aiming to revolutionize the mortgage industry.
Viera’s story began in the unlikely world of heavy construction finance. As an accountant working for ACS Group, a top global construction contractor, she honed her skills in a niche that many might find daunting.
The real turning point came when she transitioned into the private lending space. It was here that Viera discovered a troubling lack of verification in financial transactions – a problem that didn’t sit well with someone trained to “trust but verify.” When her attempts to introduce improvements were met with resistance, she realized that if she wanted to do things the right way, she’d have to do them herself.
So, Viera took the leap. She launched her own private lending business with a mission to prove that good business practices could be profitable. But starting from scratch, she couldn’t afford a full-time staff. So she did what any resourceful entrepreneur would do: she taught herself to code.
“I started building little bots and automations, and it kind of grew into an entire platform,” Viera told Refresh Miami. That platform quickly gained traction, catching the eye of secondary markets curious about how her small operation could match the output of companies with ten times the staff. This attention led to consulting gigs with multi-billion-dollar financial institutions, and eventually, to the birth of ClearCloser.
While typical loan origination systems focus solely on the initial mortgage process, ClearCloser covers the entire lifecycle of a mortgage: from origination to securitization and beyond. Viera explained that the current industry standard relies heavily on outdated tools like Excel and PDFs, which is where ClearCloser steps in. The platform keeps everything digital from the moment a borrower applies for a loan to when that loan is sold and resold in the secondary market.
ClearCloser integrates tech like AI underwriting and blockchain to ensure that every document and transaction is not only digitized but also auditable and accurate in real-time. “We’re not just extracting information and storing it – we’re validating that the information is accurate and maintaining that information live in real time,” Viera shared.
Although ClearCloser only officially went to market this year, Viera asserted that it has already secured a $4.5 million contract with one of the largest institutions in the private lending space. “We solved an industry-wide problem,” she said, expressing confidence that the company’s unique approach will continue to attract major players. The company currently has 11 full-time employees.
Viera’s journey is deeply rooted in Miami, the city where she was born and raised. The rise of Miami’s tech scene has been a boon for her professional growth as well. “It’s almost like the industry came to where I was,” she reflected. Before 2020, Viera often had to travel to New York to work with funds. Now, with the influx of tech talent into Miami, she’s able to build her company right from her hometown.
Looking ahead, Viera is excited about the potential of ClearCloser to fundamentally change how financial transactions are conducted. She envisions a future where real estate deals are as seamless as buying something on Amazon, eliminating the lengthy delays that currently plague the industry.
“Working electronically, time is not an issue anymore,” she said. “We can exchange real estate in real time.”
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.