← Embedded Finance Index 2026

ClientTether

“Can a franchise-native CRM become the operational and financial backbone for multi-unit franchise systems?”

HQUtah, United States
FoundersConrad Kolbo
IndustryVertical SaaS / Franchise Management

The story

ClientTether was founded by Conrad Kolbo, a former franchise operator (Five Star Painting), to solve speed-to-lead and lead-nurturing gaps that generic CRMs left unaddressed for franchisors. The product evolved from a FranDev CRM into a broader franchise operations platform layering in QuickBooks sync, proposals, work orders, and — in 2022 — embedded payments (TetherPay, powered by Stax). More recently the platform has added AI voice/SMS agents (via Leashed AI and OpenAI/ChatGPT) to automate lead follow-up.

Last 12 months

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Product timeline

2022

Launched TetherPay embedded payments in partnership with Stax· payments

The stack

2 layers disclosed in ClientTether’s embedded-finance stack

Payments / PSP

StaxTetherPay (self-branded, powered by Stax)

Accounting

in the full report

Accounting gap: minor

2 more providers across 1 layer, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.

ClientTether — frequently asked

Who is ClientTether's payment processor?

ClientTether processes payments through Stax and TetherPay (self-branded, powered by Stax).

Which accounting software does ClientTether integrate with?

ClientTether integrates with QuickBooks Online and Recur360.

What is ClientTether's embedded finance stack?

The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 2 layers in ClientTether's stack: Payments / PSP (Stax and TetherPay (self-branded, powered by Stax)); Accounting (QuickBooks Online and Recur360).

Who founded ClientTether?

ClientTether was founded by Conrad Kolbo and is headquartered in Utah, United States.

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