Founded in 2013

No SMB should fail because it couldn't figure out sales

We've spent 13+ years building the CRM that makes sure you win. We build Close with a purpose: to serve the founders and small sales teams other software leaves behind.

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Rated 4.7 on G2 · 11,500+ teams

Our story

A decade serving sales teams

11,500+ worldwide customers

120 employees, and growing

4.7★ rated on G2

2B+ calls, emails & texts

Being profitable and customer-funded is more than a statistic. It means we've never needed anyone's permission to build for the next decade instead of the next funding round. We answer to the small businesses that use Close.

2012

A sales team for hire.

Close's founders started ElasticSales after completing Y Combinator, running outbound sales for venture-backed Silicon Valley startups.

2013

We built the CRM we wanted to use.

Frustrated that nothing on the market actually helped reps sell, our team spent 18 months building our own internal tool. We launched Close: a conversation-first CRM built by salespeople, for salespeople.

2014–2017

We built communication into the CRM.

Built-in calling and email were core to Close from our public launch in 2013, and native SMS came soon after. We were building a CRM that improved how reps communicate, not just a system that tracks it.

2018

We automated repetitive tasks with Workflows.

Our automated sequences took manual admin off reps' plates, so selling time stayed selling time.

2025

Chloe and AI Agents joined the team.

We introduced Chloe, our AI voice agent, and started building AI Agents that take action across the sales process on your behalf.

2026

11,500+ customers and growing.

We're entering an era of rapid product expansion, fueled by AI and focused on SMBs.

Our product has changed dramatically over 13+ years. Our beliefs haven't: your CRM should help you sell, not create more work for you.

Try Close for free

Trusted by sales teams like yours

A lot of CRMs were too expensive for us to get going quickly as a small business. Close was different. It's been great to help us scale to this point. It's easy to use, and we can manage our entire sales process without complexity. It just works — and that's what we needed.

Bruce Ackerman

Founder, Printavo

Close brought simplicity back—and with it, my enjoyment of selling. Plus, switching back to Close was an immediate 10x ROI for us.

Harris Kenny

Founder, OutboundSync

I don't have a single team member who's said they don't love Close, and that's rare for me. I've never experienced this before. Our Director of Sales was the first to say, 'I love this thing.'

Eric Keosky-Smith

Former Chief Growth Officer, Hownd

We're not using AI to replace people. We're doing it so that the people we have are unlocked to do more. Close's AI is not just innovation. It is actually creating the work we need to do.

Jem Millett

Senior Director of Admissions, Flatiron School

4.7 / 5 from 2,000+ reviews on G2

Leadership

Founded in 2011

Steli Efti

CEO & Co-Founder

Steli Efti

CEO & Co-Founder

Co-founded Close after running ElasticSales, an outbound sales team for hire, straight out of Y Combinator.

Founded in 2011

Anthony Nemitz

COO & Co-Founder

Anthony Nemitz

COO & Co-Founder

Has run Close's operations since co-founding the company alongside Steli and Tom, making sure the business runs as sharply as the product it sells.

Founded in 2011

Tom Steinacher

Co-Founder & Principal Engineer, R&D

Tom Steinacher

Co-Founder & Principal Engineer, R&D

The technical co-founder behind Close's original build — still hands-on in R&D more than a decade later.

Joined in 2012

Phil Freo

VP of Product & Engineering

Phil Freo

VP of Product & Engineering

One of Close's earliest hires, Phil has led product and engineering for over a decade and writes publicly about scaling remote-first teams.

Joined in 2015

Mary Hartberg

VP, People & Talent

Mary Hartberg

VP, People & Talent

Spent a decade crewing yachts before Close — where she's built out our people, culture, and hiring functions ever since.

Joined in 2016

Liz Stephany

VP, Customer Experience

Liz Stephany

VP, Customer Experience

Leads Close's Customer Success and Support teams, with a decade of experience helping SMBs get real value from their CRM.

Joined in 2016

Joe Kemp

VP, Engineering

Joe Kemp

VP, Engineering

Leads backend engineering and is one of Close's longest-tenured team members — a steady technical leader and advocate for individual contributors.

Joined in 2018

Joseph Sterner

Director of Customer Support

Joseph Sterner

Director of Customer Support

Grew with Close for over eight years, from the front lines of support into leading the team that keeps customers unblocked.

Joined in 2023

Kayne Stroup

Sr. Director, Finance & Data

Kayne Stroup

Sr. Director, Finance & Data

Brings 15+ years of finance leadership at tech companies to overseeing Close's finance and data functions.

Joined in 2024

Brendan Quinn

Sr. Director of Product

Brendan Quinn

Sr. Director of Product

Leads product management with a customer-centric, documentation-first approach to keeping a remote team aligned.

Joined in 2025

Lauren Schuman

VP, Product Growth

Lauren Schuman

VP, Product Growth

Joined to build Close's Product Growth team from scratch, with prior leadership experience in self-serve and PLG motions.

Joined in 2026

Megan Lew

SVP, Marketing

Megan Lew

SVP, Marketing

Leads Close's marketing organization — and has carried a sales quota since her first job out of college, which shows in how she runs marketing.

Working at Close

Want to build at Close?

We're a 100% remote team that's been profitable since 2013 — which means we build for our customers, not for a fundraising deck. If you want to build sales software alongside people who've actually carried a quota, this is the place.

See open roles

People-first benefits

Close is proud to offer benefits that support healthy life-work balance and exemplify our core values. These may vary depending on the country you work from.

Remote work

We're a distributed team that values autonomy and asynchronous work. We host annual all-company retreats to invest in in-person collaboration and team-building.

Paid time off and family leave

Your health and wellbeing are important. Close provides 5 weeks of PTO that increases with longevity, plus a 1-week all-company winter holiday break. We also offer paid caregiver leave.

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Close pays 95% of all monthly premiums for employees, plus significant dependent stipends and multiple plan options. We offer HSA, medical FSA, and dependent care FSA.

401k with 6% match

To help you plan for your financial future, Close offers a 6% salary match on your 401k contributions.

Company goal-based bonus

Our team members share in the company's growth. Employees benefit from set bonus pools contingent on meeting company goals.

Paid 4-week sabbatical

We appreciate and reward our team members' longevity with a fully disconnected, paid sabbatical every 5 years.

Flexible working hours

We encourage and prioritize asynchronous work. This means flexible working hours without micromanagement and possible 4-day workweeks.

Is your CRM working for you?

See why thousands of companies switched to Close.

Learn how Close is built differently for teams that live in conversations, not admin work.

Why Close

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Close?

Close was founded by Steli Efti, Anthony Nemitz, and Thomas Steinacher in 2013.

How long has Close been around, and is Close profitable?

Close launched in 2013 and has been profitable and self-funded ever since.

Where is Close based?

Close is a remote-first company, 100% distributed. Our mailing address is 111 Congress Avenue, Suite 500. Austin, Texas 78701, United States.

How established is Close as a CRM company?

Close has been serving sales teams since 2013, is rated 4.7★ on G2, and is trusted by 11,500+ companies worldwide.