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CloseFounded 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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No credit card requiredyellow star outline iconRated 4.7 on G2 · 11,500+ teams
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Our story

A decade serving sales teams

11,500+worldwide customers

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.

  1. 2012

    A sales team for hire.

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

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 2018

    We automated repetitive tasks with Workflows.

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

  5. 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.

  6. 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

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

Harris Kenny

Founder, OutboundSync

4.7 / 5 from 2,000+ reviews on G2

Leadership

  • Steli Efti
    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.

  • Anthony Nemitz
    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.

  • Tom Steinacher
    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.

  • Phil Freo
    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.

  • Mary Hartberg
    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.

  • Liz Stephany
    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.

  • Joe Kemp
    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.

  • Joseph Sterner
    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.

  • Kayne Stroup
    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.

  • Brendan Quinn
    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.

  • Lauren Schuman
    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.

  • Megan Lew
    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.

Frequently Asked Questions