Close
Close is a bootstrapped sales CRM platform serving SMB and mid-market B2B sales teams, combining built-in calling, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and an AI sales agent that autonomously qualifies leads, books meetings, and updates CRM records.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Close does
Close is a bootstrapped SaaS sales CRM platform founded in 2013 that serves small to mid-market B2B sales teams, primarily those running phone-first outbound workflows. The company is incorporated in California as Elastic Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas, and operates without external venture capital funding, reaching $17M ARR and 11,500+ customers through self-funding. Its go-to-market combines product-led growth (a 14-day free trial with no credit card required) with inside-sales-assisted demos for mid-market accounts, and pricing starts at $9/seat/month on a per-seat subscription model.
The platform is a unified CRM combining a native power dialer, email, SMS, WhatsApp messaging, pipeline management, reporting, native forms, sales automation, and an MCP-enabled REST API. The technical differentiator is Chloe, an autonomous AI sales agent launched to general availability in June 2026 that conducts outbound voice calls, qualifies prospects through real conversation, books meetings, sends follow-ups, and updates CRM records without human intervention. Chloe was validated in beta with 306 businesses generating 818,000+ calls to 111,000+ prospects, and the broader platform has processed 2B+ calls, emails, and texts. Underlying voice and SMS infrastructure is delivered through Twilio, with AI capabilities layered on top of ChatGPT and Claude integrations.
The customer base spans SMBs, startups, and mid-market accounts across verticals including B2B SaaS, coaching and education, financial services, insurance, outdoor/hospitality, automotive, security, and e-commerce; named customers include Hipcamp, WorkOS, Flatiron School, Reverb, ClassDojo, Simpletire, Paladin Security, FollowUp.com, Sisu, and ClientMatchmaking.com. Distribution combines direct website self-serve, sales-assisted demos, mobile apps (iOS and Android), and a developer platform, while marketing relies on content-led SEO, a weekly newsletter (Dialed In), webinars, and a Slack community. The company holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification and is GDPR and CCPA compliant, and is led by co-founder and CEO Steli Efti with a small executive bench covering sales, engineering, product, and content.
Close firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Close
- Legal name
- Elastic Inc.
- Website
- https://close.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Close is a bootstrapped sales CRM platform serving SMB and mid-market B2B sales teams, combining built-in calling, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and an AI sales agent that autonomously qualifies leads, books meetings, and updates CRM records.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Close industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sales CRM Software
- NAICS
- Telephone Call Centers (56142)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer Service, Support & Contact Center CRM (HDAEAFAC), Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App) (BPAFAFAI)
Keywords
Where Close is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Close business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (Seat-based): Close operates on a per-seat subscription model where customers pay based on the number of users/seats accessing the CRM platform. Pricing starts at $9/seat/month. Additional features like the Chloe AI agent may be available as add-ons or within premium tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Monthly | Standard CRM with built-in communication (calling, email, SMS) starting price |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Close product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Close is a sales CRM platform built for outbound sales teams that combines customer relationship management with natively built-in communication channels — calling, email, SMS, and WhatsApp — plus sales automation, pipeline management, and reporting. The product includes an AI Sales Agent called Chloe that automates manual sales work such as pipeline-building outreach, personalized follow-ups, AI call summaries, and CRM record updates, and is sold as a per-seat SaaS subscription starting at $9/seat/month.
Product overview
Close is a unified sales CRM platform built for small to mid-sized outbound sales teams, combining a comprehensive set of core products: the Close CRM as the central platform, Chloe AI Agent as the native AI-powered sales teammate, Sales Communication (email, calls, SMS, WhatsApp), Sales Automation with workflows and sequences, Lead & Pipeline Management, Power Dialer, Native Forms, Reporting, and Coaching tools. The platform is extensible through a REST API, webhooks, and MCP server for custom integrations. Additional free resources include a Revenue Growth Calculator. Pricing starts at $9/seat/month with 11,500+ businesses using the platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chloe: AI sales agent built directly into Close CRM that calls leads, qualifies prospects, books meetings, and updates the CRM automatically.
Products and services
- Close CRM A sales CRM platform built for outbound sales teams that combines contact and pipeline management with natively built-in calling, email, SMS, and WhatsApp communications, plus automation workflows, reporting, and native forms; sold as a per-seat SaaS subscription.
- Chloe AI Sales Agent An autonomous AI sales agent built into Close CRM that automates pipeline-building outreach, personalized follow-ups, AI call summaries, and CRM record updates for outbound sales teams.
- Close REST API REST API and developer platform that allows technical teams to programmatically read and write lead, contact, activity, and custom data in Close CRM and integrate the platform with other systems.
- MCP Server for Close A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets external AI agents and assistants query and interact with Close CRM data through a standardized protocol, extending the CRM into AI-driven workflows.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% increase in booked appointments per week
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Close
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Close technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration19 records
AI capability8 records
Feature7 records
Close partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and integration.
- TwiliocoreClose uses Twilio as the underlying infrastructure provider for its voice calling and SMS capabilities. The partnership involves Twilio's terms of service and numbering requirements for number-based communications services.
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)integrationClose integrates with ChatGPT for AI capabilities within the CRM platform.
- Claude (Anthropic)integrationClose integrates with Claude AI for natural language processing and AI-powered features.
- WhatsAppintegrationClose supports native WhatsApp messaging as part of its unified communication capabilities.
- HubSpotintegrationClose integrates with HubSpot for data synchronization and workflow connectivity.
- ZapierintegrationClose integrates with Zapier enabling connections to thousands of other applications and automations.
- Segment (Twilio)integrationClose integrates with Segment for customer data platform connectivity and data enrichment.
- Google CalendarintegrationClose integrates with Google Calendar for scheduling and calendar synchronization.
- ZoomintegrationClose integrates with Zoom for video meeting capabilities and scheduling links.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Close competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Salesloft: Salesloft is a sales engagement platform offering cadences, dialer, conversation intelligence, and AI-driven workflows. It competes with Close on calling, follow-up automation, and AI summarization, though typically positioned upmarket.
- Outreach: Outreach is a sales engagement platform with sequencing, calling, AI-powered deal assistance, and CRM integrations. While focused more on enterprise/mid-market, it competes with Close's automation and AI capabilities in the overlapping outbound-sales segment.
- Pipedrive: Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM targeting SMBs with pipeline management and built-in communication. It directly competes with Close in the same customer profile (small outbound sales teams) with comparable seat-based pricing and feature set.
- Freshsales (Freshworks): Freshsales is the CRM arm of Freshworks, offering built-in phone, email, AI lead scoring, and sales automation for SMB and mid-market. It is a direct competitor with comparable pricing and a similar integrated-communication thesis.
- Apollo.io: Apollo.io combines a B2B sales intelligence database with outreach, calling, and CRM-adjacent workflow tools for SDR and outbound teams. It overlaps with Close on calling, email sequences, and AI-driven prospecting, targeting the same SMB/mid-market buyer.
- Copper: Copper is a CRM built specifically for Google Workspace users, targeting small and mid-market teams. It is a direct competitor in the SMB CRM category with overlapping pipeline management and communication-light features.
- Less Annoying CRM: Less Annoying CRM is a simple, low-cost CRM explicitly targeting very small businesses and startups. It overlaps directly with Close's bottom-of-market positioning and similar simplicity-focused value proposition.
Broad incumbents
- HubSpot: HubSpot is a broad CRM and marketing platform serving SMB to enterprise. It overlaps directly with Close on CRM, email, and sales automation but operates a much larger platform with marketing, service, and CMS products, making it the most consequential competitor in Close's core SMB segment.
- Salesforce: Salesforce is the global CRM incumbent with Sales Cloud, Einstein AI, and a massive ecosystem. While Close positions against Salesforce for SMB cost reasons, Salesforce remains the default enterprise CRM and the primary incumbent Close competes against for upmarket expansion.
- Zoho CRM: Zoho CRM is part of the broader Zoho business suite, offering affordable CRM with built-in phone, email, and AI features (Zia). It competes with Close across SMB and mid-market segments, often at lower price points.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Close social profiles
Digital presenceClose compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Close financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Close leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Close funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Close M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Close
What does Close do?
Close is a sales CRM platform built for outbound sales teams that combines customer relationship management with natively built-in communication channels — calling, email, SMS, and WhatsApp — plus sales automation, pipeline management, and reporting. The product includes an AI Sales Agent called Chloe that automates manual sales work such as pipeline-building outreach, personalized follow-ups, AI call summaries, and CRM record updates, and is sold as a per-seat SaaS subscription starting at $9/seat/month.
Is Close a public or private company?
Close is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Close founded?
Close was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Close based?
Close is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Close make money?
One revenue line is on record: saaS Subscription (Seat-based).
Who are Close's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Salesloft, Outreach, Pipedrive, Freshsales (Freshworks), Apollo.io, Copper and Less Annoying CRM. Broad incumbents are HubSpot, Salesforce and Zoho CRM.
Does Close have an API?
Yes. Close offers a comprehensive REST API and webhook system for developers to build custom integrations and automate workflows. The API provides full CRUD operations for all CRM objects including Leads, Contacts, Opportunities, Tasks, Activities (calls, emails, SMS, WhatsApp, meetings, notes), Custom Objects, Pipelines, Custom Fields, Sequences, Webhooks, Bulk Actions, Exports, and Reporting. Authentication is available via API Keys and OAuth. The platform also offers an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI agent integrations. Documentation is extensive with changelog entries from 2018 through June 2026, indicating continuous active development. Developer documentation is at developer.close.com.
What industry is Close in?
Close's product category is Sales CRM Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAFAB, Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM, with a secondary code of HDAEAFAC, Customer Service, Support & Contact Center CRM. Its NAICS code is 56142 and its SIC code is 7372.