Y Combinator Close.io, a startup that aims to improve communication and customer management for sales people, has raised a round of funding from Bebo co-founder Michael Birch, SV Angel, Spark Capital and David Tisch.
Close.io was born from ElasticSales, a sales-as-a-service platform that provides both software and manpower that lets startups outsource their sales functions on demand. ElasticSales pivoted from SwipeGood last year. Elastic actually developed Close.io in-house to increase the performance of their sales people. But as co-founder and CEO Steli Efti explains, the startup saw a potential in marketing and developing their “secret sauce” for clients.
Essentially Close.io allows sales people to spend more time communicating with their customers and less time on data entry. The software includes the ability to make and receive calls, while taking notes, without leaving the application or picking up a desk phone. The platform includes a built in phone system through which a sales person can simply click on a lead to call.
Close.io also includes two-way email communication, synced with your existing mailbox, through which users can send and receive emails. Sales teams can focus on outreach and communication with their customers, as opposed to data entry. The software is available for Mac, Windows and the web.
Sales for Close.io have been growing by 20 percent each week, and Efti is raising new money to double down on additional development of the software and hire additional engineering resources. He adds that the ElasticSales services platform, which has more than 300 clients, is now profitable.