# Steli Efti

> Steli Efti is the co-founder and CEO of Close.com, a bootstrapped CRM platform generating $40M+ ARR that he built by accident - he was running an outsourced sales agency for 200+ startups when he realized the internal software he built to manage it all was the actual product. A high-school dropout from Germany with Greek immigrant parents, he moved to Silicon Valley on a one-way ticket, got rejected by Y Combinator 6 times before being accepted, and has since become one of the most respected voices in startup sales - known for the 48-email follow-up that landed an investor, a no-BS philosophy, and a side podcast about philosophy, literature, and inner life that has nothing to do with business.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Close.com
- **Organizations:** Close.com, Pioneer Fund, Y Combinator (Alumni, W2011), ElasticSales (defunct), SwipeGood (defunct)
- **From:** Germany
- **Nationality:** German-Greek
- **Education:** Dropped out at age 17, High School, Accelerator Program, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Built Close.com to $40M+ ARR fully bootstrapped with no major VC funding after the initial ~$250K seed, Authored 14 books on sales, startup growth, and entrepreneurship, Co-hosts 'The Startup Chat' with Hiten Shah - hundreds of episodes, 2x per week for years

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Team Leader at AWD Holding, Germany
- **2004** — CEO of DVDiscount24
- **2005** — Owner of Teletrance and Whitibbar Workshops
- **~2006** — Moved to Silicon Valley on a one-way ticket with no backup plan
- **2008** — Co-founded Supercool School, an education startup
- **2011** — Co-founded SwipeGood (charity donation rounding app) - accepted to Y Combinator W2011 on his 7th application
- **2011** — Co-founded ElasticSales, an outsourced sales-as-a-service agency serving 200+ VC-backed startups
- **2013** — Launched Close.io (now Close.com) in January - born from internal CRM tools built to run ElasticSales
- **2014** — ElasticSales shut down as Close eclipsed it in growth and revenue
- **2015+** — Close reaches profitability; Steli becomes a leading voice in startup sales, speaking at MicroConf, SaaStock, and other major conferences
- **2019** — Launched 'Inner Work with Steli Efti' podcast - a deliberately non-business show about philosophy, literature, and personal growth
- **2020** — Navigated Close through COVID-19: monitored situation from January, shifted to prepayment discounts in February, introduced optional 4-day work week; every month post-February set records for prepayments
- **2023+** — Close surpasses $40M ARR; remains fully bootstrapped and profitable with ~100 remote employees across 14+ countries
- **Ongoing** — Senior Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund; angel investor in SaaS and B2B startups

## Achievements

- Built Close.com to $40M+ ARR fully bootstrapped with no major VC funding after the initial ~$250K seed
- Authored 14 books on sales, startup growth, and entrepreneurship
- Co-hosts 'The Startup Chat' with Hiten Shah - hundreds of episodes, 2x per week for years
- Served as advisor to 200+ venture-backed startups including Foursquare and General Assembly
- Senior Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund
- Accepted to Y Combinator on his 7th application after 6 rejections
- Pioneered the concept of sales-as-a-service at scale through ElasticSales before pivoting to software
- Grew Close to 100+ fully remote employees across 14+ countries with zero layoffs through multiple economic downturns
- Named among influential voices in SaaS sales by Forbes, Fast Company, and HubSpot

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Close.com surpasses $40M ARR while remaining fully bootstrapped
- **2024-06** — Close introduces new entry-level pricing at $19/month to expand SMB market access
- **2023-12** — The Startup Chat with Steli and Hiten continues releasing 2 episodes per week, maintaining one of the longest-running startup podcasts
- **2023-06** — Steli continues as Senior Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund, backing pre-seed and seed stage startups

## Links

- Website: https://steliefti.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steliefti
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Steli
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaEJQWAoogaJRX58jDb5mXQ
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steliefti/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steli-efti
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-25