SIH invests in AI startup Deal Machine: Slovak CloseRocket heads for the global market
Bratislava, April 22, 2026 – Slovak Investment Holding (SIH) is entering a promising Slovak startup, Deal machine s. r. o., the company behind the innovative CloseRocket platform. The EUR 300,000 investment, structured as a convertible loan agreement (CLA) and implemented on a pari passu basis with private investors, aims to accelerate the global expansion of a solution that is reshaping the rules of B2B sales.
CloseRocket is not just another sales tool. It is a comprehensive AI-driven sales engine that combines the power of artificial intelligence with real sales professionals around the world.
The platform automates client discovery, qualification, and outreach, while also enabling companies to immediately scale their sales teams without high upfront costs.
The solution is built on a sophisticated ecosystem of four key pillars: intelligent customer discovery (Lead Agent), automated multichannel campaigns (Reach Engine), AI assistant Klara, and advanced analytics (Sales Intelligence). The result is data-driven sales, reduced manual workload, and the ability to scale without traditional constraints.
A unique feature is its global marketplace of more than 1,200 sales professionals, giving companies access to talent without geographical limitations, lengthy recruitment processes, or high entry costs.
“We see a strong trend in the convergence of AI and human capital – and this is exactly what makes CloseRocket unique. It is a scalable solution with global potential that can dramatically increase the efficiency of sales teams. Such projects have the ambition to grow from Slovakia to the world,” said Juraj Jusko, Director of Direct Investments at Slovak Investment Holding.
“Building a technology startup and competing with global players in the sales-tech space is a huge opportunity for us. From the very first meeting, we experienced high professionalism at SIH, as well as strong founder-oriented values, which was one of the reasons we chose them as an investor in our cap table alongside other partners. We are pleased that thanks to this financing we can scale our solution to the global market,” said Katarína Šimková, Founder of Deal machine.
The investment is financed from the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic (Component 9), which focuses on supporting innovation, research, and technological development.
For Deal machine, the financing represents another milestone on the path to building a global product. The company plans to invest in technology development, team expansion, and scaling the platform into new markets. The Slovak startup is thus entering a phase of rapid growth with the ambition to become one of the leaders in the sales-tech sector. CloseRocket demonstrates that even in Slovakia, technology products can emerge with the potential to transform how business is done on a global scale.
About Deal Machine / CloseRocket
Deal machine s. r. o. is a Slovak technology startup behind the CloseRocket platform – an AI-driven solution for modern B2B sales. The company has been operating for three years and focuses on connecting artificial intelligence with global talent to improve and scale sales processes.
CloseRocket enables companies to automate demand generation, manage multichannel campaigns, and leverage a global network of sales professionals without geographical constraints. The company’s ambition is to become a global player in the sales-tech industry.
The management team consists of Katarína Šimková, Ivana Golian (COO), and Martina Mašlejová (CPO). This represents a unique example in the Slovak startup ecosystem – the company is among the few startups led exclusively by a female leadership team.
About Slovak Investment Holding (SIH)
SIH is a joint-stock company fully owned by the Slovak Republic. Its main mission is to support strategic public and private investments in Slovakia in the areas of SME competitiveness and growth, infrastructure, energy efficiency, waste management, social economy, and cultural and creative industries. The financial resources used for investments are primarily drawn from EU funds. SIH provides financing exclusively in a repayable form, through financial instruments rather than grants.
More information and examples of supported projects can be found at www.sih.sk.
