People over machines: hyrise buys a community and bets on real connection in the age of AI

The Berlin-based company acquires Sales in DACH and, together with Sales in DACH founder Helena Klaus, launches The Sales Club, an exclusive community for ambitious sales professionals in software, IT and AI.

Berlin, 10 November 2026: As artificial intelligence takes over more and more work and software gets built in days instead of months, Berlin-based hyrise is investing in something that can't be coded: community. hyrise has acquired the community Sales in DACH and, together with its founder Helena Klaus, is launching the exclusive Sales Club. It creates an exclusive network for ambitious sales professionals in software, IT and AI. At its core are curated meetings in small groups, high-quality exchange and a shared ambition to shape the future of sales. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

More contacts, less connection

Knowledge has never been this easy to access. AI assistants answer expert questions in seconds, and networks like LinkedIn deliver thousands of contacts. What is becoming scarce is trust: people who understand your situation and give you honest advice.

Research on the world of work shows how wide this gap is. According to the loneliness report by German health insurer Techniker Krankenkasse, 38 percent of employed people in Germany have experienced loneliness at work (source). Hybrid work, remote teams and frequent job changes make it worse: colleagues come and go, networks stay superficial.

In sales, the pressure is especially visible. Results are measured every month, and rejection is part of everyday life. The more successful someone becomes, the smaller the circle of people who can still truly help them grow. Most navigate their careers alone.

Small groups instead of a big stage

The Sales Club deliberately does the opposite of chasing reach. Instead of yet another large online group, members get a dedicated personal sparring partner who matches their goals. On top of that, there are small moderated groups with only a few participants, where concrete problems are discussed, as well as meetings with experienced practitioners. Success is measured not by clicks, but by the quality of the conversations.

Membership is free, and admission is by invitation and application. What counts is ambition and character, not job title or employer. Anyone who isn't accepted receives feedback and can reapply after 3 months. The club is explicitly not a recruiting channel: members are not approached about jobs or trainings unless they ask.

For hyrise, the acquisition is a strategic bet. With AI, software and content can be replicated faster and faster, but a community people trust cannot. Shortly after it was founded, the company had launched its own community, but shut it down again because the team lacked the know-how to keep it alive. With Helena Klaus, hyrise now brings on board an expert who has proven exactly that over years.

Quotes

Dominic Blank, co-founder and CEO of hyrise: “AI can take over a lot, but it can't build trust. The more software and content gets created automatically, the more valuable a conversation with someone who truly understands you becomes. We once tried to build a community ourselves and failed. That's why we're now bringing on board the person who does it best.”

Helena Klaus, founder of Sales in DACH and Head of Community at hyrise: “People aren't longing for even more contacts, they're longing to belong. The most valuable conversations happen one on one or in small groups, not in front of hundreds of viewers. That's exactly the kind of space we want to create, for people who take their profession seriously.”

Launch in November

The Sales Club launches in mid-November 2026 with a small group of founding members who will help shape the offering. After that, it will gradually open for applications at https://thesalesclubdach.de/.