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Arnold Waldstein
C0-Producer DIVE IN at DIVE IN
Professional Background
Arnold Waldstein is a distinguished market maker and communications strategist whose impressive career spans decades at the forefront of technological innovation. His expertise lies in building brands and communities on new technology platforms, particularly within emerging markets. Known for his adeptness at the intersection of conservation and climate activism, Waldstein combines market storytelling with groundbreaking developments in blockchain gaming and the burgeoning NFT art ecosystem.
As a seasoned investor and advisor, Waldstein has made significant contributions to both the blockchain/crypto space and traditional web brands and software projects. His career began during the early days of the computer gaming era, as he played a pivotal role in the marketing efforts that ultimately led to Atari's public offering during the successful rollout of the ST Computer and its library of new games. Following this, he served as the founding head of marketing at Creative Labs, a company that experienced rapid growth from a three-person startup to a $1 billion public entity in just four years. During his tenure, Creative Labs sold an impressive 89 million Sound Blasters, which not only solidified its place in the market but also established a de facto standard in multimedia software. This foundational experience has profoundly informed Waldstein's perspectives and continues to underpin his strategic approaches in various sectors.
Over the years, Waldstein has effectively utilized his market intuition and communications skills across numerous industries including the gaming sector, the rise of e-commerce, VOIP communications, functional foods, and dynamic supplements. Notably, he made his mark in Hollywood through his role with RealD, where he helped pioneer the use of stereoscopic 3D technology in big-screen storytelling worldwide.
As a crypto enthusiast since 2016, Waldstein's passion for blockchain technology has led him to collaborate with notable figures like Bill Tai at Actai Global. One of his significant projects includes the Honu initiative, which creatively integrated environmental philanthropy with gamified blockchain experiences through CryptoKitties. His mission has always been to identify and engage with innovative projects making a positive impact in the crypto community, including ventures like NodeSwap and CacaoShares.
Education and Achievements
Arnold Waldstein's academic background laid a strong intellectual foundation for his career in technology and communications. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and has furthered his studies at The University of British Columbia, where he also studied English and Philosophy. This rich educational experience has undoubtedly enhanced his strategic thinking, communication skills, and overall approach to market development and brand building.
Waldstein has garnered considerable recognition in various roles throughout his career. He has co-produced the DIVE IN initiative and made significant contributions as a co-founder at Medley Media. His various leadership roles include serving as an honorary member at the Non-Fungible Alliance and holding the position of Board Chair & CEO Pro Tem at Veespo US. Additionally, he has held advisory positions at several organizations, providing strategic guidance to NodeSwap, CacaoShares (also known as The Chocolate Blockchain), Yudex, and Communitribe. His extensive board experience, including serving as a board member at LuliTonix, highlights his commitment to the growth and success of impactful ventures.
Achievements
Arnold Waldstein's accomplishments reflect his dedication to advancing technology and community engagement. His role in taking Atari public forever changed the landscape of the gaming industry, cementing him as a key player in its history. The phenomenal success of Creative Labs, where he helped build a massive developer community and establish industry standards, speaks volumes about his ability to connect innovation with market needs.
Waldstein's innovative spirit extends into the blockchain space, where his work has fostered a deeper connection between environmental causes and gaming. Projects like CryptoKitties and the Honu initiative not only highlight the potential of blockchain technology but also showcase his commitment to leveraging tech for social good.
In his personal life, Arnold Waldstein is a health and wellness enthusiast, and a proud cat lover, with interests that extend beyond his professional sphere. As a natural wine and tech blogger, he shares insights and fosters discussions on the intersection of lifestyle and technology.
With an impressive blend of experience, education, and a forward-thinking approach, Arnold Waldstein continues to be a pivotal figure in the realms of market making, communications strategy, and blockchain innovation. His career stands as a testament to the transformative power of technology in building communities and advancing meaningful causes.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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