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Ben Wise
Associate Partner at Dalberg
Professional Background
Ben Wise has established an impressive career characterized by a deep commitment to social impact and a wealth of experiences across various sectors, including consulting, non-profit management, and urban studies. With a strong foundation laid during his time at the NYU Stern School of Business and the London Business School, Ben has harnessed his educational background to make significant contributions in both strategic projects and executive roles. His tenure as Associate Partner at Dalberg was marked by his leadership in supporting organizations to develop impactful strategies that address complex global challenges. Ben's role as a Board Member at Community Solutions, a nonprofit organization focused on ending homelessness in the United States, highlights his dedication to social causes and ability to enhance community initiatives.
Before reaching these pivotal positions, Ben built robust experience at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where he progressed through various leadership roles. He served as the Deputy Director of Programs, where he oversaw the implementation of critical programs aimed at supporting refugees and vulnerable communities around the world. This cabinet position allowed him to utilize his expertise in strategic planning, ensuring that IRC's initiatives were both impactful and aligned with their mission. His role as the Director of Strategy and Senior Manager for Strategic Projects further positioned him at the intersection of organizational development and practical application, ensuring that the IRC remained agile and responsive to the needs of displaced populations.
Ben's journey also includes significant consulting experience. His roles as a Senior Consultant and Summer Consultant at L.E.K. Consulting equipped him with strong analytical skills and a results-oriented approach. This experience provided him with an extensive understanding of market dynamics and strategic planning, skills that have continually benefited his subsequent positions. His time as a Visiting Scholar at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management intertwined academic inquiry with practical solutions to urban challenges, enriching his perspective on urban studies.
Another aspect of Ben's diverse career is his entrepreneurial spirit, illustrated by his role as Co-founder and Managing Director at Rwanda Village Enterprises, Ltd. Here, he played a crucial role in launching initiatives that supported economic development in local communities. His experience as an Evaluation Coordinator and Co-Author at Partners In Health further reaffirmed his commitment to leveraging evidence-based practices to improve health outcomes for marginalized populations.
Education and Achievements
Ben’s educational journey is as distinguished as his professional career. He pursued his MBA at the prestigious NYU Stern School of Business, where he honed his skills in finance and management. Furthering his education, he also engaged in an International Exchange Program (IEP) at the renowned London Business School, expanding his global outlook on business and leadership practices. Additionally, Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University, a degree that laid the groundwork for his interest in community development and social impact.
Throughout his career, Ben has been recognized for his exemplary leadership skills, strategic thinking, and innovative approaches to problem-solving. His work has not only transformed organizations but also positively impacted the lives of countless individuals across various communities.
Notable Achievements
- Leadership at Dalberg: As an Associate Partner, Ben led transformative projects that developed sustainable strategies for non-profit and public sector clients, significantly enhancing their operational effectiveness.
- Impact at the International Rescue Committee: His leadership roles, including Deputy Director and Director of Strategy, empowered IRC to adapt and respond to the intricate needs of refugees and displaced people amid ever-changing global landscapes.
- Board Membership: His contributions as a Board Member at Community Solutions showcase his dedication to eradicating homelessness and fostering community resilience in urban settings.
- Entrepreneurial Ventures: Co-founding Rwanda Village Enterprises, Ltd. illustrated his innovative approach to economic development, which has inspired and elevated the lives of many in Rwanda.
- Contribution to Academia: His work as a Visiting Scholar at NYU Marron Institute has contributed significantly to urban management studies, linking theory with actionable insights in urban development.
As a thought leader and advocate for social change, Ben Wise continues to inspire those around him with his vision for a just and equitable world. His extensive experience rooted in high-level strategic roles, combined with a passion for community engagement and sustainable development, positions him uniquely as a leader dedicated to making a lasting impact.
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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.
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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.