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Christopher Croteau
Business Development Executive
Professional Background
Christopher Croteau is a transformative change agent and entrepreneurial executive, renowned for his strategic vision and expertise in building innovative products and markets within the technology sector. With a career that spans multiple decades, Christopher has established himself as a recognized thought leader, demonstrating a unique ability to drive scalable growth through technology adoption and foster strategic partnerships.
A hallmark of Christopher’s career has been his tenure at Intel Corporation, where he was instrumental in propelling the company into emerging markets and technologies. Christopher’s leadership skills and deep understanding of market dynamics have allowed him to effectively oversee talented global teams of up to 650 professionals, driving significant initiatives that have redefined product offerings and market approaches.
At Intel, he played a pivotal role in harnessing the burgeoning wearable device market. He devised targeted strategies that not only positioned Intel as a leader in this competitive space but also set the groundwork for future innovations that would captivate consumers and transform technology usage. Moreover, Christopher successfully established Intel as a formidable player in the augmented reality (AR) segment by creating and managing comprehensive business plans for head-worn display technologies, acquiring several companies and technologies for an impressive total exceeding $300 million. This aggressive approach exemplifies his aptitude for identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities.
Christopher’s approach to business development extends beyond internal initiatives, as he has cultivated collaborative partnerships that have yielded lucrative results. A notable achievement in his career includes managing a joint partnership with Samsung to develop an innovative operating system that was subsequently adopted across a broad spectrum of consumer products. Such strategic alliances not only enhance product diversification but also bolster market penetration and consumer engagement.
In addition to his work at Intel, Christopher has successfully generated over 100 business deals across various segments, including Enterprise Storage, Small and Medium Business, Advanced Graphics, Networking, and Software as a Service (SaaS), demonstrating his prowess in creating value across diverse markets and industries.
Education and Achievements
Christopher’s educational background underpins his analytical and philosophical approach to business. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the prestigious Harvard University, where he honed his understanding of market dynamics, economic theories, and data analysis. Furthering his academic endeavors, Christopher pursued a Master’s degree in Philosophy at New York University, which has equipped him with critical thinking skills and an ethical framework that informs his leadership and decision-making processes. This rare combination of economics and philosophy has positioned him to navigate complex business landscapes with insight and innovative thinking.
Throughout his career, Christopher has received recognition for his innovative contributions, often regarded as a thought leader within the technology industry. His ability to drive visionary changes through strategic planning and effective execution sets him apart as an executive who not only observes market trends but proactively shapes them.
Professional Affiliations
Christopher’s involvement in various organizations highlights his commitment to growth within the technology domain. As the Managing Director at Intel Capital, he directed investment strategies that aligned with Intel's vision for future technology advancements. His role as a Business Development Advisor at AdHawk Microsystems exemplifies his dedication to fostering innovation in emerging technologies.
Moreover, Christopher’s leadership extends to philanthropic endeavors, having served as the Chairman of the Board at Free Geek, an organization focused on providing technology access and education. His positions on the Executive Board of the Tizen Association and the Board of Directors at the SCSI Trade Association underscore his influential role in shaping industry standards and encouraging collaborative efforts among tech enterprises.
Christopher has also held several notable positions within Intel Corporation, including roles as General Manager, Director of Business Development, and Director of Marketing, where he consistently influenced product strategy and marketing initiatives that increased Intel's competitive edge. With a storied history at Intel, including his early roles in various capacities such as Marketing Program Manager and Product Line Manager, Christopher has accumulated a wealth of experience that continues to inform his strategic decisions today.
His entrepreneurial spirit is encapsulated in his ownership of THE DYSTILLERY LLC, where he combined his passion for business innovation and technology. This venture showcases Christopher’s dynamic leadership style and his proactive approach to exploring new business models in the evolving tech landscape.
Achievements
- Propelled Intel into the rapidly growing wearable device space by devising targeted strategies and business plans for wearable device technologies and products.
- Established Intel as a leader in the growing AR segment by creating and managing head-worn display/augmented reality business plans and acquiring three companies and technologies for $300M+.
- Cultivated and managed a joint partnership with Samsung on an innovative operating system that was later adopted and utilized across a wide range of consumer products.
- Successfully generated over 100 business deals that spanned across Enterprise Storage, Small and Medium Business, Advanced Graphics, Networking, and SaaS segments.
Location
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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:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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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.
Nexus is Clay's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
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.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
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.