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Doug Hurd
Corporate Business Development Strategist
Professional Background
Doug Hurd is a seasoned executive renowned for his pivotal role in the realms of media, advertising technology, and strategic business development. As the co-founder and Executive Vice President of Business Development at clypd, Doug has been instrumental in steering the company toward success, culminating in its acquisition by AT&T in 2019 and subsequent sale to Microsoft in 2022. His extensive experience spans a myriad of industries including media, telecom, retail, publishing, and mobile technology, making him a versatile figure in the business world.
In his current role as a Business Development Leader at Microsoft's Business Development, Strategy, and Ventures (BDSV) team, Doug focuses on forging strategic partnerships that enrich Microsoft's advertising and technology ecosystem. His efforts are pivotal in filling product capability gaps and in building synergistic ecosystems around Microsoft's platforms. Through his work at Microsoft, Doug is driven by a vision to deliver transformative opportunities, expanding current markets and pioneering new business models for the company.
Before his tenure at Microsoft, Doug played a vital role in advancing clypd's growth by establishing long-term strategic partnerships that significantly bolstered the company’s market presence. Previously, as Group Vice President of Business Development at AT&T/Xandr, he was responsible for leading corporate strategy and business development initiatives that furthered AT&T’s ambitions in the digital media and advertising space.
Prior to his impactful work with clypd and AT&T, Doug made strides at PayPal Mobile as the Director of Business Development, where he was charged with accelerating the adoption of PayPal's mobile payment solutions across various devices and platforms. His commitment to innovation and growth enabled him to drive the initiative forward effectively.
Doug began his illustrious career at WHERE, Inc., where he held the position of Vice President of Business Development before the company was acquired by PayPal in 2011. Here, he excelled in creating partnerships that enabled WHERE's services to be integrally embedded in mobile devices while also managing substantial third-party content relationships aimed at monetization through diverse channels such as subscription services, advertising, and mobile commerce.
Education and Achievements
Doug Hurd earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont, where he cultivated a strong foundation in business principles and practices. His educational background has equipped him with the skills necessary to thrive in competitive environments and navigate the complexities of corporate strategy.
Throughout his career, Doug has not only been a leader but also a mentor and advisor. He has assumed various advisory roles for organizations such as Trecco, Regatta Fitness, and Jumpshell, where he leverages his expertise to guide emerging companies in their strategic pursuits.
His commitment to innovation and fostering growth is evidenced through numerous angel investments in high-potential startups, which include pioneering firms like TVision Insights, Folia Health, and Zingaroo, among others. Doug’s investment acumen aligns with his belief in the transformative power of technology, particularly in the media and advertising sectors.
Doug is also involved in angel groups such as WHERE Angels and TBD Angels, where his extensive network and experience are invaluable to aspiring entrepreneurs and startups seeking strategic guidance and financial support.
Achievements
With a career defined by significant accomplishments, Doug Hurd’s expertise is recognized in various spheres including corporate business development, programmatic advertising, TV advertising, and location-based services. His specialties in negotiation, digital media, and financial technology have positioned him as a thought leader in the industry. His strategic vision and ability to forge productive collaborations have continually led to successful outcomes for the organizations he has been a part of.
Additionally, Doug's previous positions have provided him with a rich tapestry of experiences across different facets of business, enhancing his capability to drive impactful strategies in both established and emerging markets. His leadership at clypd and recognition within Microsoft speaks to his ability to adapt and thrive in evolving industry landscapes while maintaining a focus on growth and innovation.
Tags
Executive business development
Corporate strategy
Digital media
Advertising technology
Media partnerships
Startup advisory
Angel investments
Location-based services
Advertising
Business strategy
Telecom
Publishing
Mobile payments
Financial technology
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:
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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 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.
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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.
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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'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.
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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.