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Einar Vollset
Deeply technical B2B SaaS Investor and M&A Advisor. Former YC founder, Cornell CS Professor and repeat entrepreneur.
Einar Vollset: A Leader in B2B SaaS Investment and Innovation
Einar Vollset is a distinguished figure in the realm of B2B SaaS investment, recognized for his influential roles as co-founder of TinySeed and Founding Partner at Discretion Capital. Through his pioneering work, he has contributed significantly to the growth and success of ambitious software-as-a-service companies that operate outside of traditional venture capital pathways.
TinySeed stands out as the premier venture fund and accelerator specifically designed for B2B SaaS startups. Under Einar's leadership, the firm has successfully invested in over 100 companies both within the U.S. and internationally. With a dual focus on two biannual remote accelerators catering to both North American and European time zones, TinySeed has become a hub for innovative startups seeking guidance and funding. Einar is particularly passionate about investor relations, advising portfolio companies on critical areas such as mergers and acquisitions, enterprise sales, and fundraising strategies.
Einar's extensive technical background and deep understanding of the B2B SaaS landscape have positioned him as a thought leader in the industry. He regularly shares his insights through detailed analysis pieces covering trends in B2B SaaS investing and M&A, which are invaluable resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and established companies alike.
Educational Background and Academic Achievements
Einar’s academic journey is equally impressive, reflecting a strong foundation in computer science and system design. He earned his BSc in Computing Science, followed by an MSc in System Design for Internet Applications at Newcastle University. Einar furthered his education with a PhD in Computing Science, showcasing his dedication to the field and enhancing his expertise in technology and software development.
A notable chapter in Einar's career is his tenure as a professor of Computer Science at Cornell University. This role allowed him to nurture the next generation of technologists and play a pivotal part in academic circles. His contributions as a visiting assistant professor underscored his commitment to education and innovation in computing.
Diverse Professional Journey
Einar Vollset's career path is characterized by a series of influential roles that have shaped his expertise in the technology and investment sectors. Prior to co-founding TinySeed and Discretion Capital, he held significant positions that bolstered his reputation.
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General Partner at TinySeed: Einar's role as a general partner at TinySeed allowed him to play an instrumental part in guiding startups toward achieving their business objectives, thereby helping them navigate the often-complex world of venture funding.
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Managing Partner at Discretion Capital: Before his current endeavors, Einar served as managing partner at Discretion Capital, leading efforts in technology-enabled sell-side M&A for B2B SaaS companies operating in the lucrative $2m to $20m ARR range. His leadership helped facilitate crucial deals that shaped the landscape of SaaS investment.
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Technology Contributions and Advisory Roles: Einar has also lent his expertise as an advisor for various tech-centric organizations, including Biomeme, Inc., Trigger.io, and AppAftercare, where he provided strategic guidance that helped shape product development and market strategies. His diverse experiences foster a rich understanding of the technology ecosystem and the unique challenges faced by SaaS companies.
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Entrepreneurial Ventures: Einar's entrepreneurial spirit is evident from his time as the founder of AppAftercare, where he conceptualized and launched a service that supported the SaaS industry, demonstrating his hands-on approach and innovative thinking. He also served as CTO at ReMail Corp and Chief Scientist at Something Simpler, roles that showcased his technical acumen and ability to drive product innovation.
Significant Achievements
One of Einar’s most noteworthy accomplishments is co-founding a Y Combinator-funded company that was subsequently acquired by Google. This venture not only highlights his entrepreneurial skills but also his ability to create products that resonate with larger industry players. Such an achievement speaks volumes about his insight into technology trends and market needs.
Moreover, Einar's writing on B2B SaaS investing and M&A trends has positioned him as a highly regarded thought leader within the industry. His analysis pieces are widely sought after, providing critical insights and data that help stakeholders understand market dynamics and make informed investments. His ability to articulate complex concepts and trends has earned him recognition among peers and investors.
Einar’s journey exemplifies the intersection of technology, investment, and education. His dedication to fostering growth within the B2B SaaS space, coupled with his technical proficiency and strategic insight, makes him a vital contributor to the startup ecosystem.
As a thought leader, educator, and investor, Einar Vollset continues to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs, providing them with the insights and resources necessary to thrive in an increasingly competitive market. With a focus on innovation and investment, his work is essential for the evolution of B2B SaaS companies worldwide.
tags:[
B2B SaaS
venture fund
accelerator
investment banking
M&A
entrepreneurship
computer science
Cornell University
technical expertise
investor relations
Y Combinator
fundraising strategies
remote accelerator
software development
academic contributions
Highlights
I spend way too much time on local Facebook threads arguing with people who simply refuse to understand this obvious fact.
Managed to send an investor update saying we’d sent a capital call when we had, in fact, not done it yet (my bad). RIP my inbox. Sorry!
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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 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.
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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.
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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.