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Eric Faggin
Product Designer
Professional Background
Eric Faggin is an experienced product designer renowned for his innovative approach that integrates industrial design, user experience design, interaction design, and concept prototyping. Based in the tech hub of Silicon Valley, Eric brings a unique perspective to the product development process, ensuring that the user is at the center of every design decision. His career trajectory includes key positions at leading companies, where he has contributed to the development of products that not only meet user needs but also enhance emotional connections and aesthetic qualities.
Eric began his professional journey as a Field Applications Engineer at Synaptics, a company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of human interface products. Here, he honed his technical skills and gained valuable experience in product design engineering. He continued to evolve in his career as he took on the role of Product Design Engineer at Synaptics, where he was involved in creating innovative solutions that prioritize user interaction and satisfaction.
In pursuit of greater creative freedom, Eric co-founded Styklet, where he could explore his passion for product design without constraints. His entrepreneurial spirit is complemented by a robust background in research, as evidenced by his time as a Research Engineer at HP Labs, where he worked on cutting-edge technology and innovative product concepts.
Throughout his career, Eric has embraced opportunities to diversify his skill set. His freelance work as a designer and artist underlines his creative versatility, allowing him to explore various artistic avenues outside of corporate design. He has also worked as a Product Design Consultant at Benetton Group and served as an Industrial Design Fellow at Fabrica, helping renowned brands create impactful and user-oriented products.
Eric’s commitment to the field of design extends into academia. He has shared his knowledge and expertise as a Teaching Assistant at Stanford University, where he aided in the education of aspiring designers, emphasizing the importance of user-centric design. Furthermore, as a Student Design Consultant at Stanford, he leveraged his insights to guide projects, nurturing the next generation of design thinkers.
Currently, Eric serves as a Product Designer at Peaxy, Inc., where he continues to merge functionality with aesthetic appeal, delivering products that resonate with users on multiple levels. His extensive experience across various roles in product design showcases his adaptability, creativity, and deep understanding of the design process.
Education and Achievements
Eric Faggin holds a diverse and prestigious educational background. He earned his Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Product Design from Stanford University, a program known for its rigorous curriculum that combines engineering principles with design thinking. This advanced degree has equipped him with the tools to design solutions that are not only functional but also emotionally engaging.
Prior to his master’s degree, Eric completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Santa Clara University. His physics education provided him with a strong foundation in analytical thinking and problem-solving, essential traits for a product designer. Meanwhile, his philosophical studies have enriched his understanding of user experience by emphasizing the human condition and the nuances of emotional engagement, which are crucial for creating compelling product interactions.
Eric’s educational background is a testament to his commitment to continuous learning and intellectual breadth, which he brings to his design practice.
Achievements
Eric's achievements in the field of product design are commendable. Through his roles in various organizations, he has been instrumental in launching innovative products that prioritize user needs and preferences. The combination of his engineering skills and design acumen has led to successful projects that highlight his capability as a designer who understands both functionality and aesthetics.
Additionally, Eric's role as a Co-Founder at Styklet marked a significant milestone in his career. The company, known for its innovative design approach, allowed Eric to showcase his vision for user-centered design on a larger scale. His leadership in this venture demonstrates his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to creating meaningful products that resonate with consumers.
His contributions as a Research Engineer at HP Labs provided him with a platform to explore cutting-edge technologies, propelling his career into innovative realms of design that bridge the gap between technology and user experience.
In his current position at Peaxy, Eric continues to make strides in product design that are marked by creativity, functionality, and emotional intelligence, contributing to the company’s reputation for delivering high-value products.
Overall, Eric Faggin is an accomplished product designer with a rich blend of skills that include industrial design, user experience, and concept prototyping. His dedication to putting the user first in every design initiative, combined with an impressive educational background and career history, distinguishes him as a leading figure in the world of product design.
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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'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.