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Eric Van Gieson
Program Manager at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Professional Background
Eric Van Gieson is a seasoned professional renowned for his extensive expertise in biomedical engineering and chemical engineering. With a solid educational background from the University of Virginia, where he obtained both his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Eric has cultivated a unique combination of scientific knowledge and technical acumen. His academic pursuits paved the way for a remarkable career characterized by leadership roles in research and technology development across various high-impact organizations.
Eric currently serves as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a prestigious position where he harnesses his expertise in supporting groundbreaking research initiatives that aim to advance national defense technologies. In this role, he applies his deep understanding of diagnostics and biosurveillance to develop novel solutions that effectively address complex challenges in public health and safety.
Career Highlights
Before his role at DARPA, Eric showcased his exceptional management skills as the Chief Technology Officer and Director of Research Strategy at the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska. Here, he was pivotal in driving forward-looking research strategies and fostering collaboration among scientists, engineers, and policy makers to bolster national security. His visionary leadership helped shape research agendas that aligned with the evolving threats facing the nation.
Additionally, Eric was a key figure as a judge for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE at the XPRIZE foundation, where he contributed his knowledge and insights to assess innovative health monitoring technologies aimed at transforming healthcare delivery on a global scale. His involvement in such transformative initiatives showcases his commitment to advancing technology for the greater good.
His previous experience also includes significant roles in research and development, particularly as the Director of Diagnostics and Biosurveillance at MRIGlobal, where he focused on developing diagnostic technologies to address critical health issues. His work in this capacity further exemplifies his dedication to utilizing science and technology to enhance public health outcomes.
Eric has also contributed his expertise to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, serving in various capacities such as Division Chief in Diagnostics and Disease Surveillance as well as Senior Science and Technology Manager. Through these roles, he played an instrumental part in ensuring U.S. readiness against biological threats, promoting diagnostics that are crucial for disease preparedness and response.
Before diving deep into his roles related to national defense and public health, Eric sharpened his project management skills while working as a Program Manager at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and as a Project Manager at General Dynamics AIS. Each of these positions has equipped him with invaluable experience in managing complex projects from inception to execution, demonstrating his ability to deliver results in demanding environments.
Education and Achievements
Eric Van Gieson’s educational foundation is rooted in the highly respected University of Virginia, where he not only earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering but also his B.S. in Chemical Engineering. His rigorous academic training has provided him with a robust understanding of the principles of engineering and science, underscoring his capability to innovate in fields that require intricate knowledge of both biology and technology.
In addition to his educational credentials, Eric’s contributions to research and technology have been recognized by various organizations. His role as a judge at the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE reflects his esteemed status in the field, while his managerial positions at DARPA, NSRI, and MRIGlobal highlight his capacity for leadership and strategic thinking in high-stakes environments.
Achievements
Throughout his distinguished career, Eric has made substantial strides in the areas of biomedical engineering and national security. His achievements include:
- Leadership in National Defense: Directing pivotal diagnostics and biosurveillance projects, ensuring that the U.S. is prepared for potential biological threats.
- Innovative Research Oversight: Spearheading research strategies that have led to advancements in public health technologies during his time at the National Strategic Research Institute.
- Contribution to Global Health Technology: Assessing groundbreaking health monitoring technologies as a Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE judge, fostering innovations that have the potential to impact healthcare delivery worldwide.
Eric Van Gieson continues to leverage his diverse skill set and experiences to make meaningful contributions to the fields of biomedical engineering and national security, reinforcing his reputation as a thought leader and innovator in these vital areas.
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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.
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.
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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.