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Haiyang Liu
Engineering Manager at Instabase (we are hiring)
Professional Background
Haiyang Liu is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the technology sector, specifically in software engineering and engineering management. Over the years, he has developed a robust skill set that has allowed him to thrive in various high-impact roles across some of the industry's leading companies. Currently, he serves as the Engineering Manager at Instabase, where he leads a talented team in designing and implementing innovative solutions that enhance the company’s offerings. His role requires not only exceptional technical knowledge but also strong leadership capabilities, as he guides his team towards achieving key project milestones and contributing to the overall vision of the organization.
Previously, Haiyang held the position of Technical Lead Manager at Lyft, where he played a pivotal role in developing scalable systems that support the company's ride-sharing platform. His commitment to excellence in software design and implementation significantly impacted Lyft's operational efficiency and user experience. Before his tenure at Lyft, he excelled as a Senior Software Engineer at LinkedIn. Here, he was responsible for developing features that enhanced end-user interaction, showcasing his ability to create impactful solutions that resonate with users.
Beginning his career at LinkedIn, Haiyang worked his way up from Software Engineer to Senior Software Engineer, demonstrating remarkable growth in his technical proficiency and leadership skills. His experience is further enriched by an internship at Microsoft, where he laid the groundwork for his software development career and gained valuable insights into enterprise-level solutions. He also honed his programming skills during his time as a Summer Intern at RetailMeNot, Inc. and as a Student Web Developer at Rice University.
Haiyang’s contributions to the technology field extend beyond his formal roles, as he served as a Student Computer Consultant at the IT help desk of Rice University. This position allowed him to assist his peers with technical issues, developing a strong foundation in customer service and technical support.
Education and Achievements
Haiyang Liu's educational journey began at Rice University, where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Rice University is renowned for its rigorous academic curriculum and innovative research, providing Haiyang with a comprehensive understanding of computer science principles and practices. This foundation has been essential in shaping his approach to software development and engineering management. The problem-solving skills and technical knowledge he gained during his studies have proven invaluable throughout his career.
His excellence in academics and professional endeavors has contributed to a series of impressive achievements. As an Engineering Manager, he has successfully led cross-functional teams on numerous projects, ensuring timely delivery while maintaining high-quality standards. His strategic approach to engineering management has been recognized within the companies he has worked for, earning him trust and respect from his peers and supervisors alike.
Additionally, Haiyang’s technical acumen has enabled him to mentor junior engineers, fostering an environment of growth and continuous learning within his teams. Through his guidance, several engineers have advanced their careers, reflecting Haiyang’s commitment to professional development within the tech industry. He actively engages in knowledge sharing, often presenting at team meetings and tech seminars, showcasing cutting-edge industry practices and methodologies.
Achievements
Among his most notable achievements, Haiyang has been instrumental in delivering several high-profile projects that have transformed the user experience for millions. His ability to marry technical excellence with user-centric design principles has led to enhancements that not only meet but exceed users' expectations. Additionally, his leadership style, which emphasizes collaboration and innovation, has resulted in increased team productivity and morale. Haiyang's prowess in the technology sector is underscored by his track record of successfully tackling complex challenges, making him a highly respected figure in the engineering community.
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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.
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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.