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Hal Watts
CEO at Unmade
Professional Background
Hal Watts is a distinguished mechanical engineer with a rich and diverse professional background spanning biomechanics research, innovation consultancy, and entrepreneurial ventures in the tech and fashion industries. His career began as a biomechanics researcher, a field combining principles of mechanics and biology to improve human health and performance. This early interest in how design and engineering can impact human life would lay the foundation for his future endeavors.
With a natural curiosity and eagerness to bridge the gap between engineering and business, Hal was awarded a prestigious fellowship at the Imperial College Business School, where he pursued a Master in Business Administration (MBA). This experience not only honed his business acumen but also ignited his passion for innovation in design and entrepreneurship.
Following his MBA, Hal transitioned into the software industry, where he utilized his engineering skills in a technology-driven environment. This step reinforced his multifaceted expertise, blending technical knowledge with business strategy. His career journey took a pivotal turn when he decided to further his education in Innovation Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art. Here, Hal not only deepened his understanding of design thinking but also met his future co-founders, Ben and Kirsty, who would become instrumental in his entrepreneurial ventures.
In 2014, Hal co-founded Unmade, an innovative tech company focused on transforming the fashion industry through technology and design. As the CEO, he has been pivotal in shaping the company’s vision, strategy, and direction. Under his leadership, Unmade has forged partnerships with significant clients like Google, allowing the company to push the boundaries of the fashion industry and develop cutting-edge solutions that enhance consumer experience and sustainability.
In addition to his role at Unmade, Hal is known for his previous experiences as co-founder of KNYTTAN Ltd, where he applied his engineering expertise to create custom knitwear solutions. His freelance work as an engineer and designer at Google and his directorial position at Searu further highlight his versatility and commitment to innovation across various sectors.
Education and Achievements
Hal Watts’ educational journey is as impressive as his career trajectory. He holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Imperial College London. This engineering foundation provided him with the technical skills necessary to thrive in various roles, especially in biomechanics and innovation. His academic pursuit did not stop there, as he later attended the Imperial College Business School as a Fellow in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Design. This fellowship allowed Hal to immerse himself in the world of business, emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship.
To expand his expertise in design, Hal pursued a Master’s degree in Innovation Design Engineering at the esteemed Royal College of Art. This multi-disciplinary program uniquely combines engineering, design, and business, preparing graduates to tackle complex challenges in a rapidly evolving world.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Hal has achieved numerous milestones that underscore his commitment to innovation and excellence. As CEO of Unmade, he has driven the company to develop pioneering technologies that enable personalized fashion. His leadership has facilitated collaborations with several high-profile brands, showcasing his ability to integrate technology and design seamlessly.
Hal's work at Unmade has garnered attention from both industry leaders and media outlets, highlighting his innovative approach to fashion. His role as a thought leader in the intersection of technology and design has inspired many emerging designers and entrepreneurs. Hal's dedication to sustainability and ethical practices within the fashion industry further emphasizes his forward-thinking philosophy, making him a sought-after speaker and advisor on topics related to innovation, design, and entrepreneurship.
In summary, Hal Watts exemplifies the blend of engineering rigor and innovative business strategy. His rich educational background, coupled with his diverse professional experiences, positions him as a leader in the field of design and technology. As he continues to forge new paths with Unmade and beyond, Hal remains committed to driving change and fostering innovation in the industries he serves.
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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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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 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.
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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.