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Henning Rokling
Philanthropy disruption * Quantitative trading * 25 years in games industry * Decentralised consensus networks
Professional Background
Henning Rokling is a seasoned entrepreneur and tech enthusiast who has had a profound impact on the gaming and financial industries over the past several decades. His journey in technology began in the late 1970s when he first encountered an Atari 2600, igniting a passion for video game programming that would follow him throughout his career. By the time he saved enough money to purchase a Commodore 64, he was already delving deep into the world of programming, mastering 6502 assembly code and contributing to the vibrant demo scene by creating both demo parts and chip music.
Fast forward to the early years of Funcom, where Henning stepped into the role of a team leader, directing game development teams to deliver some of the company's inaugural cartridge games. His invaluable experience includes a notable collaboration with Nintendo on a first-party product, a venture that significantly shaped his understanding of consumer appeal within the digital product sphere, specifically in gaming.
Henning's ambitions led him to co-found Innerloop Studios, where he served as both CEO and team leader for a decade. During his tenure, he was instrumental in building international distribution channels for their games and overseeing a successful exit strategy that benefitted their mixture of industrial, financial, and founding shareholders. Innerloop Studios made headlines for being pioneers in their field, notably for executing the world’s first fashion product tie-in for a video game in collaboration with Diesel Industries, showcasing Henning’s innovative approach to gaming development.
After nurturing his entrepreneurial spirit, Henning expanded his expertise into the financial markets with over 15 years of experience in investing and trading. His endeavors included swing trading in stocks, relative arbitrage, and co-founding an asset management firm. As an electronic member of the prestigious Chicago Mercantile Exchange, he gained firsthand experience trading in various commodities such as interest rate futures, agriculture, and energy futures. Notably, during the turbulent financial climate in the fall of 2008, he adeptly traded Eurodollar spreads, solidifying his reputation as a savvy market participant.
Transitioning into management consulting, Henning dedicated three years to strategic analysis and advisory services for AdTech, FinTech, Consumer Internet, Mobile, and Digital Media companies. With extensive knowledge and experience acquired over the years, he now seeks to launch and scale new companies, exhibiting his unwavering commitment to innovation and growth in the tech industry.
Education and Achievements
Henning Rokling’s foundational skills and knowledge have been sculpted through years of hands-on experience rather than traditional academic channels. His early ventures in programming, game development, and finance showcase his capacity for self-education and adaptation, essential qualities in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Throughout his prolific career, Henning has achieved remarkable milestones. Notably, the establishment of Innerloop Studios was a significant achievement in his professional timeline, representing both a creative outlet and a business triumph. His skills in managing teams and complex projects have translated into series of successful game launches and partnerships with major players in the gaming industry, such as Eidos, Codemasters, Sega, and Infogrames/Atari.
Additionally, his innovative concept of fashion product tie-ins in video games has opened new avenues for collaborations within the entertainment industry, further demonstrating his forward-thinking approach to gaming and technology. From these experiences, he has cultivated a wealth of insights into consumer behavior and market trends.
Key Roles and Contributions
Henning's professional trajectory has included numerous high-level roles that illustrate his expertise and strategic insight:
- Chief Technology Officer at Oslo Philanthropic Exchange, where he leads tech-driven initiatives to support philanthropic efforts.
- Managing Director at Innovation Partner, helping startups and tech companies in scaling while catalyzing innovation.
- CFO/COO at Artplant, focusing on operational excellence and financial strategy.
- Founder and CEO at Startle, where he implemented his vision of integrating technology into engaging consumer experiences.
- Holding various board positions, including at Social Games Ventures AS and Artplant AS, where he contributes to guiding strategic directions and fostering growth.
Community Engagement and Advocacy
Ben has also served on several boards and committees aiming to promote the gaming industry in Norway, such as the Association of Norwegian Computer and Video Game Developers. His leadership within this organization not only showcases his commitment to the growth of the industry but also highlights his focus on nurturing new talent and fostering collaboration among game developers.
In summary, Henning Rokling embodies the spirit of innovation and dedication within both the gaming and finance sectors. His rich background in technology, game development, and investment positions him as a strong contributor to future endeavors in launching and scaling technology-driven companies, paving the way for the next generation of digital solutions and interactive experiences.
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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.
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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 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.
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.
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