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Ian Wagner
Strategic Finance at VideoAmp - Optimizing Brand Marketing to Business Outcomes
Professional Background
Ian Wagner is an accomplished corporate finance professional with a prolific career spanning several senior positions and organizations, excelling in corporate strategy and development, finance and accounting, investment banking, and business development. With a wealth of practical experience and a strong foundation in quantitative analysis, Ian has established himself as a leader in his field, demonstrating an exceptional capacity to navigate complex financial landscapes. His extensive transactional experience is complemented by robust accounting principles and corporate finance skills, making him a valuable asset in every role he has embraced.
Ian began his career in finance at Houlihan Lokey, where he honed his analytical acumen as an Analyst before advancing to the role of Associate. This early exposure to investment banking laid the groundwork for Ian’s advanced expertise in financial modeling, valuation, and comprehensive business analysis. He moved forward in his career by taking on a Vice President position at UBS Investment Bank, where he further cultivated his skills and knowledge in corporate finance and strategic investment.
Transitioning into the corporate landscape, Ian served as Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at ReachLocal, a publicly traded company known for its innovative marketing solutions. Under Gannett’s acquisition, Ian leveraged his strategic analysis and leadership skills to drive the company’s corporate development initiatives, demonstrating his aptitude for strategic planning in fast-paced environments. His journey continued as he took on the role of Director and then Vice President at Livingstone, where his expertise in M&A and business development greatly fueled the firm’s strategic objectives.
Recently, Ian has taken his extensive skills into the dynamic world of VideoAmp, contributing significantly to finance and strategy. His unique combination of analytical prowess and practical knowledge across various sectors, especially in Business & Technology Services, makes Ian a prominent figure in the finance industry, particularly in areas like Marketing Services, Business Process Outsourcing, and Information Technology Services.
Education and Achievements
Ian Wagner obtained his academic credentials from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, where he demonstrated academic excellence. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, graduating with High Honors from the reputable Walter A. Haas School of Business. Additionally, Ian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UC Berkeley. His strong educational background has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the financial industry, enabling him to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios successfully.
Ian’s educational journey not only reflects his commitment to personal and professional growth but also his deep-seated interest in corporate finance and economics. His strong academic foundation remains a driving force in his approach to finance, ensuring that he employs sound economic principles in all his strategic initiatives.
Specialties
Ian possesses specialized skills that are integral to corporate finance and strategic planning, making him proficient in several key areas. His specialties include:
- Corporate Finance: Ian has extensive experience handling corporate finances, enabling companies to optimize their financial performance and maximize shareholder value.
- Strategic Planning: He is adept at developing long-term strategies that align with corporate objectives, ensuring sustainable growth.
- Corporate Development: Ian has a strong track record in corporate development, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and investment opportunities that drive organizational success.
- Accounting: His background in accounting allows him to grasp financial statements with clarity and precision, aiding successful decision-making.
- Business Development: Ian has a keen insight into market trends and customer dynamics, which empowers him to identify new opportunities and innovate existing business models.
- M&A, Financial Modeling and Analysis, and Business Analysis/Valuation: His capabilities in these areas position him as a leader in transaction execution, providing strategic insight and facilitating informed decision-making.
Achievements
Through his various roles, Ian has consistently delivered positive results and driven organizational growth. His leadership in M&A transactions, corporate strategy, and business development initiatives has contributed to the success of the organizations he has been part of. He is recognized for his ability to effectively communicate complex financial concepts to stakeholders, ensuring clarity and understanding across all organizational levels. With a career characterized by significant achievements, Ian Wagner stands out as a seasoned professional who thrives in complex environments, offering a wealth of experience in optimizing corporate finance strategies for leading companies in the Business & Technology Services sectors.
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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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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 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.
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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 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.
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