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Jeff Brunelle
Sports tech problem solver
Professional Background
Jeff Brunelle is a distinguished product designer and entrepreneur with a rich tapestry of experience in sports and technology. Over his career, he has founded two successful companies and led various teams that strive to create a better future through innovations in sport. As a 2x founder, Jeff's entrepreneurial journey showcases his ability to identify gaps in the market and craft pioneering solutions that not only meet but exceed the expectations of stakeholders.
Throughout his career, Jeff has worn many hats, including those of a reluctant marketer and a leader of technical teams. His passion for product-led growth and disruptive marketing has positioned him as a forward-thinking leader in the industry. Jeff believes in the transformative power of data and technology, and he actively seeks ways to leverage these tools to enhance user experiences. His personal mission revolves around responsibility in the use of AI, with an emphasis on creating unforgettable interactions for fans, customers, and users alike.
Throughout his career, Jeff has shown a commitment to helping pave the way for the next generation. By innovating at the intersection of sports and technology, he focuses on sustainability and usability in product design, ensuring the future is not only exciting but also accessible to all enthusiasts.
Education and Achievements
Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Multimedia Design from the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business. This educational foundation provided him with insights into the dynamics of market trends and equipped him with the technical know-how to align business strategies with innovative practices.
Additionally, Jeff has also broadened his perspective by studying General Business Administration and Management at The University of Alabama, where he deepened his understanding of organizational dynamics and marketing strategies that are essential in today's fast-paced business environment.
Professional Experience
Jeff's career spans multiple prominent positions that underline his expertise and versatility.
- As the Chief Technology Officer at Fivestar, he played a pivotal role in driving technology innovation and guiding product development strategies that aimed at enhancing consumer interactions and driving growth.
- His entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Nothing But Nylon, where he was instrumental in shaping the company's vision and ensuring its operational success.
- He also served as the CEO at Red Label Sports, where he combined his passion for sports with keen business insight, facilitating tremendous growth for the organization.
- His earlier experience includes the role of Director of Sports & Entertainment at Carrot - The VICE Digital Agency, where he was responsible for crafting impactful campaigns that resonated with audiences and elevated brand presence in the competitive sports marketing landscape.
- In addition to these roles, he has made significant contributions as an Audience Development Analyst at Time Inc. and as a Marketing Manager at Sports Illustrated, focusing on extensive consumer research and insights that have shaped marketing strategies across platforms.
Jeff’s career is a testament to his love for sports and technology, reflected in his founding of Lacrosse All Stars, which showcases his dedication to engaging and nurturing sports communities. He was also involved in advising the Give & Go Foundation, where his insights helped guide strategic direction focused on impactful charitable initiatives.
- He has also contributed to organizations like The Post and FanPower, which demonstrates his consistent engagement with communities geared toward innovation and sport.
Achievements
Jeff Brunelle's track record of achievements has solidified his reputation as a leader in the integration of technology within sports.
- He is well-regarded for his innovative thinking that breaks down barriers in product design and development, driving successful outcomes for the organizations he has been involved with.
- His contributions to the sports industry are amplified by his strong advocacy for using data as a growth engine and customer engagement tool, which has positioned him as a thought leader in the field.
- A committed 'girl dad,' he expresses that personal experience has influenced his professional mission to inspire younger generations, specifically through his work in sports and technology.
- Jeff remains dedicated to leveraging technology responsibly, ensuring that future innovations will prioritize extraordinary experiences for users while promoting inclusivity and access.
Conclusion
In summary, Jeff Brunelle stands out as an accomplished product designer and entrepreneur who harnesses the intersection of sports and technology to forge innovative paths towards a brighter future. With deep expertise in product-led growth, data-driven decision-making, and a relentless commitment to community, Jeff not only leads teams effectively but fosters an environment of creativity and ambition. His background reflects a unique blend of business acumen, technical expertise, and a passion for sports, making him a highly sought-after leader and innovator in the industry.
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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.
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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.