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John Sjölander
Partner @ Newion. Former computer whiz kid. Physics engineering drop out. None times startup founder. VC apprentice. Transhumanist. Not a husband. Probably not a dad.
Professional Background
John Sjölander is a seasoned technology executive and investment professional with a wealth of experience spanning over two decades. Currently, he serves as a Partner at Newion, a leading venture capital firm where he focuses on investments within the Nordic region, a role he has embraced since 2019. His expertise is reflected in his strategic oversight of projects, aiming to propel innovation and success in the tech industry. Before joining Newion, John demonstrated his investment prowess at Industrifonden, Sweden's largest evergreen venture capital firm, where he held the position of Investment Manager from 2015 to 2019. In this capacity, he was responsible for identifying and nurturing high-potential startups, playing a pivotal role in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape of Sweden.
In addition to his work with Newion and Industrifonden, John has been actively contracting with technology companies and venture capital firms through his own company, John Sjölander AB, also founded in 2013. His extensive background in technology management includes notable positions such as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Sticky where he helped raise $10 million before the company was acquired by Tobii in 2016. Before Sticky, John made significant contributions as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and eventual COO at Burt from 2009 to 2013, during which he oversaw the company’s growth to over 30 employees and helped raise $8 million in funding.
John's entrepreneurial spirit shone as a founding CEO of Contribio from 2007 to 2009, where he led a small team to raise $350,000, although the company ultimately concluded its operations. His journey in technology began quite early, with experience as a mobile developer at Mediabricks and a Java developer at Red Message, both contributing to his robust technical foundation. Earlier in his career, he honed his skills through an internship at Spotfire.
Education and Achievements
John Sjölander's educational background is as impressive as his professional experience. He earned a Master of Science degree in Applied Information Technology from the IT-University of Göteborg. Additionally, he holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering Physics from the prestigious Chalmers University of Technology, which is renowned for its rigorous approach to engineering education and research. He also completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Engineering at Göteborgs Universitet. These foundational degrees not only equipped him with core technical skills but also fostered analytical thinking, which has been invaluable in his career.
Throughout his career, John has made substantial contributions to the tech industry, evident in the various leadership and board roles he has held over the years. His tenure as an Investment Manager at Industrifonden is particularly notable as he played a crucial role in the success of several startups. He has also been a board member for several startups, including Mediatool, Fast Travel Games, Soundtrap AB, and Barnebys, providing them with strategic guidance and investment insight.
John's commitment to fostering innovation is further underscored by his participation in various organizations. He has served as a Board Observer for companies such as Widespace and Apica Systems, providing crucial oversight while supporting growth and operational excellence. His unique blend of technical expertise, investment acumen, and operational leadership has firmly established him as a prominent figure in Sweden's tech ecosystem.
Quotations and Philosophy
John's professional ethos is deeply influenced by visionary quotes that emphasize autonomy and the importance of technology in modern society. He quotes David Clark's philosophy on decentralized governance, voicing a preference for collaborative consensus and pragmatic coding over traditional leadership models. This sentiment resonates with many in the tech community who advocate for innovation unrestricted by conventional hierarchies. Moreover, John reflects John Perry Barlow's declaration of independence for cyberspace, signaling a strong belief in the transformative power of digital technology as a new frontier for humanity.
Always inspired by the works of Ayn Rand, John embodies the philosophy that individual purpose must align closely with one's passions. His varied experience and his extensive network illustrate how he applies this philosophy to empower fellow innovators and entrepreneurs. Additionally, quoting Charlie from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," John illustrates his connection to youthful exuberance and the infinite possibilities that accompany a passionate pursuit of one's passions.
Achievements
John's career is marked by several noteworthy achievements that continue to impact the tech landscape positively. His role at Sticky resulted not just in a successful raise of $10 million, but also contributed to its acquisition by Tobii, highlighting his capability to drive successful exit strategies. As an early-stage team member at Burt, his leadership contributed to achieving a sizeable funding growth and employee expansion, establishing the company’s presence in a competitive market.
As a founder and CEO at Contribio, though short-lived, he led the company through the early stages, raising initial capital and setting a foundational vision. His early career developments, including his roles at Mediabricks and Red Message, laid the groundwork for his future successes, combining technical development with strategic foresight in the evolving tech landscape.
In summary, John Sjölander possesses extensive expertise in technology, investment, and leadership, illustrated by a remarkable career trajectory. He continues to influence the tech industry through his role at Newion, seeking innovative opportunities to invest in and guide next-generation startups within the Nordic market. John’s educational background, combined with his leadership roles and philosophical outlook, reflects a profound commitment to promoting progress and encouraging creativity across the technology sector.
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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
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
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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.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
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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