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Lena Thiede
Co-Founder/ Partner bei Planet A Ventures
Professional Background
Lena Thiede is a distinguished leader and co-founding partner at Planet A Ventures, an innovative Green Tech venture capital firm dedicated to supporting groundbreaking European startups. In her role, Lena is pivotal in measuring the scientific impact of the initiatives that Planet A Ventures backs, ensuring that investments yield tangible benefits for both the economy and the environment. With over 11 years of extensive work experience at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), she possesses a deep understanding of sustainable development issues, particularly in the context of international cooperation.
Throughout her career, Lena has held key positions that have allowed her to influence policy and drive significant programs. As the Head of Development Cooperation in Tanzania and East Africa, she successfully led government programs focused on biodiversity, water resources, and thorough monitoring and evaluation processes. Her comprehensive expertise in these areas has made her a recognized voice in environmental policy and sustainability.
Lena's professional journey is characterized by her commitment to environmental sustainability, researched insights, and strategic leadership across prominent organizations, including the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), the OECD, GIZ, and Ecologic Institute. She is currently advising the Exist Program of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, leveraging her vast experience to guide and nurture startups in their quest to innovate and create lasting change.
Education and Achievements
Lena Thiede holds an impressive educational background that complements her professional endeavors. She earned her Master of Arts in Political Science, honing her expertise in international affairs, while also studying at notable institutions such as the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs. Her academic work culminated in a Diplom in Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin, where her thesis examined "The Effectiveness of International Environmental Regimes," showcasing her analytical capabilities and her interest in sustainability and policy effectiveness.
Additionally, Lena pursued Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, where she laid the groundwork for her future endeavors in policy-making and environmental advocacy.
Throughout her remarkable career, Lena has received numerous accolades and has contributed to various high-impact initiatives that reflect her dedication to environmental and social governance (ESG). Her work has spanned many sectors, and she has consistently been at the forefront of discussions surrounding sustainability in European contexts and beyond.
Notable Contributions and Affiliations
In addition to her role at Planet A Ventures, Lena has actively participated in several influential organizations. As a senior policy advisor at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin, she provided strategic guidance on environmental policies and practices. She has served on the advisory board of the EXIST Program under the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, where she contributed her insights to foster an ecosystem conducive to innovation and sustainability.
Moreover, Lena has been a prominent member of initiatives such as Cleantech for Europe, Global Women in VC, and the Rising Tide Collective, reflecting her commitment to promoting sustainable practices and advancing women's representation in the venture capital space. Her involvement with encourageventures e.V. and as a co-founder of the Sustainability Network (3plusX) demonstrates her passion for collaborative efforts and knowledge sharing in the sustainability domain.
Lena’s vast experience also includes several key roles at the BMZ and various global institutions, where she focused on sustainable development and policy implementation. She has been instrumental in driving policy dialogues, managing regional cooperation initiatives, and enhancing the efficacy of development programs at both national and international levels. Her work at the OECD and as a junior associate at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) further enriched her skills in strategic analysis and consulting, reinforcing her capacity to navigate complex policy landscapes.
Commitment to Impact
Throughout her career, Lena has remained steadfast in her commitment to measurable impact. She believes that assessing the scientific impact of investments and initiatives is crucial to ensuring sustainable development and fostering innovation in response to global challenges. At Planet A Ventures, her role underscores the importance of integrating scientific rigor in the evaluation of green technology startups, ensuring they contribute positively to environmental goals.
In her advisory roles, Lena has continually sought to bridge the gap between policy and practice, fostering partnerships that enhance the effectiveness and reach of sustainability initiatives. Her ability to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes and her dedication to interdisciplinary collaboration have positioned her as a trusted advisor and leader in the field.
Conclusion
Lena Thiede’s impressive background combines substantial experience in government, environmental policy, and venture capital, making her a formidable force in the quest for sustainable development. Her influence is evident in both her academic achievements and her impactful contributions to international cooperation and green technology. Lena is not just a leader but a dedicated advocate for environmentally responsible practices that will shape a sustainable future. As she continues her impressive journey, her work at Planet A Ventures and beyond will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of innovators and change-makers in the green 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:
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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.