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Marina Gorbis
Professional Background
Marina Gorbis is a distinguished executive and thought leader in the field of future studies, currently serving as the Executive Director at the Institute for the Future (IFTF). With a deep-rooted dedication to exploring and shaping the future, she brings an exceptional blend of expertise in public policy and psychology to her work. Her leadership at IFTF, a renowned nonprofit research organization, is marked by an impressive commitment to understanding how emerging technologies impact society and how individuals can navigate those changes effectively.
Before taking the helm at the Institute for the Future, Marina held the position of Director at SRI International, where she was instrumental in guiding significant research initiatives and fostering innovative thinking. Her tenure at SRI International allowed her to deepen her understanding of the intersection between technology and human behavior, equipping her with insights that have proven invaluable in her current role.
Known for her insightful analyses and forward-thinking perspectives, Marina authored "Nature of the Future," a seminal work that combines her extensive research with an engaging narrative about how our lives, work, and relationships will evolve in response to technological advancements. Her contributions to understanding the broader implications of technological transformation have established her as a trusted voice in her field.
Education and Achievements
Marina Gorbis's academic journey began at the University of California, Berkeley, where she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. This foundation in human behavior has profoundly influenced her approach to future studies, enabling her to consider the psychological impact of societal changes as technology continues to evolve.
Further enhancing her expertise, Marina studied Public Policy at UC Berkeley, a discipline that has equipped her with the knowledge necessary to critically analyze how policy frameworks can adapt to future challenges. Her education at one of the premier institutions in the country underscores her credibility and commitment to her field.
Marina's educational background has served as a launching pad for her professional achievements, allowing her to challenge conventional thinking and inspire a future-focused mindset in both individuals and organizations. Under her guidance, IFTF has been at the forefront of critical research and foresight, empowering leaders to anticipate change and embrace innovation.
Achievements
Throughout her career, Marina Gorbis has garnered numerous accolades for her contributions to future studies and her leadership role at the Institute for the Future. Her role as the Executive Director is marked not only by steering the organization toward impactful research outputs but also by fostering a collaborative environment where diverse voices contribute to shaping foresight methodologies.
Her book, "Nature of the Future," has received commendations for its thought-provoking analysis and reader-friendly approach, making complex ideas accessible to a wider audience. This publication has become a reference point for professionals seeking to understand the implications of future trends and serves as a guide for adapting to change in various sectors.
Marina's influence extends beyond her direct roles; she is recognized as a thought leader and speaker at numerous conferences and forums, where she shares her insights on technology's role in shaping human experiences. Her ability to engage with audiences on various platforms enhances her reach and impact.
With an unwavering dedication to advancing knowledge around futures thinking, Marina Gorbis continues to inspire individuals and organizations to think critically about the path forward, ensuring that they are equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Whether through her writings, her leadership at IFTF, or her participation in global discussions on technology and society, she stands out as a beacon of foresight and innovation.
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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.
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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.
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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'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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