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Mario Lebherz
Managing Director at Atlantic Food Labs
Professional Background
Mario Lebherz is a distinguished professional specializing in the intersection of food, health, and sustainability. With an impressive career trajectory, he has made significant contributions to incubating innovative startups and investing in transformative projects that prioritize sustainability and healthy living. He currently serves as the Managing Director at Atlantic Food Labs, where he spearheads initiatives to advance the future of food through strategic investments and incubations in pioneering food technology companies. His leadership in the organization has been instrumental in identifying and nurturing groundbreaking ventures that align with global aspirations for health and environmental sustainability.
Education and Achievements
Mario Lebherz has a rich educational background that supports his successful career in venture capital and innovation. He studied at ESCP Business School, one of the world’s leading business schools known for its international focus. He holds a degree from the American University of Beirut, where he gained valuable insights into business practices rooted in diverse cultural contexts. Furthermore, his academic journey at the University of Tübingen further cemented his analytical and strategic thinking skills, equipping him with the expertise needed to navigate the complexities of the investment ecosystem.
In addition to his formal education, Mario's extensive hands-on experience in various roles in the corporate sector sets him apart. He has worked with both startups and established companies, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics within the food and health sectors. His role as a Venture Partner at Atlantic Labs allowed him to develop a keen eye for promising startups, honing his skills in identifying scalable opportunities that have the potential to disrupt traditional markets.
Notable Contributions and Roles
Mario's career is marked by his commitment to innovation and sustainability. As the Managing Director of Atlantic Food Labs, he has had the unique opportunity to lead transformative projects that focus on the sustainability of food systems. His strategic vision has allowed him to effectively mentor young entrepreneurs, guiding them towards creating impactful ventures that prioritize health and sustainability.
Prior to his current role, Mario made significant contributions as a Board Member at Mushlabs and Legendairy Foods, where he was pivotal in shaping the strategic direction of these companies focused on alternative proteins and sustainable food initiatives. His experience as Co-Founder at Heap and Free2Move showcases his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to turn innovative ideas into successful business models. As CFO at Morressier, a company dedicated to advancing science and research, he was integral in ensuring the financial stability and strategic growth of the organization, further reinforcing his multifaceted skill set in management and finance.
Mario's early career included crucial internships and roles such as working in Kearney and home24 SE, where he developed his analytical and operational abilities within diverse business environments. His experiences at ACXIT Capital Partners, the German Embassy to the Kingdom of Bahrain, and LBBW Venture Capital GmbH provided him with a solid foundation in venture capital, enabling him to cultivate relationships with key stakeholders in the investment community.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Mario Lebherz has successfully navigated the complexities of the venture capital landscape, turning innovative concepts into viable business ventures. His efforts in investing in sustainable food technologies have not only propelled startups to success but have also contributed to the global dialogue on sustainability in the food industry. As one of the leading figures in the realm of food innovation, his commitment to enhancing the health and sustainability of the food supply chain is widely recognized. Mario is not only a strategic thinker but also a proactive leader who inspires those around him to embrace sustainable practices in their business endeavors.
As an advocate for healthy living and an expert in the food tech space, his contributions to funding disruptive ideas underscore the importance of aligning business success with environmental stewardship. Mario's dedication to mentoring and advising budding entrepreneurs illustrates his passion for creating a sustainable marketplace that prioritizes both people and the planet, assuring that equity in health and nutrition is accessible for future generations.
Mario Lebherz continues to be a dynamic force behind the scenes, driving change and inspiring innovation in the realms of food, health, and sustainability. Under his leadership, countless startups are positioned to redefine how society engages with food and health, ensuring a sustainable future for all.
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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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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.
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 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.