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Marko Seppä
For Business Creation & Growth Financing
Professional Background
Marko Seppä is a distinguished entrepreneur and investor known for his vast contributions to the fields of venture capital and innovation. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Global Enabler Corporation, an organization dedicated to nurturing startups and facilitating international collaborations for impactful business growth. Under his leadership, Global Enabler has carved a niche in empowering businesses to thrive in competitive markets, creating synergies between innovation and entrepreneurship.
Before his role at Global Enabler, Marko made significant contributions as an Independent Expert, Evaluator, and Reviewer for the European Commission. His expertise was instrumental in assessing projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing economic and technological advancements across Europe. Marko's analytical skills and understanding of market dynamics have positioned him as a reliable advisor in various sectors.
Marko's entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish the Venture Capital Corporation VCC Oy, where he served as Owner and CEO. During his tenure, he focused on funding early-stage startups, mentoring fledgling entrepreneurs, and fostering a vibrant ecosystem for new business development. His passion for innovation also saw him take on the role of Independent Expert and Entrepreneur In Residence at the Finland-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Program, where he facilitated knowledge transfer and collaboration between the two regions.
In the academic realm, Marko has made a significant impact as a Professor of Growth Venture Creation at the University of Jyväskylä. His experience as Founding Director of the Global Venture Lab demonstrated his commitment to educating the next generation of entrepreneurs. By combining academic theory with real-world application, he provided insights into effective venture creation strategies.
Marko further solidified his reputation in the venture capital landscape as the Founding Executive Director of the eBusiness Research Center (eBRC) at Tampere University of Technology. His leadership in this role emphasized the importance of research in driving innovation and entrepreneurship, fostering valuable partnerships with industry stakeholders.
His career also includes prominent positions such as Exit Stage Deputy Director and General Partner at the Finnish Venture Capital FVC Oy, where he played a pivotal role in strategic decision-making and investment management. His early career achievements include serving as the Founding CEO of Finnish Venture Capital FVC Oy at Panostaja Plc, where he laid the groundwork for venture funding in Finland.
Education and Achievements
Marko Seppä’s academic background, coupled with his multifaceted experience in the venture capital ecosystem, has equipped him with a unique perspective on entrepreneurship and innovation. Although specific educational details are not provided, his appointments as a professor and director suggest a strong foundation in business management, technology, and entrepreneurial studies.
Marko's contributions are not limited to his immediate roles but extend to promoting entrepreneurship on a global scale. His active participation as an independent expert and evaluator for the European Commission highlights his commitment to fostering economic development and supporting innovative projects that can push boundaries and drive societal impact.
Moreover, his roles across various organizations underscore his versatility and ability to operate in diverse environments, making him a respected figure in both academic and business circles.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Marko Seppä has achieved numerous milestones that reflect his dedication to entrepreneurship and venture capital. He has been a key player in shaping Finland's venture capital landscape, turning economic challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. His leadership at organizations such as Finnish Venture Capital FVC Oy and the establishment of VCC Oy have been particularly noteworthy.
As Co-Founder of Global Enabler Corporation, Marko continues to influence the startup ecosystem positively, helping countless entrepreneurs realize their visions and contribute to the economy. His initiatives have not only created jobs but have also introduced innovative solutions to market needs, demonstrating his passion and commitment to fostering an environment conducive to business growth.
In recognition of his extensive knowledge and experience, Marko has been invited to lecture and share his expertise at various events, workshops, and academic institutions, further establishing his reputation as a thought leader in the field of venture capital and entrepreneurship. His ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice makes him a valuable mentor and advisor to upcoming entrepreneurs seeking guidance in navigating the complexities of the business world.
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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 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.
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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 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.