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Matthias Affeldt
Co-Founder and CTO @ Vanilla Steel
Professional Background
Matthias Affeldt is a distinguished figure in the fields of technical computer science and aerospace engineering, boasting an impressive resume that spans numerous high-profile positions and entrepreneurial ventures. With a career rooted in innovation and leadership, Matthias has significantly contributed to the tech and steel industries. As the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at vanilla steel, he has been pivotal in ensuring that the organization leads in the steel sector through advanced technological solutions and strategic planning.
Prior to his current role at vanilla steel, Matthias served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at thyssenkrupp Steel, where he utilized his entrepreneurial spirit and expertise to drive innovative projects and foster collaboration in large-scale enterprises. His tenure at thyssenkrupp Steel set the stage for him to further enhance his leadership capabilities and industry insight.
Matthias also has rich experience in managing and directing teams towards success. He previously held the position of Managing Director and CTO at XOM Materials, where he was instrumental in shaping the company's strategic direction and technological advancements. His leadership ensured that the company thrived in an increasingly competitive market.
Earlier in his career, Matthias founded atfogo, where he served as the Chief Executive Officer. His entrepreneurial journey illustrates his ability to identify market opportunities and translate innovative ideas into successful business models. His hands-on experience allowed him to develop into a proficient leader in both startup and corporate environments.
With extensive knowledge in IT management, Matthias has held various roles at renowned organizations. His previous positions include Head of IT at mirapodo GmbH, Project Manager at T-Systems Multimedia Solutions, and Director Application Management at ProMarkt Online GmbH. Each role added to his vast skill set, encompassing software development, project management, and technology integration.
Education and Achievements
Matthias Affeldt's educational background underpins much of his professional expertise. He studied Technical Computer Science at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin, where he gained a robust foundation in computing technologies. Furthermore, Matthias' academic journey included studying Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik (Aerospace Engineering) at Technische Universität Berlin. This diverse educational background reflects his passion for both computer science and aerospace, allowing him to innovate at the intersection of these fields.
Throughout his career, Matthias has achieved notable milestones and garnered valuable experience that has propelled him to the forefront of his industry. His work has not only led to the growth of the organizations he has been part of but has also contributed to advancements in technology and operational efficiency in each sector he has engaged with. From his managerial roles to his technical contributions, Matthias has continuously strived for excellence.
Achievements
- Co-Founder and CTO at Vanilla Steel: Matthias has been essential in steering vanilla steel towards innovative practices and technological advancements within the steel industry, fostering a culture of creativity and efficiency.
- Entrepreneur in Residence at thyssenkrupp Steel: In this role, Matthias led several initiatives that tapped into emerging technologies, enhancing operational efficiencies and promoting sustainable practices.
- Industry Contributions: His experience at XOM Materials, both as Managing Director and CTO, involved redefining the company’s technological direction and implementation of advanced materials solutions in different industrial applications.
- Founder of atfogo: This venture showcases Matthias's entrepreneurial spirit and ability to lead a successful startup through the challenges of establishing a new business in a competitive landscape.
- Management Roles: With years of managerial experience, including as Director of Application Management and Head of Software Development, Matthias has proven his capability to lead teams and drive projects to completion effectively.
Matthias Affeldt continues to leave a significant mark in his field, combining technical understanding with strategic vision. His journey embodies the spirit of innovation and leadership, making him a valuable touchpoint for aspiring professionals in computer science and related domains.
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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.
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 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.