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Michael Astolfi
Vice President of Product at Outlier.org
Professional Background
Michael T. Astolfi is a visionary creator known for his award-winning interactive experiences that bridge the gap between technology and gaming. With an impressive career that spans various realms of game development, Michael has made significant contributions to the industry, particularly through his innovative projects that cater to a diverse audience. As the former Product Manager at CTRL-labs, he was at the forefront of developing a transformative brain-machine interface, reshaping how users interact with virtual environments. His passion for creating immersive experiences has been a driving force behind his work in both audio and visual gaming.
Throughout his career, Michael has demonstrated his ability to excel in various roles, including his tenure as Vice President of Product at Outlier.org, where he was instrumental in shaping educational products that utilize gamified approaches to learning. His expertise also encompasses founding and leading his game development studio, Star Penguin Games, where he successfully launched the mobile game "Amazing Loot Grind" on both iOS and Android platforms. Additionally, he served as the co-creator and developer of "BlindSide," an innovative audio-only adventure that has received acclaim for its unique approach to gameplay, benefiting both sighted and visually impaired players.
Michael's creative portfolio is incredibly diverse, encompassing games developed for virtual reality, arcade cabinets, and even tabletop formats. His projects have garnered recognition and featured prominently at esteemed gaming and technology events such as E3, Games for Change, Indiecade, Brazil’s Independent Games Festival, the World Science Festival, the X Games, and the Little League World Series. His work has also caught the attention of media outlets including MSNBC, The New Yorker, Wired, Kill Screen, and Polygon, affirming his position as a thought leader in the interactive experiences landscape.
Education and Achievements
Michael T. Astolfi's academic journey has been as varied and enriching as his professional career. He earned his Master of Arts (MA) in The Design & Psychology of Video Games from New York University, equipping him with a deep understanding of player behavior and game design principles. His passion for psychology and its application in gaming began with his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Evolutionary Psychology from Boston University, where he explored the underlying cognitive processes that influence gameplay.
To further enhance his quantitative skills, Michael undertook additional coursework in Calculus, Statistics, and Chemistry at Columbia University. This unique combination of educational backgrounds has allowed him to merge creativity with scientific analysis, resulting in groundbreaking interactive experiences that are both engaging and intellectually stimulating.
Notable Contributions
In addition to his role as the founder of Star Penguin Games, Michael has co-founded several other game development studios, including Blacktorch Games, LLC, and epicycle, LLC. His role as Lead Game Designer allowed him to explore new avenues in gaming while collaborating with other innovative minds in the industry.
Michael's involvement with organizations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York also showcases his commitment to advancing digital strategies in education and technology. As Manager of Digital Strategies, he not only spearheaded initiatives that integrated technology into educational settings, but also worked to support the development of interactive tools that enhance learning experiences.
Through his extensive work, Michael has skillfully created games for a variety of platforms—from mobile devices to the streets of Brooklyn—showcasing his versatility and adaptability in an ever-evolving industry. His desire to push the boundaries of interactive gameplay and user experience continues to inspire those in the fields of game development and educational technology.
Legacy and Vision
Michael T. Astolfi seeks to transform the way audiences experience games through innovation and inclusive design. His impactful contributions, such as the development of audio-centric gaming experiences, empower players of all abilities to immerse themselves fully in virtual worlds. As the industry progresses, Michael remains committed to exploring new technologies, meeting the needs of diverse player demographics, and encouraging educational opportunities through interactive media.
In an era where gaming technology is evolving at a rapid pace, Michael's forward-thinking approach has positioned him as a leader and innovator in the gaming realm. With a solid foundation in psychology, design, and technology, he continues to create enchanting and educational experiences that resonate with players globally, paving the way for future generations of game developers to follow in his footsteps.
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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 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.