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Ryan Perez
Building great schools since 2003
Professional Background
Ryan Perez is a dedicated education entrepreneur and executive, with over 20 years of experience in the field of education technology and academic management. His journey began in 2003 when he established his first school in Beijing, showcasing his passion for education and his ability to innovate within the sector. Since then, Ryan has held influential roles at renowned organizations such as The Boston Consulting Group and Cengage Learning, where he led crucial technology and education projects, primarily focusing on larger enterprises. His roles at these companies allowed him to develop a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on operational expertise in the education landscape.
In recent years, Ryan has channelled his energy towards investing in and operating education companies, marking a significant turning point in his career. His ambitious venture, Sonder Creek Academy, is a private, independent JK - 8th grade school located in Walnut Creek, CA, which he is currently building. This venture demonstrates not only his commitment to innovative education but also his strategic vision for creating high-quality learning environments that foster academic excellence and personal growth.
Education and Achievements
Ryan holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Strategy and General Management from the prestigious University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business. This rigorous academic training equipped him with the necessary skills to navigate the complex business landscape of education, enabling him to identify opportunities for growth and improvement within educational institutions.
Additionally, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Washington, providing him with a solid foundation in economic principles that continue to inform his operational strategies today. This blend of educational credentials enhances his ability to develop scalable operations, create effective partnerships, and implement innovative strategies that positively impact students and educators alike.
Notable Positions and Contributions
In addition to his current role as President at Sonder Creek Academy, Ryan has also served as the Senior Director of Product Strategy and Partnerships at Cengage Learning. During his tenure there, he successfully led various projects that were critical in shaping educational products and services tailored to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving market. He also held the position of Project Lead for ed2go, where he was instrumental in overseeing projects that harnessed technology to expand learning opportunities for students and adult learners.
Before his impactful work at Cengage Learning, Ryan spent several years at The Boston Consulting Group, where he rose from a Summer Consultant to a Project Leader. His experience at BCG fortified his skills in strategy development, project execution, and team leadership, which he continues to apply in his current ventures within the education sector. Furthermore, Ryan's entrepreneurial spirit is showcased through his previous role as the Owner and Founder of Lion's Language Center, where he not only developed an educational framework but also created a welcoming environment for language learners.
Ryan Perez's deep understanding of the educational landscape, combined with his strategic acumen and commitment to fostering innovation, solidifies his reputation as a leading figure in the industry. His journey exemplifies the impact of dedicated leadership, strategic thinking, and creativity in delivering quality education to diverse communities.
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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 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.
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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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