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Sander Smets
Software Engineer at Mazda Motor Europe for Cheops Technology nv/sa
Professional Background
Sander Smets is a dedicated and passionate software developer with a diverse professional background that spans several leading technology firms across Europe. With a clear focus on delivering complete project solutions, Sander has cultivated expertise in various technologies that enrich his ability to bring innovative ideas to life. His journey in software development has been characterized by his fervent belief that it's not merely about writing code but about creating systems that provide value to users and organizations.
Sander's career began as a Junior Java Developer at Ordina Belgium, where he laid a strong foundation in programming and software engineering principles. He quickly progressed to a role as a Java Consultant at the same organization, demonstrating his capability to tackle evolving project demands effectively. During this time, Sander honed his skills in Java, a programming language that remains a core component of his professional repertoire.
He subsequently transitioned to a Full Stack Developer role at Elewa Company Ltd, where he was able to leverage his diverse skill set in both front and back-end applications; this experience enriched his understanding of the software development lifecycle and the importance of maintaining a user-centric approach.
Following his tenure at Elewa, Sander took on the challenging position of a Full Stack Developer at Ablynx, an organization known for its innovative contributions to biotechnology. His role allowed him the opportunity to work on complex applications, providing him with a solid grounding in technologies ranging from SQL and NoSQL databases to modern web frameworks. This invaluable experience enabled him to take on more significant responsibilities, reinforcing his adaptability in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Sander's expertise further expanded when he joined Mazda Motor Europe as a Software Engineer, where he contributed to high-profile projects, allowing him to apply his knowledge of frameworks like Spring Boot and frontend technologies such as Angular to deliver high-quality applications.
Today, he continues to excel in his role as a Software Engineer Consultant at Cheops Technology nv/sa, where he engages with clients to fulfill their technology needs while ensuring that every project aligns with the values of innovation and project integrity.
Education and Achievements
Sander holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology from Karel de Grote-Hogeschool, a prestigious institution known for equipping students with a robust understanding of information systems and technology applications. His academic journey laid the groundwork for the extensive knowledge he harnesses in his professional life, matching theoretical principles with practical application.
Throughout his career, Sander has cultivated a rich skill set that encompasses a wide array of programming languages and frameworks, including Java, Angular, Spring Boot, SQL, and NoSQL databases. His ability to adapt and learn new technologies quickly has empowered him to be a versatile developer capable of navigating multiple roles with ease.
Sander believes that the integration of effective communication, teamwork, and technical prowess is what elevates project outcomes. As such, he has been recognized for his collaborative approach when working on diverse teams and his unwavering commitment to deliver significant contributions to every project he undertakes.
Achievements
- Extensive Software Development Experience: With over a decade of professional experience spanning various roles and industries, Sander has developed a well-rounded understanding of the software development lifecycle.
- Full Stack Development Proficiency: His ability to develop applications across the stack enables him to provide complete solutions, making him a valuable asset to any development team.
- Adept in Multiple Technologies: Sander's proficiency in both front-end and back-end technologies equips him with the flexibility to approach problems from various angles.
- Proven Project Leadership: Sander has successfully led numerous software projects, contributing not only to coding efforts but also to project planning and client engagement.
Future Aspirations
Looking ahead, Sander is excited about the prospects of further honing his skills and exploring the latest advancements in software technology. His dedication to developing impactful applications remains steadfast, and he is keen on collaborating with innovative teams to push the boundaries of software development further.
Sander is open to opportunities that challenge his abilities and inspire him to grow as both a leader and a technical expert in the field.
Conclusion
In summary, Sander Smets is a talented software developer whose career has been marked by a commitment to delivering high-quality, value-driven projects. With a wealth of experience and expertise in a variety of technologies, he is well-prepared to tackle the challenges of tomorrow’s ever-evolving tech landscape.
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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:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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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.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
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.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
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.