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Sander van Bladel
Founder Yepoda
Professional Background
Sander 준영 van Bladel is a highly accomplished professional with an extensive background in financial economics, law, and business management. His journey started at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, where he laid a solid foundation for his career by pursuing multiple degrees, including a Master of Science (MSc) in Financial Economics, a Master of Laws (LLM) in Financial Law, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics and Business Economics. With a strong academic background that also includes studies in Dutch Law, Sander has developed a comprehensive understanding of the financial and legal landscapes.
In the corporate world, Sander served in several significant roles, predominantly at Lesara, a rapidly growing e-commerce company. His leadership capabilities were evident in his role as Marketing Director, where he implemented innovative strategies to elevate the brand's market presence. Further demonstrating his versatility, he transitioned into leadership positions such as Director of Sourcing / Managing Director in Lesara's China operations. This role involved managing critical supply chain relationships and navigating the complexities of international business.
Sander's promotional journey continued as he took on the position of Country Manager for both the Benelux region and the UK. As Country Manager, he was instrumental in expanding Lesara's reach and establishing its brand in competitive markets, showcasing his adeptness in market development and strategic planning. His experience at Lesara provided him with a well-rounded view of venture development and market dynamics in the retail sector.
Adding to his impressive career trajectory, Sander worked at Rocket Internet GmbH in Global Venture Development, where he contributed to identifying and nurturing new business opportunities globally. This role further strengthened his skills in evaluating startup potential and strategic project execution on an international scale.
Additionally, Sander's early career experiences include being a Student Assistant at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he balanced his academic pursuits and professional responsibilities. His commitment to practical experience also led him to positions such as Moderator at HEINEKEN and Marketing Manager at AIESEC, where he showcased his marketing acumen and teamwork abilities. Furthermore, Sander enriched his entrepreneurial journey as the Owner and Co-Founder of Three Friends, an endeavor that highlights his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to innovate.
Education and Achievements
Sander's academic prowess is one of the cornerstones of his professional success. He attended Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, where he not only earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Economics but also pursued subsequent graduate studies in specialized fields of economics and law. His dual expertise in financial economics and law positions him uniquely within the financial services and legal sectors, equipping him with the analytical skills necessary to thrive in complex business environments.
Throughout his educational journey and career, Sander has exhibited a strong commitment to excellence, continuously seeking to enhance his knowledge and skills. His ability to synthesize concepts from finance and law showcases a holistic understanding that is invaluable in today’s multi-faceted business landscape.
Achievements
Sander's career achievements extend across various domains, with significant contributions in marketing, sourcing, strategic management, and entrepreneurial ventures. His role at Lesara stands out, where he played a crucial part in the company's growth and competitiveness in the e-commerce sector. The impact of his leadership and strategic decision-making made a tangible difference in achieving corporate objectives and expanding market footprints.
Moreover, Sander's experiences at Rocket Internet GmbH allowed him to develop and implement strategies for new ventures, assisting startups in tapping into their potential. His dynamic skill set and leadership qualities have earned him a reputation as a forward-thinking and results-driven professional. As a co-founder and owner of Three Friends, Sander demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit, embracing challenges and opportunities that further his growth as a business leader.
In addition to being a dedicated professional, Sander's involvement in various organizations and initiatives reflects his commitment to community engagement and personal growth. His proactive approach in seeking roles that combine his interests in finance, law, and entrepreneurship has allowed him to create a multifaceted career that continues to evolve.
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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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- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- 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 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.