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Todd Ortberg
SVP, Strategic Development at Calix; and Musician
Professional Background
Todd Ortberg exemplifies outstanding executive leadership in both communications and software technology, showcasing an impressive career trajectory that spans both public and private sectors. With roles as CEO, corporate business development executive, venture capitalist, and board member, Todd has demonstrated exceptional abilities to guide organizations towards success. His expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of skills, including significant experience in mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and deal-making, which have positioned him as a prominent figure in the tech industry.
Throughout his tenure at Calix, a leader in broadband communications, Todd played a pivotal role in steering major acquisitions such as the purchase of Occam and Ericsson’s Broadband operations, along with establishing a global resell agreement that expanded Calix's market reach. He skillfully directed the divestiture of Calix's OSP business and succeeded in fostering numerous partnerships and OEM deals that culminated in the creation of a robust suite of cloud product solutions designed to enhance connectivity.
In addition to his role at Calix, Todd served as CEO of Alvarri, a company specializing in Network Function Virtualization (NFV) software. Under his leadership, Alvarri achieved a successful exit through its sale to a public company, which further led to its acquisition by the tech giant Dell. Todd’s success is also notable in his capacity as a venture capitalist, where he has invested in various sectors including wireless communication, optical technology, and software development. His strategic investments in fifteen companies have yielded an impressive internal rate of return (IRR) of 31%.
Todd has also excelled in more operational roles, serving as VP/GM of a division of a public company that generated $100 million in annual revenue. He took on full P/L responsibilities, achieving first-time profitability during a turnaround period while simultaneously driving a remarkable 20% revenue growth annually. Leading a sizable team of 240 professionals, he oversaw the production of complex Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) access systems, further solidifying his prowess in technology management.
With a deep understanding of market dynamics and technical expertise in wireless networks, fiber access and transport, and networking software solutions, Todd holds an impressive portfolio of 20 patents related to RF technology and software innovation. His esteemed contributions to the industry also include participating as a key member of the executive team that successfully guided Calix (CALX) to an IPO on the NYSE, reinforcing his credibility as a leader in the technology sector.
Education and Achievements
Todd Ortberg’s solid educational foundation supports his diverse career, beginning with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Iowa State University, which provided him the technical expertise to thrive in the technology industry. He further enhanced his knowledge by obtaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Iowa, preparing him for executive leadership roles across various organizations.
His career is punctuated by his roles with various companies where he has demonstrated leadership and innovation. Notably, his position as Senior Vice President of Business and Strategic Development at Calix showcased his ability to align business strategies with corporate goals. Additionally, his tenure as a Managing Director and Venture Capitalist at Coral Ventures exemplifies his investment acumen in technology ventures.
Among various accomplishments, Todd has also made significant contributions to education as an Adjunct Business School Faculty Member at Upper Iowa University, where he shared his industry knowledge with aspiring business leaders. His background also includes roles at Rockwell Collins and Texas Instruments, where he began to hone his engineering skills and strategic thinking capabilities.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Todd shines in his artistic pursuits as a musician and record company owner at T.C. Ortberg. He is a Western representative of artistic talent with three album releases: "The Ninth Tide" (2004), "Hot Jupiters" (2010), featuring saxophonist Kenni Holmen known for his work with Prince, and "Half Finished Novel" (2010). Todd also showcases his musical talents as a guitarist in the Sting and The Police tribute band, "Toast In The Machine," demonstrating his versatility not only as a business leader but also as a creative artist.
Achievements
- Executive Leadership: Successfully held executive roles in various capacities, driving companies towards growth and profitability.
- Mergers and Acquisitions: Instrumental in leading major acquisitions and divestitures during his time at Calix, enhancing company capabilities and market presence.
- Venture Capital Success: Established a firm investment track record with a 31% IRR on investments in multiple technology startups, showcasing an ability to identify and nurture high-potential ventures.
- Technology Innovation: Holds 20 patents in RF-related technology, underlining a commitment to innovation and technological advancement in the networking space.
- Professional Recognition: Recognized as a key member of the executive team that facilitated Calix's successful IPO on the NYSE, marking a significant milestone in the company's history.
- Musical Contributions: Released three albums and actively performed in a tribute band, reflecting a strong passion for music alongside his corporate achievements.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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