I'm a software engineer at Clay. I build backend and frontend features, and integrate third party datasets and providers. We build creative tools for outbound prospecting.
In high school, I began studying math at
Stanford ULO
when I was 16. I led the team at
GravityGames, making the first-ever game to be 3D printed on the International
Space Station. I used data analysis and AI to improve our eye-tracking
algorithm at
Eyefluence, where we built an eye-based UI for VR and AR viewers. We were
acquired by Google.
In college, I studied math and Spanish at
WashU. I researched AI
cybersecurity threat detection at
Delinea, where we
created identity-as-a-service enterprise solutions. We were acquired by
Thoma Bravo. I wrote scripts to improve portfolio visibility for the
asset diversification team at
WashU's endowment. I researched $100m-$500m enterprise value software businesses for
potential acquisition at a PE fund called
Red Iron Group.
At Contrary, a
university-focused venture fund, I was a venture partner, then led the
summer accelerator for portfolio companies, then was an EIR.
I built lots of projects in college, including
a bot that found
sales intros based on email traffic,
a website that
created custom clothing designs using AI, and a quarantine
virtual fitness community. When I graduated, I become a solo founder. I pivoted from providing
infrastructure and marketing testing
for small and medium businesses to doing
fully automated content marketing, using AI to automatically create ads, articles, and videos for
companies. After being paid $10k from clients and raising $100k for an
angel round, I decided I didn't have the necessary long-term conviction,
and turned down the money. Instead, I joined a
stealth startup
as the founding engineer, built our backend and our frontend, and led
our engineering team. We were creating a marketplace for off-market real
estate, but the startup failed.
I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area. I've lived in St. Louis, Madrid, and Boston; now, I live in New York. I love hiking, playing and watching soccer (YNWA), building things with my hands (once upon a time I won first prize in the California State Fair for my chessboard), playing with my dog, and offering moral support to my girlfriend during 49ers games and Formula 1 races.
Work: colin@clay.com
Personal: c.parsons.429@gmail.com