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Instigator Blog

Lean Analytics, startups, angel investing, product management and more!

“You Don’t Look Like a Founder”

October 27, 2016 by Ben Yoskovitz

WTF does that even mean? It means: You’re not a young white guy. And it’s total bullshit. Heather Anne Carson, co-founder @ Repable recently posted this on Facebook: (She didn’t ask me to write this.) Oy. It’s not surprising that guys feel / think this way (but saying it out loud really demonstrates a whole […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Finding Your Inspiration

October 10, 2016 by Ben Yoskovitz

Founders need inspiration. I believe most founders have a deep well of inspiration inside of them that they’re able to draw from as needed. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to survive. But that’s not always enough–founders need to find inspiration outside of themselves as well. Recently I started watching Chef’s Table on Netflix. The parallels […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

The Startup Rollercoaster is Real

September 12, 2016 by Ben Yoskovitz

You know what’s hard?   Starting a company. You know what’s fun?   Starting a company. There’s something about the insane challenge that makes starting a company so incredible. Having said that, I really don’t enjoy being told I’m wrong, or that my plan/idea/approach won’t work. (I don’t know many people who like that!) And when people […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Don’t be Data-Driven, be Problem-Driven

June 16, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

Recently a founder of an early stage startup asked me, “How do I convince my co-founder and team to be more data-driven?” I think I surprised him with my answer, because I told him that the key issue wasn’t being more data-driven, it was being problem-driven. Or more specifically, problem-aligned. Being data-driven (or at least […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Lean Analytics, Startups

Leadership in Tough Times

February 13, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

The all-time most popular post on this blog is 10 Essential Business Leadership Skills. I wrote that in 2007. It ranks near the top of Google results for “leadership skills” (which is what drives most of the traffic). I’ve struggled from time-to-time since then with my own leadership abilities. Writing ideas down about how to […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Startup Founders: Why Do You Care About What You’re Doing?

February 3, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

In speaking with entrepreneurs (as a mentor or angel investor), I’m becoming increasingly fascinated and curious about why they chose to start the companies they do. Surviving the inevitable roller coaster of startup life is made possible, at least in part, by founders caring deeply about what they’re doing. You need sheer willpower and determination […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Jason Becker and the Power of Technology

January 29, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

A few days ago I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across a documentary about Jason Becker. The documentary is called Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. It came out in late 2012. I had never heard of Jason before, but the movie caught my attention quickly. Jason Becker was a guitar prodigy. […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Don’t Glorify Startup Failure

January 23, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

Yesterday I wrote a quick post about founder failure and how difficult it can be to recover from that. Startup failure is a fact of startups. If you start a company, you’re most likely going to fail. And we’re seeing many more entrepreneurs write about their experiences, which is a good thing. Startup failure needs […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

Founder Failure

January 22, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

Yesterday, Chris Poole (known as ‘moot‘, founder of 4chan) shut down his startup (which created Canvas and DrawQuest). You should go read his post: Today my startup failed. The TechCrunch post is good too, and highlights just how hard it is to get real growth in a consumer startup. One quote stood out for me: […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

You Can’t Will Things Into Existence

January 21, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

Unless you’re a Jedi knight with voodoo super powers you can’t create things with your mind. Sadly enough, you’re not Dr. Strange with power over the mystic arts and wicked hair. (And apparently, creepy blue eyes?!?!) As much as you’d like it to be the case, you can’t will things into existence. I know, I’ve […]

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship

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Ben Yoskovitz

Founding Partner at Highline Beta, a hybrid venture studio and VC firm that works with large, ambitious companies to identify new areas of opportunity through internal and external innovation.

Previously I was VP Product at VarageSale and GoInstant (acq. $CRM), and Founding Partner at Year One Labs.

Angel investments include: Breather, Spoiler Alert, SendWithUs and others.

My bio »

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