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Instigator Blog

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

Hello, 2017

January 5, 2017 by Ben Yoskovitz

2016 was one heck of a year. It started with a fairly big shakeup professionally. I didn’t end up taking much time off; instead I started meeting with lots of people and looking for my next adventure. In July, 2016 I announced the launch of my new startup, Highline BETA. Over the second half of […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Optimize for Happiness

April 25, 2016 by Ben Yoskovitz

Last Friday, April 22nd was the 30th anniversary of my brother’s death. He died at 8 years old. I wrote about it a few years ago as a way of celebrating his life and remembering him. Time heals. But it still fucking hurts. Not surprisingly, it’s around this time of year that I really reflect […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

No longer at VarageSale

January 31, 2016 by Ben Yoskovitz

Sometimes (most of the time?) things don’t go as planned. If there’s one constant in life, particularly in the world of startups, it’s change. And last week there was a big change in my life. I’m no longer at VarageSale. I’m now going to take a bit of time (to relax, catch up on things, […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Put Yourself in a Position to Be Lucky

March 2, 2015 by Ben Yoskovitz

Last week I spoke at a University of Toronto event to a small group of students. They were mostly business students (so I implored them to learn how to code and be useful–seriously business students, learn to code). As I was going to the event and reviewing my notes, I wrote the following down: Put […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Minecraft for Education

January 9, 2014 by Ben Yoskovitz

A few months ago my boys (9 and 6) got into Minecraft. My older son had been talking about it for longer than that, and then we discovered the mobile version and dove right in. They’re still hooked and so am I. It’s a fantastic game–but more than that it’s a place that we can […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Launching a Startup Travel Program with Volta in Halifax

December 19, 2013 by Ben Yoskovitz

In April I wrote a blog post titled Governments Should Fund Startup Travel Programs. It’s a message I’ve shared with a number of folks in different government agencies and amongst entrepreneurs. The premise is simple: We need to get more early stage founders visiting Silicon Valley and New York to experience what a startup ecosystem […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Don’t Fuck Around With Employee Loyalty

August 15, 2012 by Ben Yoskovitz

To employers: Don’t assume employee loyalty is a given. It’s not a right. You have to work on a continuous basis to earn the trust and loyalty of employees. And there are other companies out there –doing it right– that are competing for your people. To employees: Don’t go into a job assuming the worst, […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Discipline

August 8, 2012 by Ben Yoskovitz

Discipline is becoming my new favorite word. It’s the action-oriented word to the more generic “focus.” People struggle with focus, how to define it, and measure it. Discipline makes more sense. You know if you’re being disciplined or not –in everything you do– inside and outside of your startup. It’s pretty hard to lie to […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Remembering My Brother: Jacob Yoskovitz (May 14, 1977 – April 22, 1986)

April 22, 2012 by Ben Yoskovitz

Today, April 22nd, marks the 26th anniversary of my brother’s death. He died in 1986 at the age of 8 from Leukemia. I was 10 at the time. He was my only sibling. Strangely enough, he and I share a birthday – May 14th. He was born two years after me. I don’t know what […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

Join Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha for a Live Chat

March 26, 2012 by Ben Yoskovitz

Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha — authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Start-up of You— are hosting a live, hour-long webcast in which they will discuss how you can accelerate your career today. When: Thursday, March 29, at 6:30 PM PST Where: Register here You can get your questions prioritized by leaving […]

Filed Under: Personal Development

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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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