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Instigator Blog

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

Gaps in the Market

December 20, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Startup founders often say to me, “We’re going ahead with this new startup … we’ve identified a gap in the market!” It’s a common refrain explaining why someone is starting a business, and how the startup is positioned against competition. There’s a gap in the market. The question to ask at that point is simple: […]

Filed Under: Customer Development, Startups

The $250,000 Funding Trap

October 5, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

$250,000 is a lot of money. Venture investors might not think so, but for most of us it’s a lot of moolah. And for early stage startups it’s often the amount they ask for coming out of the gate (or $500,000 – which seems to be pretty standard as a first, seed ask). The problem […]

Filed Under: Startups

Visualize Your Website to Crystallize the Value Proposition and Target Market

September 26, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

It’s quite common for early startups to lack clarity around their core value proposition and target market(s). There’s a temptation to go wide on both – offer lots of different value to lots of different people. But generally that doesn’t work. A focus on a specific, differentiated and compelling value proposition targeting a specific, well-defined […]

Filed Under: Startups

7 Tips for Successful Board Meetings

September 12, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Once you’ve raised funding, your board meetings will likely become a lot more serious. Prior to raising capital your board likely consists of the founders and that’s it. After funding, your investors will want a seat at the table (and maybe more.) Boards are often setup with 5 people (2 founders, 2 investors and an […]

Filed Under: Startups

Promises and Platitudes – The Dangers of Low Quality Advisors

September 9, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Having great mentors can make a huge difference for you, individually, as an entrepreneur. I’ve never had a mentor, but looking back I’m certain it would have been very helpful. Even today. Mentors are there to help you, and by extension (potentially) your startup. But even if your startup fails, or you’re not going where […]

Filed Under: Startups

Competitive Research 101 for Startups

August 30, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Whenever I get pitched by a startup, I always look to see if they’ve properly identified the competition. For starters, I can guarantee you that someone is already working on the same idea. It’s a universal truth. But more importantly than that, competitive research and analysis is one of those areas that is often horribly […]

Filed Under: Startups

Finding Your Startup’s One Thing

July 11, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

With five startups in Year One Labs (all at various stages of our process), you start to see some fairly clear patterns. One of the biggest hurdles at Year One Labs is moving from the Probe Phase to the MVP Phase. I’ve talked about this process in more detail a few times. The gist of […]

Filed Under: Startups

The Risks and Rewards of Delighting Users (or Attempting To)

March 21, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Delighting users is incredibly hard. Most startups don’t even try. That results in boring (although occasionally effective and useful) web applications. Some startups try too hard and end up overloading their applications with flashy funkiness that doesn’t add any real value. They might get an A for effort, but they won’t keep users happy through […]

Filed Under: Startups

Lying to Yourself is a Leading Cause of Startup Failure

February 16, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

Although I did complete a Psychology degree at university, I’m no psychologist. And I’m no self-help guru either. But the more I think about startups and entrepreneurs, the more I think that one of the leading causes of startup failure is lying. Not lying to other people, but lying to oneself. People lie to themselves […]

Filed Under: Personal Development, Startups

Piggyback and Steal: Startups Need to be More Parasitic (In a Good Way!)

February 14, 2011 by Ben Yoskovitz

In a recent NextMontreal tech podcast (which I participate in on a weekly basis), I used the phrase, “piggyback and steal.” I thought it was reasonably catchy, so I jotted it down for this blog post. Without context it makes no sense, so let me add some. During the podcast I was talking to Frederic […]

Filed Under: Product Management, Startups

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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.

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