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 […]
Optimize for Happiness
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 […]
No longer at VarageSale
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, […]
Put Yourself in a Position to Be Lucky
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 […]
Minecraft for Education
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 […]
Launching a Startup Travel Program with Volta in Halifax
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 […]
Don’t Fuck Around With Employee Loyalty
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, […]
Discipline
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 […]
Remembering My Brother: Jacob Yoskovitz (May 14, 1977 – April 22, 1986)
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 […]
Join Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha for a Live Chat
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 […]
Founding Partner at 