I’m Yoav and Itai’s proud Dad and Orly’s lucky man. I build Internets of things and people. Founder & CEO at BillGuard. More …         new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 10, interval: 6000, width: 'auto', height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: '#f0f0f0', color: '#32312f' }, tweets: { background: '#f0f0f0', color: '#32312f', links: '#183dab' } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: false, live: false, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: false, behavior: 'all' } }).render().setUser('YaronSamid').start(); Tumblr (3.0; @yaron)http://yaronsamid.com/<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzav6a7EqK1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://yaronsamid.com/post/17511555955http://yaronsamid.com/post/17511555955Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:46:57 -0500<span id="video_player_17448933047">[<a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" target="_blank">Flash 10</a> is required to watch video.]</span><script type="text/javascript">renderVideo("video_player_17448933047",'http://yaronsamid.com/video_file/17448933047/tumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365',400,300,'poster=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365_r1_frame1.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365_r1_frame2.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365_r1_frame3.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365_r1_frame4.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz91k44asW1qz5365_r1_frame5.jpg')</script><br/><br/>http://yaronsamid.com/post/17448933047http://yaronsamid.com/post/17448933047Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:09:40 -0500<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sn0vDWvISOo?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p><div id="watch-description-text"> <p id="eow-description">Prediction: Victor Cruz, aka Yoav Samid, makes superbowl winning catch! It’s Salsa time!</p> </div></p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/17097233067http://yaronsamid.com/post/17097233067Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:50:34 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyqyd6h7tm1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I love Yoavi’s gMom.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16903667625http://yaronsamid.com/post/16903667625Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:45:12 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyqsutB3HK1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Like buttah. Love you my princes.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16896032119http://yaronsamid.com/post/16896032119Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:44:52 -0500<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyo3wmEA1O1qz5365o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>What a blessed year.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16819013917http://yaronsamid.com/post/16819013917Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:50:46 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyjds7MhiC1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Talking with <a href="http://twitter.com/ev">@ev</a> about the unique challenges of being a founder/CEO/Dad. One of the hardest juggling acts and least talked about type of entrepreneur.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16668714754http://yaronsamid.com/post/16668714754Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:36:00 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj1gpxwKI1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Only slightly beat up, still got it!! Boarding the Squaw. Amazing out here. (at Red Dog Chair - Squaw Valley)</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16654292762http://yaronsamid.com/post/16654292762Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:10:00 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyhnvlURdC1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>With one of my heros of world changing company building <a class=" twitter-atreply pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/tonyhsieh" rel="nofollow"><del>@</del><strong>tonyhsieh</strong></a>. (with Tony at <a class=" twitter-atreply pretty-link" href="https://twitter.com/summitd" rel="nofollow"><del>@</del><strong>summitd</strong></a>)</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16614878149http://yaronsamid.com/post/16614878149Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:18:00 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyhdq7IB0w1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>The view from my room at Summit Series Basecamp in Squaw Valley, CA.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16602718616http://yaronsamid.com/post/16602718616Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:39:00 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyfiwwXzT11qz5365o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>One of the great joys of leading @BillGuard is working with industry legends like @vkhosla. A great mentor leaves you with questions, not answers.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16545802290http://yaronsamid.com/post/16545802290Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:36:32 -0500<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyc2q5Z2P31qz5365o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Steve Jobs’ legacy: Saba Gidi (aka @giddon) tells Yetzee (aka biblical stories) to the boys from 250 miles away.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16444276107http://yaronsamid.com/post/16444276107Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:54:05 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly7jbbKKbC1qz5365o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://yaronsamid.com/post/16291467015http://yaronsamid.com/post/16291467015Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:04:21 -0500<p><img align="right" height="238" src="http://www.techaviv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/letting_go.png" width="240"/>BillGuard investor Roger Ehrenberg <strong><a href="http://informationarbitrage.com/post/15515808052/letting-go" target="_blank">wrote a great post</a></strong> this weekend about Founder CEOs needing to learn how to let go of control and in particular our “power zones”. Friends, <a href="http://informationarbitrage.com/post/15515808052/letting-go">go read it</a>. </p> <p>I’m a classic Product CEO. I’ve got a Steve Jobs poster on my wall and etched in my subconscious. My power zone; UX, stems from 15 years as a design-centric product manager at startups, including my own. I still obsess over UI minutia, click-flow, info architecture, wording, typography etc. These things are make-or-break critical for a large scale consumer web service. And <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/YaronSamid/status/154710253722808320" target="_blank">I can’t help it</a>. Since leaving our product development office in Israel to open BillGuard’s business and market development office in NYC a few months ago, a day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t wrestled with this Founder CEO “letting go” dilemma. We have the best people I have ever worked with at BillGuard, but I really need to find my personal balance to make things sing. Balance is the key word here because I will never take my eye off the product. That would be a mistake for the company. This year we’re maturing and scaling the business, and its time to find my balance.</p> <p>In Roger’s words:</p> <blockquote> <p><span>While there is certainly a connection between power and control, </span><strong>I believe that power is having attitudes and displaying behaviors that are focused on doing what is best for the company. And this is simply a definition of leadership.</strong><span> Therefore in my world power does not equal control - power is reflective of leadership. So do not optimize for control. Be a leader.</span></p> </blockquote> <p>Thanks Rog for the thoughtful perspective and reminder. It’s a post I will check in on regularly. </p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/15585192576http://yaronsamid.com/post/15585192576Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:35:00 -0500<embed src="http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf" scale="noscale" salign="lt" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" background="#333333" width="400" height="262" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="si=254&&contentValue=50117817&shareUrl=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57354646/what-charisma-is-and-how-to-get-it/?tag=strip"></embed><br/><br/><p>One of the most underrated qualities of a successful tech Founder/CEO: Charisma. This one’s for you Pops.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/15527225576http://yaronsamid.com/post/15527225576Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:06:59 -0500“Your best lessons are the ones you teach.”http://yaronsamid.com/post/15378372668http://yaronsamid.com/post/15378372668Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:46:46 -0500<p><img align="right" src="http://cgvipin.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/idea-men-pic.jpg" width="250"/>I was <a href="http://ideamensch.com/yaron-samid/">interviewed</a> last year by <a href="http://ideamensch.com/" target="_blank">IdeaMensch</a> and one of the questions was to give away a business idea to others. I thought that was a really cool question. Entrepreneurs have lots of ideas that never see the light of day. Why not share them? I personally keep a Google Doc of all my ideas, give them a name and even buy a domain. I’ve been doing it for years. Turns out IdeaMensch asks that question of all the entrepreneurs they interview and guess what they did with it? Created a kick-ass ebook called “<strong><a href="http://ideamensch.com/44-free-business-ideas/">44 Free Ideas</a></strong>”. That’s just awesome. Check it out.</p> <p>The world needs more of this. Imagine if every entrepreneur contributed just one solid idea into a central database that anyone could search? It would have an open creative commons style credit system and the ability for groups of other entrepreneurs, execution-oriented people and investors to connect and collaborate around an idea. <em>Theoretically</em>, some great companies could be born worldwide. </p> <p>Think of it like a sperm, I mean idea bank. Is anyone doing this? Someone should. There’s an idea.</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/15363719497http://yaronsamid.com/post/15363719497Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:24:00 -0500<object width="400" height="225"><param name="movie" value="http://www.cbs.com/e/uiSHSBClYhcA1f6s38GwOe5mDm_X4h2L/cbs/1/" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed width="400" height="225" src="http://www.cbs.com/e/uiSHSBClYhcA1f6s38GwOe5mDm_X4h2L/cbs/1/" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br/><br/><p><a href="http://www.billguard.com">BillGuard</a> mentioned on CBS’s “<a href="http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_early_show/video/?pid=uiSHSBClYhcA1f6s38GwOe5mDm_X4h2L&play=true&vs=Default">The Early Show</a>”, a nationwide news program seen my millions! Jump to <strong>minute 1:25</strong> for the discussion on “gray charges”. These are deceptive, erroneous and unauthorized charges from legitimate merchants. They cost consumers billions each year and up until now there hasn’t been a way to fight them besides each of us catching them on our own credit/debit card bills and reporting them to the merchant and our banks. BillGuard is the first and only solution that protects consumers from gray charges. Over $600,000 saved for our users in the first 6 months of beta testing!</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/14725834863http://yaronsamid.com/post/14725834863Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:35:00 -0500<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwohd9wOr21qz5365o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Inspiring view from the rooftop of the @CFPB. Thx @megerman. What an awesome ally in a <a href="http://BillGuard.com/declare">movement</a> to defend the little guy. cc @BillGuard</p>http://yaronsamid.com/post/14689943846http://yaronsamid.com/post/14689943846Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:34:00 -0500“Running a design-centric tech startup is walking a tight rope between quant and intuition. Lean on one too hard and you will fall.”http://yaronsamid.com/post/14535343468http://yaronsamid.com/post/14535343468Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:24:22 -0500