Yonatan Ben-Shimon is an Israeli crypto entrepreneur recognized in Forbes "30 Under 30." Initially a securities analyst, he transitioned to crypto in 2013, founding projects such as Beam, Collectorshub, and Celocamp. ^[1][2]

He is the founder and CEO of YSB Capital, an E2C investment firm, and co-founder of Matchpool, a professional matchmaking service, and Beam, a privacy-focused blockchain, where he is also on the team of financial advisors and investors.

Education

Ben-Shimon earned his BA in accounting and business management from The College of Management Academic Studies in 2016. He also pursued a BA in nanotechnology at Bar-Ilan University in 2017. ^[1]

Career

Ben-Shimon is an investment entrepreneur who initially started his career as a securities analyst; however, in 2013, he was intrigued by the emergence of cryptocurrencies as a novel asset class. ^[3]

Throughout his involvement in various projects, including the privacy coin Beam, art marketplace Collectorshub, virtual accelerator Celocamp, and Unipool—a coalition for Uniswap liquidity providers—Ben-Shimon developed a conviction that the potential of blockchain applications and tokens lies in the value they can cultivate within their communities. ^[3]

In 2017, Ben-Shimon co-founded Matchpool, a professional matchmaking service using cryptocurrency Guppy (GUP), and three years later, recognizing the importance of community-driven business models, he established YBS Capital, dedicated to advancing the concept of Exit to Community strategies. ^[3]

In February 2022, he became Lead at Matchbox DAO, a large community of on-chain gaming developers. ^[1]

Matchpool

Ben-Shimon founded Matchpool in 2017. It is a multifaceted dating network that allows users to establish their own miniature dating sites, referred to as 'pools,' comparable to Slack Channels or Facebook Groups, building connections within friend circles and specialized communities. As a blockchain-driven platform, it aspires to revolutionize the multibillion-dollar dating industry and bring innovation to the age-old practice of matchmaking. ^[4]

In a 2017 interview with Forbes, Ben-Shimon explained why he created Matchpool and what he hoped the platform would achieve in the future: ^[5]

“I noticed that all the people in the world have a universal truth. Something that we all value and incorporate into our life. And, it doesn’t matter if we are Japanese, Chinese, American, etc. We all need and rely on trust.”

He then explained how users would interact with the platform: ^[5]

“Since it’s on a blockchain, there is also trust in the technology and fairness of rules/payments…In addition, on the Matchpool platform, anyone can create essentially a dating site. I want to do to dating platforms what wordpress did to blogs.”

YSB Capital

Founded in 2020, YSB Capital is a social investment firm focusing on exit-to-community (E2C) strategies, a business model that involves transferring ownership and control of a project, company, or platform to its user community.

Ben-Shimon's goal is to raise awareness and encourage the adoption of business models centered around communities within companies, projects, and individuals. His aim with YSB Capital is to convert unused global social capital into financial capital that contributes to the communities' initially creating value.

Interviews

Exit to Community (E2C)

In a 2020 interview with TechBuillion, Ben-Shimon discussed what an E2C is and why it should be more valued: ^[2]

“A traditional exit strategy involves either selling a company to private investors or taking the company public in an IPO. Exit to community involves handing the project over to its users, bringing them the financial benefits and social benefits. In my view, an exit to community approach gives projects a better chance of succeeding under their community members who have a psychological as well as a financial investment. This investment equates to greater value.”

He also shared his hope for the future of community-centric business models, saying: ^[2]

“I hope to help create a new reality where people have a choice of new ways to make a living, and billions of people are rewarded from work they are doing for internet platforms, protocols, and companies.”