Hello! I’m Ben Beath.

Investor. Builder. Consultant. Mental health advocate.

🗽 I’m a 6 x tech startup founder (with four exits), currently living in New York City.

👷🏼‍♂️ I’m at my happiest working with disruptive technologies, including AI, blockchain and decentralized networks.

⚡️ Co-founder of LIFT, a web3 project scaling AI Vision for real-time analytics.

🤝 If you’re interested in teaming up, sending me your pitch deck or chatting further, get in touch!

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About me

In 2009 I co-founded Loud&Clear, which I grew as Managing Director to become Australia’s largest independent digital agency before it was acquired by Avanade (an Accenture/Microsoft joint venture) in 2018. I continue to consult with enterprise clients, primarily focused on the disruptive potential of AI. I’m part of the team launching LIFT⚡️, a blockchain + data storage protocol focused on scaling AI Vision for real-time analytics. Previously, I was also the technical co-founder of FanHub (acquired 2021 by Genius Sports), Sidekicker (majority acquired by Seek.com), BoxSuite (acquired 2019 by Elmo) and PlayHQ, Australia’s largest community sports platform. I started active involvement in crypto in 2018, and was co-founder of BattleFlyDAO in 2021, a decentralized web3 gaming studio that has since launched three game modes.

What else?

  • I’m a Dad to two wonderful daughters, and live with my wife and two brown dogs in NYC.
  • I advise our small family office on investments in technology, web3 and entertainment ventures.
  • I see a lot of Broadway theatre, and am attempting to apply the lessons I’ve learned from a decade of startups to investing in new shows.

Mental Health Advocacy

In 2002, I was diagnosed with Bipolar I following a catastrophic manic episode, a condition that hit with all the impact of an unexpected meteor. During that episode I was arrested (having started over a dozen new businesses in a six week period) and was heavily sedated under psychiatric care for 12 months. The tragedies of Bipolar I are numerous; unchecked it causes havoc for families, with the depressive cycles often resulting in suicide, and the manic episodes defined by irrational risk taking. I only made it through the first year due to unconditional love and powerful medication. In the years following my diagnosis, I spent hundreds of hours in the care and consultation of psychiatrists and psychologists, in addition to extensive journalling and life logging. I read every memoir and medical journal relating to the disorder that I could get my hands on, hoping to find a cure for this incurable disease. The reality is that there is no cure. Most people with Bipolar I spend their lives alternating between attempting to defeat the condition, or pretending they don’t have it. Both approaches become exhausting for the individual and the loved ones around them. We are conditioned to think of medical issues as binary states; you are sick, and then you get better … and “better” means you are no longer unwell. While there is no cure, I realized that clean living, good sleep, lots of swimming, therapy and meditation all help me get better at living with Bipolar I. You can’t get “better” from Bipolar, but I’ve become pretty good at having it. Because I have been well for more than two decades — and achieved some things in life and business that didn’t seem possible due to the condition — I am often asked to speak with people who are struggling to navigate the illness. I’m always happy to support in these conversations (acknowledging that the insidious nature of Bipolar means your mileage may vary). If I can help you, or someone you love, please email me at ben.beath [at] gmail.com.

Mount Pleasant

Since 2018, my wife and I have been re-generating 300 acres of agricultural land in Trawool, located 90 minutes north of Melbourne. The land was cleared for timber and cattle in the 1800s, and we are steadily re-planting tree species with an emphasis on restoring native wildlife and bio-diversity to the area.

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Other stuff I’ve done

  • In 2007 I directed a documentary about two friends who fought for a boxing world title. A Melbourne Story screened on the ABC and won Mention d’Honneur at the FICTS Festival in 2008. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGiFE0Gs-s