Team8

Team8 is a global venture group that functions as both a company-building foundry and a venture capital investor, with operations in Tel Aviv, New York, and London. Founded in 2014 by Nadav Zafrir, Israel Grimberg, and Liran Grinberg, the firm leverages the extensive experience of its leadership, many of whom are veterans of Israel's elite military technology and intelligence Unit 8200. Nadav Zafrir, a co-founder and Managing Partner, previously served as the commander of Unit 8200 and established the Israel Defense Force's Cyber Command, bringing a deep-seated understanding of cybersecurity and intelligence to the firm's strategic direction.

The firm operates a dual model designed to maximize the success of early-stage companies. Its foundry arm ideates and co-founds new companies from scratch to solve significant enterprise challenges, particularly in cybersecurity, data & AI, fintech, and digital health. This hands-on approach involves a multi-disciplinary team of over 80 in-house experts who assist with everything from technology development and talent acquisition to go-to-market strategy. The second arm, Team8 Capital, functions as a more traditional venture capital fund, leading or participating in Seed, Series A, and B funding rounds for promising startups in its focus sectors. This structure allows Team8 to both build companies and invest in existing ones, creating a synergistic ecosystem.

Team8's business model is centered on creating and scaling transformative technology companies. It makes money through the successful exits of the companies it builds and the appreciation of its equity stakes in the companies it invests in. The firm is backed by a syndicate of strategic corporate investors, including Microsoft, Walmart, Cisco, Barclays, and Moody's. It also cultivates a network known as the 'Team8 Village', a community of C-level executives from global corporations who provide market validation, insights, and potential partnerships for portfolio companies. As of March 2024, Team8's assets under management exceeded $1 billion, following a $500 million fundraising round for new funds dedicated to its core sectors.

The firm has established dedicated foundries for specific verticals to deepen its impact. In 2020, it launched Team8 Fintech, led by prominent figures from the banking and payments industries, to build B2B and B2B2C companies that address digital transformation in financial services. Following this, Team8 Health was launched in 2022 to create digital health companies that leverage data and a security-first approach to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. The portfolio includes notable companies such as Claroty, Sygnia (acquired by Temasek), and Curv (acquired by PayPal), showcasing a track record of building and investing in successful enterprises.

Keywords: venture creation, company builder, venture capital, cybersecurity, fintech, digital health, data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, Israel tech, Unit 8200, early-stage investment, seed funding, Series A, enterprise technology, Nadav Zafrir, startup foundry, tech incubator, go-to-market strategy, strategic investment, corporate venture capital, portfolio management, technology startups, Israel cybersecurity, B2B technology