Team8, the Israeli venture fund known for backing early-stage companies in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure, has announced two new additions to its leadership team.
Ori Barzilay has been promoted to Partner and will lead investments across cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, and AI. Matthew Schoenfeld joins as Operating Partner with a focus on strengthening go-to-market strategies for Team8’s portfolio companies.
The fund’s leadership changes come at a time when Israel’s high-tech sector is navigating challenging conditions, including the war with Iran and slower venture funding flows worldwide. In the last six months alone, Team8 says it has made significant investments in 11 new companies and supported follow-on funding across its portfolio of around 40 firms. The group now manages more than $1 billion in assets.
Founded on a model that combines venture capital with company-building support, Team8 employs about 100 in-house experts who work directly with portfolio startups on functions like hiring, sales, marketing, and AI strategy. The fund’s approach aims to help early-stage companies move quickly from idea to global market presence.
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Barzilay, who joined Team8 as a Principal two years ago, has been closely involved in several of the fund’s recent investments, including Port, a developer experience company that has raised $58 million, as well as other early-stage bets in cybersecurity and AI that remain in stealth. He started his career as a tech-operational intelligence officer in an elite Israeli military unit, and later worked at Pitango, one of Israel’s largest VC firms, and in product management roles in the cyber and IoT sectors.
Schoenfeld brings more than two decades of experience leading sales and commercial operations at cybersecurity companies including FireEye, Absolute Software, and Fortra. Before joining Team8, he worked with Silicon Valley fund Greylock Partners and advised several security startups on market expansion.
