Team8 is a Tel Aviv-based Israeli-American venture capital firm, venture creation firm, startup accelerator (functioning as a company builder), startup studio, pre-seed investor, cybersecurity incubator, and cybersecurity fund specializing in building cybersecurity and enterprise software companies from ideation to scale. It operates as an operational venture fund and company builder, co-founding startups with built-in security from inception. The firm is known for hands-on company building, spinning off operational startups, and incubating startups with military and tech expertise. Founded in 2013 (initially noted as 2014 in some sources) by alumni of elite Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence units, particularly Unit 8200, including former intelligence leaders, it operates with an operator-led approach to innovation. Team8 co-founds and co-builds startups from the ground up by recruiting experienced operators—including former executives, military intelligence officers, and industry experts—to ideate, launch, and scale companies. It provides not just capital but hands-on operational support, focusing on seed and pre-seed investments and building startups in cybersecurity and related fields, leveraging deep defense ties and the expertise of its founders and advisors to bridge military intelligence backgrounds with commercial innovation. Team8 has raised significant funds, including a $250 million fund in 2020, and maintains a portfolio of over 20 companies, with successful ventures like Claroty and Axonius, emphasizing proactive threat detection, cloud security, and enterprise resilience. A key figure in its advisory network is Yossi Cohen, former director of Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency) from 2016 to 2021, who serves as a compensated advisor, highlighting the firm's connections to Israel's national security apparatus. The firm exemplifies Israel's 'Startup Nation' ethos, where military alumni drive technological entrepreneurship. It has faced scrutiny for its opaque ties to government intelligence and potential conflicts of interest in defense-related investments, as well as criticism for perpetuating a 'revolving door' between military intelligence and private enterprise, raising questions about data privacy and national security implications.