Team8 has announced the appointment of 2 new partners to their executive team, expanding the company’s footprint in Israel and globally. Asaf Azulay is set to serve as Partner and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Dror Grof has been named as Partner and Ideation Lead in the Digital Health Foundry.
Team8’s signature model specializes in building and investing in start-ups in the cyber, data, fintech, and digital health sectors. The venture group works with founders to identify meaningful problems, create theses on potential solutions, and build innovative companies that tackle these challenges. The new partners, each recognized for their strategic prowess, knowledge, and experience within the high-tech market in Israel and abroad, will spearhead Team8’s strategy development across marketing and digital health from a company’s inception and throughout its journey.
As Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Partner, Asaf Azulay will be responsible for the marketing strategies of the portfolio companies, the group and its funds. Azulay joined Team8 in 2022 and has been the driving force behind strategic projects that have cemented Team8’s position as a leading global brand including the strategic CISO Vilage and Founders Village initiatives. In addition, he has cultivated several strategic partnerships in the data and fintech fields that Team8 specializes in. He is a crucial part of the company building and growth process of Team8’s portfolio companies, including Dig and Talon who were recently acquired for around $1B dollars. Azulay’s prior executive experience includes being CMO at Bank Hapoalim for over 5 years and before then as CEO of BBDO IM, the strategic consulting arm of BBDO.
As a Partner, Dror Grof is slated to oversee research in the digital health branch and lead the investment expansion and establishment of companies within the foundry. Grof joined Team8 in 2021 to work with companies in their creation process as they scale. With a career spanning over two decades, Grof has established several software and B2C companies in the fields of data science, cybersecurity, and digital health. Before Team8, Dror was part of the founding team and VP of Research at Team8’s portfolio company, Noogata, and before that co-founded and led Mining Science, a data-science think tank. Grof also co-founded Gonutss, a B2C digital health tool. He served in multiple technology leadership roles in the Israel Defense Force’s Intelligence Corps, holds alumni status from Harvard Business School, and is a graduate of the Leadership Development Program.
Welcoming the two new partners, Yuval Shachar, Chairman and Managing Partner of Team8 said: “Our unique model requires the finest Go-to-Market personnel, alongside those specializing in strategy, research, and development to identify new opportunities, validate new ideas and build companies. The two new partners will play a strategic role in building the future of Team8 and empowering our portfolio companies. The promotions of Asaf and Dror to the group’s management is a natural progression and is a testament to their accomplishments.”
