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Rockstars supporting Rockstars – Delivering World-Class Marketing to Early Stage Start-Ups

Asaf Azulay October 7, 2021
Marketing Interviews Post v3
Left to right: Talia Zimmerman, Netta Kaduri, Brett Schor

It’s been nearly a year since I joined Team8 and it has been an absolute adventure. It’s only been a short time but I’ve already been involved in the launch of 10 companies, including Noogata, VisibleRisk, Talon, and others. We’re currently supporting 20+ start-ups, helping them develop messaging, build their brand, create marketing collateral, define strategic plans and hire teams to support our go-to-market model.

Among the most exciting tasks has been finding and welcoming three rockstars to our marketing team, all of whom bring incredible skills and an enthusiasm for the startup and tech space that is exactly what our portfolio companies need in their marketing team:

  • Netta  Kaduri – Corporate Communications Manager
  • Brett Schor, Marketing Director, Fintech
  • Talia Zimmerman – Associate Director, Marketing, Demand Generation

Being based in NYC, I haven’t been able to get to know them face to face as they’re in Tel Aviv, but I’ve been spending some time with all of them grabbing virtual cocktails as we discuss how they’re going to work with the amazing companies in our portfolio.

Why did you join Team8?

Netta: I’ve known Team8 by name, and from the minute I started looking for my next role, I was taken by the vision and unique model. I had a hunch I wanted to be part of this talented team.

In the last three years, I have had the privilege of working closely with hundreds of startup companies in the mobility sector, both local and global. My primary goal was to identify their needs and challenges and then initiate partnerships within the global ecosystem, creating opportunities to engage and grow. Doing this required nurturing a strong global community and focusing on building and scaling marketing and communications initiatives that combined people and technology.

I truly believe that I can harness this experience and my passion for Team8’s mission to create value for its portfolio companies. And I get to work with and learn from an incredible and experienced team. Win-win.

Brett: What attracted me most to Team8 was the opportunity to be on the front line of Israel’s thriving startup ecosystem. Contributing to the success of a single startup is a great career milestone, but contributing to the success of many, across a broad range of industries and verticals, is far more rewarding. Working with Team8’s fintech portfolio companies has been an added bonus as it’s afforded me the chance to expand my knowledge base in a space that interests me. My personal journey down the Bitcoin rabbit hole has informed a lot of my thinking about problems in the financial sector, and I am particularly excited to help build fintech startups that are tackling some of the industry’s most challenging pain points.

In parallel to all of the above, joining Team8 has enabled me to immerse myself in a fast-paced, inspiring, and collaborative work environment. Every day I have the unique opportunity to learn from Israel’s top tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and business professionals, a truly privileged position.

Talia: Originally from Los Angeles, I moved to the ‘startup nation’ about six years ago. Since then, I’ve become extremely passionate about the tech world, particularly the smaller companies that are trying to make a difference.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in a variety of marketing roles over the last several years, at different-sized startup companies, across many fields.

When I heard about a position on Team8’s marketing team, it seemed like a dream come true: working with early-stage startups on their marketing efforts, while also getting the chance to learn from motivated entrepreneurs and the brightest experts across industries.

I chose to work at Team8 for the unique team I am now lucky to be a part of. I get the opportunity to come to work each day excited to learn, grow, and be part of the impact this team is making on a global level.

What are you looking forward to delivering or doing?

Talia: Personally, there is no greater reward than seeing hard work come to life. I look forward to working with Team8’s portfolio companies on their marketing efforts, helping Team8 grow in branding and market positioning, and learning from some of the most experienced tech individuals within the global ecosystem.

Netta: I look forward to building and implementing internal and external communication strategies that will spread Team8’s story, vision, and values. Through strong communication, we can strengthen our brand in the Israeli market and onwards. On top of this, I predict that these initiatives will attract top-tier entrepreneurs and potential founders to join Team8.

Brett: I’m looking forward to helping fintech portfolio companies define and articulate their key value propositions to their core demographic – enabling them to find product-market fit and accelerate their growth trajectory. By creating compelling collateral and providing guidance on a broader marketing strategy, I hope to play an integral role in our companies’ long-term success. I’m also excited to help Team8 raise its global profile as a leading venture fund in the fintech startup industry.

What is the first thing you do when working with a portfolio company?

Brett: The first step in a successful marketing collaboration starts with a conversation. Sitting with the company’s founders to hear, in their words, the problem they’re solving and the solutions they’re building is key to grasping their overarching vision. This conversation is a prerequisite for developing a robust marketing strategy tailored to their business objectives. It also gives me the chance to clearly understand the company’s mission and voice, as well as the competitive landscape they’re operating in. Once these key details have been teased out, we can shift focus and find solutions to the marketing-oriented challenges that the founders are facing.

Talia: Learning about a portfolio company is both exciting and challenging, as every company has a different story, a different purpose, and a different goal.  Before working with one, it’s critical to understand these answers.

To completely learn all the moving parts, I always start with online research. As a marketer who will be working closely with the team, I try to see if I can answer my questions from simple research on my own (ie. their website, social media pages, etc.), because this is how any outsider views the company.

Next comes a conversation with their founder or CEO (ie. my conversation with Claroty’s CEO). During these conversations, I learn about the company’s goals, the current challenges, and where the company hopes to be in the future.

Netta: The first thing is getting to know the people, the team dynamics, and the idea they are working on. Good chemistry and trust-building are extremely important and allow me to get a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, as a team and as founders. I always try to read between the lines and really understand what is the right story to be told, what opportunities and audience they are aiming for.

What scaling or leadership advice would you give to early-stage founders as they plan for growth?

Netta: It’s not a secret that it’s all about the people, so my advice is to hire the right talents for the right positions and build a strong team. Hiring has become one of the biggest challenges today for companies, especially early-stage startups. With the support of Team8’s experienced teams and the right marketing strategy, we can accelerate their success together.

Talia: When it comes to building and scaling a company, Team8’s resources and team offers an unfair advantage as a pathway to success. The support given to entrepreneurs, combined with the networking opportunities provided by Team8, gives founders and CEOs a crucial advantage to their development and growth.

Brett: Team8’s track record is unrivaled when it comes to spotting new market opportunities, de-risking company-building processes, and launching startups with the best odds of success.  As a Team8 entrepreneur, you have direct access to a team of world-class operators with the strategic acumen and technical expertise to help you navigate the critical early-stage business landscape. Lean on us for support, leverage our network, and realize your business ambitions. In terms of developing and executing a growth-oriented marketing plan, our team of experts are always on hand to help with collateral creation, design services, PR, social strategy and more.

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