Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Visit Israel

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be arriving in Israel for a mostly private visit this weekend, one person familiar with the matter said in an interview with Calcalist speaking on conditions of anonymity.

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Mr. Schmidt, who visits Israel often, is a founding member and the main backer of venture capital firm Innovation Endeavors, which has offices in New York, Silicon Valley, and Tel Aviv.

In August the firm merged with Israel-based venture capital firm Marker LLC, and started raising a new $300 million fund that is currently nearing closure. Portfolio companies include Uber, content distribution company Taboola Inc., pathogen-detection startup Karius Inc. and marketing startup Yotpo Ltd.

Innovation Endeavors is also an investor in Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity startup foundry Team8 LLC. Co-founded in 2014 by CEO Nadav Zafrir, a former commander of the Israeli military’s signal intelligence unit 8200, Team8 is backed by Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, and Singapore’s governmental holding company Temasek. The company has launched several startups since its establishment.

Shortly after August’s merger, Innovation Endeavors founding partner Yuval Shachar left the firm to join Team8 as partner. Innovation Endeavors partner Liat Aaronson, who came over from Marker following the merger, left the firm shortly after him.