HR The Next Leap
Team8: “It has become rare to recruit a dedicated QA position”
Aviv Yonas, VP of HR at Team8, explains how the tech revolution is blurring some traditional job descriptions, and how the firm supports its local Israeli team throughout an ongoing state of emergency, as part of CTech’s HR: The Next Leap series.
The meteoric rise of AI across the enterprise sector has triggered "a drop in demand for a role that has been declining in recent years anyway: QA," says Aviv Yonas, VP of HR at venture creation and capital firm Team8. "Over the past few years, it has largely merged with the developer role, and it has become rare to recruit a dedicated QA position."
From active and looming war threats, to AI rapidly and constantly redefining what it means to be productive, running a company in Startup Nation brings with it its own category of challenges and rewards. HR: The Next Leap takes a glimpse into the heart of Startup Nation via the HR professionals shaping its culture. We survey the executives whose jobs are more demanding and more vital than ever, as they heed the future-proofing of their workforce, while simultaneously ensuring business continuity and employee wellbeing during relentlessly unprecedented times.
Addressing brain drain concerns across Startup Nation, Yonas explains that for Team8, “there are occasional moves abroad within the companies, mainly to North America and Europe, usually for the team member or their partner's studies.” Yet, with the looming threat of escalation with Iran ever-present, she maintains that “only after the war will we know whether there is a clear trend of brain drain.”
You can read the entire interview below.
Company Name: Team8
Year of Founding: 2014
Partners/Managers: Liran Grinberg, Yuval Shachar, Sarit Firon, Rakefet Russak Aminoach, Amir Zilberstein, Aviad Harell, Assaf Mischari, Alon Huri, Varda Shalev, Roy Heldshtein, Israel Grimberg, Galia Beer-Gabel, Asaf Azulay, Dror Grof, Hadar Siterman Norris, Ronen Assia, Adm. Mike Rogers, Ori Yankelev, Dr. Eldad Rom, Matthew J. Schoenfeld, Ori Barzilay, Demetrios L. Kouzoukas, Yuval Tal
Notable Portfolio Companies: Claroty, Port, Act, Classiq, Koi, Ox, Finout, C8, Popai, Clover, Mate, Lumia, Fundgaurd, Reindeer AI, Bluespine, and more
Notable Exits: Talon (Palo Alto), Dig (Palo Alto), Gem (Wiz), Curv (Paypal), Illusive (Proofpoint), Portshift (Cisco), Sygnia (Temasek) and more
Website: https://team8.vc/
Social Media: Linkedin
In March 2026, as the market has officially shifted into an 'employer's market,' how have your screening criteria changed, and do candidates - including senior-level ones - still hold any leverage in negotiating salaries and terms?
Certainly. These are candidates who have been smart enough to embrace the AI revolution and turn it into a real competitive edge. Some have specialized in highly relevant roles such as AI Engineers or go-to-market Engineers, while others have elevated their value as multi-disciplinary developers with a broad, versatile skill set.
They are the “jokers” in the deck – people who can manage and orchestrate multiple AI agents, adapt quickly, and contribute meaningfully across a wide range of domains within the company.
How have/are you managing operational continuity and recruitment while the economy navigates the emergency state triggered by the conflict with Iran? With the threat of escalation looming at any moment, how are you and have you been handling everything from interviews interrupted by sirens to managing teams thinned by massive, ongoing reserve duty?
We’re all hands-on at Team8 to maintain continuity. Each of us steps in to support and backfill colleagues who are currently serving in reserve duty, and we extend that support to our portfolio companies as well.
At Team8 itself, and across the companies, we have continued recruiting even in wartime — literally between sirens. We’ve invested heavily in supporting our people: from one-on-one check-ins to ensure they and their partners are safe, to pampering care packages for the families of reservists and for employees’ families who experienced additional hardships due to the war, and organizing in-office babysitting solutions when schools and kindergartens were closed, so parents could keep working with access to protected spaces and their children cared for nearby.
Beyond the role of empowering employees, which roles has AI eliminated over the past year, what percentage of your workforce was reskilled to avoid being phased out, and how has this impacted entry-level hiring?
As of now, we are still not seeing a clear elimination of existing roles. However, there is a drop in demand for a role that has been declining in recent years anyway: QA. Over the past few years, it has largely merged with the developer role, and it has become rare to recruit a dedicated QA position. Most of that work is now covered by AI agents managed by developers. All employees at Team8 have undergone training to take advantage of the AI revolution and use it intelligently in order to improve both the quality of our work and our ability to scale.
Against the backdrop of the unstable security and political climate, are you seeing an increase in relocation requests or 'quiet quitting' by top-tier talent moving abroad, and what is the most proactive step you are taking to retain them in Israel?
There are occasional moves abroad within the companies, mainly to North America and Europe, usually for the team member or their partner's studies. In rare cases, families relocate for permanent residence. I believe that only after the war will we know whether there is a clear trend of brain drain.
In an era where stability has replaced flashy perks, how are you addressing the deep mental burnout of employees torn between the professional and security fronts, and what is the most critical benefit you offer today in place of the bonuses that have vanished?
Team8 is one of the most stable places to work. We focus on building and investing in companies, so we continue our activities despite market volatility. This makes us a very stable workplace, and that is our clear advantage compared to other employers.
In addition, Team8 is a highly flexible workplace that constantly adapts to a rapidly changing reality. In times of war, we make a special effort to support our employees through emotional support, sending treats to families dealing with challenges at home, and providing on-site babysitting at the office when children do not have access to regular educational frameworks.
