From my days on the basketball court to founding Sheva eighteen months ago, the journey has been nothing short of exhilarating. But one of the most interesting conclusions I’ve come to so far is the direct connection between sports and the startup world. When I hung up my sneakers and transitioned from basketball to startup investments, I knew I was embarking on a whole new game. Together with my partner David, we envisioned Sheva as a blend of sportsmanship and entrepreneurship, a space where passion, strategy, and innovation collide.
Introducing Upwind
Our focus on passion and excellence led us to Upwind, which was founded by the same team that successfully built and sold Spot.io to NetApp for $450M. Upwind’s founders, led by CEO Amiram Shachar, bring extensive DevOps experience to the security field, with the aim of transforming how organizations view cybersecurity.
In basketball, any experienced player will tell you that defense wins championships, and the same goes for cyber security. Upwind is changing the game by adding a crucial element into cloud security – which is runtime.
You can’t play good defense without understanding the reality of your game, and that’s exactly what Upwind brings to security leaders, helping them level up their game with important, real-time cloud security context. This context helps them play better defense, save an enormous amount of time, make their infrastructure more efficient and effectively protect their business.
Sheva & Upwind: A Journey of Collaboration
Our investment in Upwind truly reflects Sheva’s philosophy. The founding team’s tremendous track record in building a successful technology company showcases the kind of legacy we aim to nurture—a legacy of innovation, resilience, and consecutive victories. Both in basketball and in entrepreneurship, winning a back-to-back championship is much harder than the first, and we focus on supporting teams that we know have the dedication and drive to succeed repeatedly.
From day one, our partnership with Upwind was all about collaboration. We didn’t just invest and step back; we rolled up our sleeves and worked side by side with their team. We introduced them to our network of venture partners en masse, providing them with an invaluable platform to showcase their product and forge lasting relationships. We connected them with investors who shared our vision and were excited about Upwind.io’s potential. It was about providing more than just capital—it was about offering a network of support and connections that could make all the difference.
Our support for Upwind didn’t end there. We were in the trenches with them, helping to refine their strategy, providing insights based on our collective experience, and offering guidance every step of the way. We believe in their vision, and we are committed to seeing it come to fruition.
This is what sets Sheva apart—a commitment to not only investing but also actively participating in the growth and success of our portfolio companies. It’s about bringing our experience, network, and passion to the table, creating a true partnership that’s built on shared goals and mutual trust. We are excited to join Upwind on this journey, supporting a successful team that is bringing needed runtime insights to the world of cybersecurity.
