Sapir Harosh is a partner and manages investment activities in Israel for Third Point Ventures, the venture capital arm of the US hedge fund. She lives in Herzliya with her husband and two children.
Childhood and family: I was born in Safed - the seventh generation in the city, to a family of six children. My father was a border policeman and my mother worked at a baby clinic. I grew up in a small but warm home that gave us security and a feeling that we can do anything. Money? Until today I am not a person that likes brands and expensive vacations. In school I was nerdy and ambitious. I was seen as gifted and studied in summer enrichment programs at Tel Hai College and the Technion. It was usual in our area to work from a young age, so at the age of 14 I started working as a waiter at the Bat Ya’ar meat restaurant in Amuka.
Army: I received an invitation to try out for the IDF 8200 intelligence unit and had to travel to Tel Aviv. While it was clear to everyone that I would give up in advance, it was clear to me that I would not. I got up at five in the morning and traveled six hours on buses - and I was accepted. I served for about three years as a desk officer, producing intelligence in English and receiving an outstanding award from the unit commander. I really liked the job, signed a permanent contract and thought about continuing my military career, until one of my commanders said: "I would be more happy if you invited me to the launch of your startup."
Ministry of Defense: After my discharge, I continued to work at Bat Ya’ar and one of the customers at the restaurant told me about the Ministry of Defense procurement delegation in New York. I did everything I could to figure out how to get selected. I was told I was too young, but I just heard a louder 'yes'. I managed to get to the interviews and was accepted. I was only 20 years old, the youngest buyer in the delegation. People in the Air Force and the Armed Forces would describe to me what systems they wanted, and my job was to find companies that could provide it and make the procurement. I would close deals worth millions of dollars.
Rafael: After two years, I returned to Israel from New York, because my father died of cancer. All my siblings left home and I wanted to be with my mother, so I moved back in with her. I started studying for a B.Sc in software engineering and simultaneously I started working as a software engineer at Rafael. At the same time, I was a co-founder of the 8200 youth forum. We created a community where we could meet and consult, and a year later we had reached about 4,500 members.
Pitango: In 2017, after two years at Rafael, and when I was a fourth year undergraduate, I joined the startup CloudShare as a software engineer, which developed a platform for technology training and practicing cybersecurity scenarios. After 18 months, I was hired by Pitango (venture capital firm). I told them I was coming for two years and then I was going to found a startup. I didn’t know what venture capital was and I didn’t imagine that I would end up working there for four years and in the field as a whole for more than a decade. At Pitango, I was a co-founder of the Pitango First track, which focused on seed investments, and I also joined the boards of about ten of the companies we invested in, such as Finout, Frontegg, and Komodor.
The offer from Dan Loeb: Daniel Shinar (CEO of the investment company Claltech) told me that the hedge fund Third Point was looking for an investment manager in Israel and suggested connecting me with the founder and CEO Dan Loeb. I didn't really know who he was, and apart from the "Wolf of Wall Street" I had no idea what a hedge fund was. When I started talking to Loeb on WhatsApp, I realized that it wasn't for me, because I didn't have the right financial background. But after the Covid pandemic, he came to visit Israel and we met. I tried to explain to him that I wasn't suitable, but he kept saying that everything can be learned, and what interests him more is my energy.
Third Point: Loeb invited me to visit New York, and I realized that I had a tremendous opportunity to learn from a world-class investor, who is also a strong supporter of Israel. I already wanted to say yes, but I found out that I was pregnant. When I told Loeb, he said that it would only make me a better investor, because I would know how to manage my time better. In 2022, I took on the role of Operations Manager Third Point Ventures' investments in Israel, when I was in my seventh month. We launched the fund here when my Omer was five weeks old.
The numbers: Third Point Ventures, the fund's venture capital arm, manages about $1 billion in two funds. The hedge fund itself manages about $25 billion. Since taking office, I've led investments in Grip Security (cybersecurity), Zenity (supervision of AI agents in organizations), Unframe (management and implementation of AI in organizations), and Pi Security (advanced security in the B2B sector). Our team consists of five people: two in Israel and three in Menlo Park.
Masculine environment: Throughout my career, my family and geographic background have not defined me, nor has being a woman. I have never had any problems working in an environment that is overwhelmingly male.
Leisure: My therapy is baking. My parents' families originally came from Morocco and my signature dishes are Moroccan challah and fish. When I need to think things through, Harel my husband knows that on such a day he will be getting delicious food.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 28, 2026.
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