What's Your Number? Israeli Entrepreneurs: Wired for Pressure - with Rakefet Russak-Aminoach
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Apr 29, 2026 Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, Managing Partner at Team8 and former CEO of Bank Leumi, blends banking, fintech and venture-building experience. She discusses Israeli entrepreneurs’ wartime resilience, how investors roll up their sleeves to build startups, her shift from banking to high tech, and why AI is both a risk and an opportunity for fintech.
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Why Israeli Founders Are Wired For Pressure
- Israeli founders are exceptionally resilient because military service trains them to handle complex pressure early in life.
- Rakefet Russak-Aminoach says this wiring for pressure produces founders who pivot without panicking during war and operational shocks.
Branch Visit Sparked Bank Leumi Digital Overhaul
- Rakefet transformed Bank Leumi by pushing an early digital-first strategy after seeing young customers waiting in branches with phones.
- Her branch visit and an 18–20 year-old depositing a check sparked an aggressive digital overhaul that made the bank number one.
Team8 Builds Companies Before Recruiting Founders
- Team8 ideates and builds companies rather than waiting for founder pitches, combining idea generation with founder recruitment.
- Rakefet explains this build-and-invest model spans cyber, fintech, data, and digital health at scale.