Omri Casspi on Life After the NBA as a Venture Capitalist, Bringing Elon Musk to Israel, Sports Philosophy in Investing, Getting Founders to Trust Him, and the Story He Never Told Anyone | Invested

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Omri Casspi. Omri was a trailblazing Israeli professional basketball player, becoming the first Israeli-born athlete to play in the NBA. He enjoyed a 11-year career in the league, playing for teams including the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors—where he won an NBA championship in 2018—and Memphis Grizzlies, among others.

After retiring Omri immediately transitioned into venture capital, co-founding Sheva in 2022 with $36 million to invest in early-stage startups, followed by Swish Ventures in 2024, raising $60 million to focus on cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI. Managing $200 million in assets, he backs standout companies like Upwind, Eon, and many others.

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KEY TOPICS 

• [00:00:00] Intro
• [00:01:10] On Being the First Israeli NBA Player
• [00:03:30] Why Trailblazers Inspire Other People
• [00:09:02] Sports Experience Helps Omri Support Founders
• [00:11:15] Omri’s Pursuit of Excellence
• [00:14:51] Investing in Ohio Real Estate
• [00:19:10] Preparing for the Future
• [00:20:38] The Team Omri Wanted to Play For
• [00:22:20] Dealing With Setbacks
• [00:26:27] Omri’s Venture Fund & Understanding Investing
• [00:31:24] Founder Hesitations to Omri as an Investor
• [00:36:13] Different Investing Styles in VC
• [00:38:50] Why Do Israeli Startups Fail?
• [00:43:14] Omri’s Favorite Investors and Funds
• [00:45:02] Growing Jewish Identity in the U.S.
• [00:48:50] Omri’s Parenting Style
• [00:50:15] Admiring This Generation of Israelis
• [00:52:27] Bringing Elon Musk to Israel
• [00:54:46] Antisemitism in the NBA
• [00:55:27] Living in the Public Eye and Starting a Podcast
• [00:59:00] Parenting Children as a High-Achiever
• [01:01:35] Closing Questions

RESOURCES

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CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Yoni Mayer

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi