American basketball star Stephen Curry is investing in tech startups run by former IDF operatives who were integral to building Israel’s digital architecture of apartheid and genocide.

Curry, considered one of the sport’s all-time greats and who positions himself as an advocate for social justice, has invested in the companies, both run and staffed by former Israeli spies, through his venture capital firm Penny Jar Capital.

Curry has made these investments alongside Israeli venture capital firms which are also deeply embedded in Israel’s intelligence establishment, and American venture capital funds connected to the Zionist lobby.

Zafran Security

Zafran Security, which Curry’s firm backed in a $30 million funding round in 2024, is run by Sanaz Yashar, an Iranian raised in Tehran who was recruited as a teenager by Israel and spent 15 years as a spy within Unit 8200, the arm of the IDF which intercepts and hacks communications. Her time in the IDF encompassed numerous assaults on Gaza, including the 2014 bombardment of the territory which killed over 2,200 Palestinians and the 2018-19 March of Return which saw Israeli snipers murder hundreds and deliberately maim thousands.

Yashar’s co-founders at the cybersecurity start-up, Ben Seri and Snir Havdala, are also former Israeli intelligence officers. Havdala served for a decade in Unit 8200, while Seri served in Unit 81 which is focused on building the offensive cyber weapons that Israel uses against the Palestinians, Iran and others. Yashar, Seri and Havdala were all awarded prizes for their IDF work.

Curry has invested in Zafran alongside the US venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, whose partner Shaun Maguire is a pro-Israel fanatic and racist. Maguire organized Starlink access for the IDF, has spent two years making racist comments about Muslims, and in December falsely accused a Palestinian of the mass shooting at Brown University. Sequoia is the lead investor in Zafran and has investments in more than 60 other Israeli death-tech companies founded by ex-IDF.

Curry is also invested in Zafran alongside another US venture firm, Menlo Ventures, and Israeli firm Cyberstarts.

Menlo has made numerous investments in Israel and last year partner Mark Siegal, on a trip to Israel, said, in comments which reveal why so many US venture firms invest in Israel, that “the Israeli tech ecosystem is critical to Israel’s survival” and that he sees it as “almost a duty as a Jew to make sure this ecosystem continues to thrive.”

Curry’s other co-investor in Zafran, Cyberstarts, was founded by Gili Raanan, a senior figure in Israel’s military intelligence establishment. Raanan spent 15 years in Unit 8200 and was awarded one of Israel’s top prizes for IDF veterans, the presidential defense prize, for his role in creating Israel’s apartheid infrastructure.

Read More