The Olam

Founders & Companies

The founders behind Israeli businesses, the executives running them and the ownership decisions that shape their companies.

85 storiesUpdated Sep 11, 2026

Latest in Founders & Companies

85 stories
Rami Levy: Israel's Discount Supermarket KingLead story
Founders & Companies · Aug 30, 2026

Rami Levy: Israel's Discount Supermarket King

He opened a single wholesale grocery on Jerusalem's Hashikma Street in 1976. Today Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing (TASE: RMLI) is Israel's discount-retail engine, spanning supermarkets, pharmacy, cafes, mobile and a stake…

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Israel runs a deep founder pipeline.

Per Tracxn data published April 2026, Israel has produced 42 unicorns. Per Israel Innovation Authority data reported by Times of Israel in early 2026, 39 active tech unicorns operate in the country. Tel Aviv accounts for 25 of them; Herzliya for 4; Jerusalem for 3.

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The pipeline behind those numbers runs through identifiable institutions: Unit 8200, Talpiot, Unit 9900, Mossad cyber, Shin Bet technology, the Technion's computer science and information security programs, the Weizmann Institute, Hebrew University, and Tel Aviv University. The same names recur across Wiz, CyberArk, Check Point, Mobileye, AI21 Labs, Armis, and the next generation including Heven AeroTech, Wonderful, Oasis Security, and Line5.

Per the Technion CS faculty, faculty graduates lead the unicorn list — including Assaf Rappaport (Wiz), Oren Kaniel (AppsFlyer), Eilon Reshef (Gong), and Nadir Izrael and Yevgeny Dibrov (Armis).

This cluster is the canonical reference layer. Each named person and company gets a structured entity page: identity, background, role, capital history, related entities, sources.

Reference and analysis

Long-form reference entries in Founders & Companies

Israeli Founders & Billionaires — The Olam Reference

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Castro: Israel's Fashion House Since 1950
Founders & Companies · Aug 26, 2026
Castro: Israel's Fashion House Since 1950

Castro (TASE: CAST): Israel's oldest fashion house, founded 1950. FY2025 revenue NIS 2.12B, net income down 59%. 170 stores in 7 countries. Rotter and…

Inside the Israeli AI Founder Reputation Gap
Founders & Companies · Jun 4, 2026
Inside the Israeli AI Founder Reputation Gap

Sutskever, Shashua, Shoham, Goshen, Gross, and Matias define Israel's AI founder landscape. Their diverse reputations impact company valuation.

Bezhalel Machlis: The Elbit Systems CEO
Founders & Companies · Jun 29, 2026
Bezhalel Machlis: The Elbit Systems CEO

Bezhalel "Butzi" Machlis has run Elbit Systems since 2013 — through defense-export expansion, the post-Ukraine rerating, and the multi-year build that…