The Future of FinTech: 15 Israeli Influencers to Watch in 2024

21.11.2023

Like it?
Share it!
Linkedin
Twitter
Facebook
Share

Link copied to clipboard

Blog Influencers

From cryptocurrency influencers to the original pioneers of Israel’s FinTech startups, these are the 15 FinTech superstars who should be on your radar for 2024.

Israel has earned the nickname the “startup nation” thanks to its plethora of highly successful, innovative companies. Some have even earned unicorn status, meaning that they’re valued at over $1 billion. And among those unicorns, there are quite a few that are specifically financial technology (FinTech) focused, offering everything from cutting-edge payment plans to cross border transfers and alternative capital. It’s clear that FinTech and the startup nation go together like falafel and tahini.

Israel’s FinTech scene is poised to grow even further, thanks to the brilliant and creative minds behind the scenes. From cryptocurrency influencers to the original pioneers of Israel’s FinTech startups, these are the 15 FinTech superstars who should be on your radar for 2024.

1. Yuval Tal – Founder @ Payoneer

: 15 Israeli influencers to watch in 2024 — **Yuval Tal**.Founder @ Payoneer Photo: Ron Rosenfeld

Trailblazing international payments platform Payoneer reached unicorn status in 2019, with a public valuation of over $1 billion. Yuval Tal, the company’s founder and former president, is a veteran of FinTech in Israel, having founded Payoneer in 2005.

He was previously involved in a groundbreaking internet payments venture in the late 90s, which led to a lucrative exit for the FinTech pioneer. Yuval is now a Managing Partner at Team8 Fintech, a leading VC fund in the space.

2. Yan Lazarev & Alex Komarovsky – Co-Founders @ Gaviti

A super effective accounts receivable SaaS (software as a service) solution, Gaviti helps streamline the collections process via automation, payment forecasting, and more. The company is making waves in the industry, recently raising $9 million in Series A funding.

Much of Gaviti’s success can be traced back to its CEO, Yan Lazarev. A seasoned debt agent who collected over $1.5 billion from clients in over 40 countries, Yan leverages his invaluable real-world knowledge of the finance industry to elevate Gaviti’s strategy and offerings far above the competition.

With over a decade of experience as software developer and software development team lead under his belt, Gaviti CTO Alex Komarovsky is also a critical part of the company’s success. Alex’s expertise in enterprise level software development gives Gaviti proprietary software, providing Gaviti a unique market advantage.

3. Ornit Dweck-Maizel – CTO & Co-Founder @ Sunbit

While in Israel paying for large purchases in monthly installments is standard procedure, that’s simply not the case in the rest of the world. Ornit Dweck-Maizel, a self-described numbers geek since childhood, is the driving force behind Sunbit, a market leader in buy now, pay later (BNPL) technology.

Before co-founding Sunbit, Ornit spent more than 15 years earning her stripes in the R&D and tech development departments of several notable finance-focused companies. In 2021, Sunbit raised a staggering $130 million, just after its $1.1 billion valuation.

4. Eynat Guez – CEO & Co-Founder @ Papaya Global

A global payroll platform company streamlining payroll management across international borders, Papaya Global rose to prominence when lockdowns and work-from-home meant that employees were often scattered across multiple geographic locations. Papaya operates in more than 160 countries, and is the brainchild of HR and tech entrepreneur Eynat Guez.

During the first few years after the company’s founding in 2016, Eynat found herself trying to win over investors who believed “that a global payroll solution wasn’t solving a real problem in the market.” Since the pandemic, the company has swelled, and “we don’t have trouble reaching investors anymore.”

5. Chanan Lavi – CEO & Co-Founder @ Kipp

Declined transactions are a pain in the neck, for consumers, eCommerce merchants, and banks. Kipp uses advanced AI to align sellers and card issuers, streamlining their communication to minimize declined transactions, to the relief of buyers, eCommerce retailers, and financial institutions alike.

CEO and Co-Founder Chanan Lavi was inspired to create Kipp after years working in ePayments management, optimization, and Business Development roles for industry-leading financial service companies and merchants. Chanan’s unparalleled insights give Kipp a unique perspective into the pain points for card issuers and merchants, and appropriate solutions.

6. Neta Rozy – CTO & Co-Founder @ Parametrix Insurance

Downtime insurance company Parametrix Insurance occupies a unique space in the field, insuring tech-dependent enterprises when software failures mean devastating financial losses. And despite her young age, the company’s CTO, US-born Neta Rozy, is enjoying major industry buzz.

She moved to Israel as a young adult in order to enlist in the IDF, and is the only one of Parametrix’s C-Level executives who isn’t an experienced entrepreneur. But it’s clear that Neta has a master level understanding of the market and her enterprise’s place in it.

“Cyber insurance is also a market in the insurance industry that’s valued at over $9 billion and it’s growing almost 30% a year,” Neta explains. “ Cloud consumption alone is a market of over $350 billion. We kind of lie in between both of these markets. It’s really growing very fast.”

7. Arik Shtilman – CEO & Co-Founder @ Rapyd

Israel’s biggest unicorn, valued at a whopping $15 billion, is B2B payments service Rapyd. Founded in 2015, the company provides local and cross-border digital fund transfers, via digital wallets, banks, and cash. The enterprise is Israel’s most highly-valued private tech company and FinTech company.

Rapyd’s CEO and Co-Founder Arik Shtilman is a force to be reckoned with, previously founding a successful, cloud communications-focused venture that was acquired in 2013. The serial entrepreneur clearly has a golden touch when it comes to high-stakes tech ventures.

8. Ron Gura – CEO & Co-Founder @ Empathy

A bereavement focused start-up, Empathy aims to help people manage loss through a combination of human touch and FinTech innovation. Co-Founded by former eBay and WeWork executive Ron Gura, the company has already raised over $43 millionfrom investors just two years after its founding.

“Death is the final sector that has remained neglected from an innovation standpoint,” Ron says. “We believe that like with many other sectors, technology can help by providing transparency, lowering prices, making information accessible, securing documents and providing a platform for partnership between suppliers and family members.”

9. Ouriel Ohayon – CEO & Co-Founder @ ZenGo

A crypto wallet that doesn’t require long and complicated passwords, instead using facial biometrics and advanced encryption for security, ZenGo has made a huge splash in the crypto world. The user-friendly platform is led by Ouriel Ohayon, a seasoned crypto and FinTech entrepreneur whose expectations for crypto in financial markets spans far beyond the tech world.

“A true crypto-based future will require solutions that are radically simple, mobile-first, and built on-chain,” Ouriel says. “Our approach to security, based on MPC, eliminates traditional single points of failure, and has helped us build an innovative consumer-grade wallet that makes crypto simpler, and also an order of magnitude safer.”

10. Yair Benaymini – CEO & Co-Founder @ Lendai

A direct lending company providing funding for foreigners looking to invest in the U.S. housing market, Lendai has definitely found a sweet spot in the FinTech market. Using advanced, proprietary AI, the company is able to calculate risk and make lightning fast, smart decisions about whether a property or investor is a safe bet.

Yair Benyamini, Lendai’s CEO and Co-Founder, is a former senior executive running the cross border transactions and business development teams for a prominent Israeli law firm. With his intimate knowledge of both the legal field and international financial transactions, he’s well-poised to continue making a notable impact on Israeli FinTech.

11. Gil Mandelzis – CEO & Founder @ Capitolis

Capitolis, a capital marketplace focused on optimization for market participants, has generated significant buzz in the industry. The company recently made headlines for its impressive $110 million Series D funding round, and is backed by some of the biggest names in venture capital.

But one of Capitolis’ biggest advantages is its CEO and Founder, Gil Mandelzis. Gil has some serious credentials in the finance world, including time serving on the New York Fed and Bank of Canada’s FX committees, as well as the Bank of England’s Joint Standing committee.

12. Oded Zehavi – CEO & Founder @ Mesh Payments

A fully automated and unified financial management platform, Mesh Payments aims to replace the traditional corporate credit card. It counts major industry players such as Metropolitan Commercial Bank and Visa among its partners.

Mesh’s CEO and Co-Founder Oded Zehavi has a long track record of FinTech and entrepreneurial success. He served in executive roles at PayPal and Payoneer, and currently serves as an advisory board member for several prominent FinTech companies.

13. Boaz Yaari – CEO & Founder @ Sharegain

Innovative securities lending company Sharegain helps investors manage their stocks, bonds and ETFs. The organization’s proprietary technology brings a fresh, data-driven perspective to a space that’s typically managed with archaic, 20-year-old technology.

With more than a decade of experience in capital markets under his belt, CEO and Founder Boaz Yaari utilizes his real-world experience to shape Sharegain’s products and business strategy. After recently raising $62 million in funding, we can expect to see a lot more from Sharegain and Boaz.

14. Hani Goldstein – CEO & Founder @ Snappy Gifts

Rewards platform Snappy Gifts provides enterprises with the opportunity to personalize presents and perks to its employees. Snappy counts Fortune 500 companies such as Zoom, Uber, and Salesforce among its 1,500 clients.

“The whole concept of Snappy is to spread joy and give back,” says Hani Goldstein, the company’s CEO and Founder. It’s clear that Hani’s vision for the company is resonating throughout the market – the company experienced tremendous 800% growth in 2021 alone.

15. Itzik Levy – CEO & Founder @ vCita

Comprehensive business management and client engagement solution vCita’s mission is to help small businesses better understand their customers’ needs and track their activity. vCita provides its users with the data-driven insights they need to make smarter business decisions.

Itzik Levy, the head of vCita, has 25 years of experience in the tech space, having previously founded Kidaro, a desktop-virtualization company. That organization was acquired by Microsoft, and Itzik then served as a Product Unit Manager at Microsoft. With his extensive technical knowledge in both the start-up and corporate worlds, Itzik’s seasoned perspective brings huge value to vCita and the FinTech industry.

Are you an established (or aspiring) FinTech influencer and think you should have been included in this list? We’re listening.

If you’re looking to expand your presence, grow your business, and gain more leads and opportunities, consider partnering with a startup marketing agency like SAGE to help you gain an organic foothold in your market. Specifically focused on B2B sales? We’re also a B2B marketing agency, and we’d love to tell you more about how we can work together to build your brand.

Back Next

Five Lessons Learned by a CEO – Tal Bar David

28.06.2023

Like it?
Share it!
Linkedin
Twitter
Facebook
Share

Link copied to clipboard

Back Next

Blog Influencers Start-Up Tips

Tal Bar David is the Co-founder and CEO of Complyt. Tal took a legal background, significant tax expertise and experience working with high-tech companies, and flipped them into an extremely successful entrepreneurship. Tal was able to turn a “Eureka!” moment into Complyt, a leading US sales tax automation platform. Complyt simplifies the compliance obligations for global businesses. With a quick integration, the Complyt automated sales tax platform monitors, calculates and files sales tax returns, all in one accessible platform.

Tal’s journey is one of the most relatable paths to starting one’s own company that you’ll encounter. Any entrepreneur/young CEO will be able to benefit from the personal insights and takeaways he shares in the interview below.

Please tell our readers about yourself. How did it all begin?

I am 36 years old, married plus one child (and another on the way). My story is actually pretty unusual; I studied law and accounting, not the typical origin story of a startup entrepreneur. While trying to decide which of these professions I should pursue, I found myself interning in the US tax department of EY. That is where I first encountered the mysterious world of the US Sales Tax. As I gained experience, I consulted a lot of companies on taxes in general and specifically I had to help them find their way around Sales tax issues. I sensed a recurring pattern among customers, who all voiced the same pain. After hearing their complaints again and again, the need was so obvious and for the first time I felt the entrepreneurial urge to deliver a solution. I was able to raise funds quickly from investors who were familiar with compliance and regulation so they really bought into the idea. Then I quickly got to work before anyone else moved to fill this need.

How did the idea for your current business come about?

The year was 2019 and one customer after another told me that they were incredibly confused by new obligations placed on global businesses when it came to applying and collecting Sales tax. They had good reason to be frustrated; US Sales tax is one of the most complex indirect tax systems in the world. The previous year, the government decided that these taxes, which were originally intended to be local, should be applied on global transactions. The result was a nightmare, since taxes needed to be calculated differently based on the location of the customer and the products and services that were being sold. Customers wondered aloud why someone couldn’t provide them with an easy-to-use technological solution that would take care of these calculations and give them the answer to a simple question: How much Sales tax should I collect?

This actually made a lot of sense to me, since it seemed that this was a problem that could be easily solved with software. The recent changes in legislation provided the compelling event that created a large market for such a solution, so I knew I had to act fast. My goal was to make calculating the Sales tax obligations for any given transaction painless, I didn’t want customers to have to think twice before issuing an invoice.

That’s how I came up with Complyt. It is a system that connects to your ERP and, based on the transaction parameters, advises whether Sales tax is required and how much, as well as handles your filing obligations.

What has been the most satisfying moment in your entrepreneurial journey thus far?

Since I am still on my journey, I don’t think it is possible to point to a single moment. There are many different milestones in the life of an entrepreneur, challenges to overcome and achievements to celebrate. Small satisfying moments; when you succeed in securing investment, when the team achieves a technological milestone, when you win a deal, when you grow the team by adding a new position. The trick is to savour each small victory, as the day-to-day life of an entrepreneur can be very stressful.

What challenges are you facing these days?

One of the main challenges is actually to put together the right team, who can work together with the right chemistry. As a small company, I find that every individual is more impactful, both in their contribution to the solution and as a member of the team. If you are a Google, employees may come and go without making any waves. For us, every addition and every departure has an effect.

Another challenge is keeping track of the competition, constantly checking around to see what others in the space are doing. This is actually something I have made a point of doing from the very beginning and I feel that it was a great contribution to our success. I met with dozens of potential users and my competitors’ customers to analyze what was missing in those solutions, making sure I understood the pain that I could address and the best ways to solve it. Direct communication with your customers is tremendously valuable for figuring out where to devote your energy and resources.

I’ll share an example: I originally envisioned that the product would have a state-of-the-art dashboard, something sleek and shiny, that would allow users to perform all sorts of analytics. When I shared this with customers, their feedback was that they didn’t perceive the dashboard as something that crucial. From their point of view, as long as the system was working reliably and could help them resolve the Sales tax issue quickly, they didn’t have any need for deep analytics. That saved us a lot of effort and allowed us to focus on other priorities. Staying very close to the customers is the key; users should be defining what is important to them.

What motivates and drives you as an entrepreneur?

My biggest satisfaction is seeing my vision slowly materialize, to see how it solves the pain for the target user and watch as they realize how much it can make their lives easier. That is what fuels my motivation. Then I move on to the next challenge, the next pain that can be addressed.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned during your career as a CEO?

The most important lesson for me was learning how to accept help from others. The Israeli ecosystem is extremely supportive. I participated in a mentoring program and had a very helpful mentor who taught me a lot. Whenever I get involved in a new domain of expertise, I always seek out a mentor, a domain expert. It’s super important to add expertise from the experts.
For example, if I need to hire a Salesperson, I will try to consult with someone who has experience in that field; how can I know what I am looking for if I don’t have an understanding of the challenges that they might encounter?
If there is one thing I would like to pass on to other founders/CEOs who may be just starting out, is not to be shy about grabbing a cup of coffee with people and seeking their advice. I found that people are more than happy to help and that I was able to learn a lot. That’s not to say necessarily that I always accepted everything they said, but for me, every input is useful and every viewpoint can teach you something.

Do you believe a method or formula exists to become a successful CEO?

No, I don’t think there is, it really depends on the journey. I was an individual founder, simply because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, so that is how it turned out. Later on, it took me a while to find a co-founder since it was important for me to find someone who could complete me, not just professionally but also in terms of characteristics, so we could help balance each other out. There is no single template for being an entrepreneur.
You also need to be able to delegate, to rely on others. A CEO needs to understand a range of areas enough to be part of the discussion and have an appreciation of the nuances. And then they need to bring in good people to care of the details, and then they need to trust them to do their job.

Do you have any advice or tips to share with the young CEO?

Something important that I learned along the way is to always maintain a good relationship with my investors. In the beginning I considered them as people I had to impress, and I should show confidence and share mainly good news. Over time I learned to treat them more as trusted advisors, to ask their opinions. Most investors are experienced and before they invest in your company they have been involved with at least a couple of startups. They believed in you enough to make an investment so they want to help. This also creates buy-in, keeps them involved. Asking them questions keeps the communication flowing and, when you inevitably will face challenges and obstacles, this will help keep them on your side.

What’s next? Where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years?

In 10 years I expect both myself and Complyt to still be around, since we are only scratching the surface of this problem. We have a grand vision to become a global company that will provide solutions for companies wherever they want to do business. We want to provide them a solution that, as the name indicates, is a complete one. They can focus on running their business wherever they want to, all over the world, and we will take care of the compliance and taxation issues for them. Our message to them is “We’ve got you covered.”
I would also like to achieve a good work-life balance, I know it is possible (I’ve heard rumors from other founders :-)). Obviously the work of a CEO and founder never ends but I would still like to make time for my family. I believe that it was Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola who explained that of all the balls we juggle in life, a few, such as family and health, are made of glass. Being an entrepreneur and constantly seeking innovation are important but I don’t want to drop the ball on my family and on my wellness.

My journey has taught me that you never know where life will take you. I started with law and tried to avoid taxes, and look where I ended up. You should never automatically say no to new situations and opportunities that you encounter in life, try to give them a chance and see where they will take you.

Back Next

Cybersecurity spotlight: Israel’s Top 15 industry influencers to follow

10.04.2023

Like it?
Share it!
Linkedin
Twitter
Facebook
Share

Link copied to clipboard

Back Next

Blog Influencers

With a new year around the corner, now’s a great time to refresh where you’re getting your cyber industry news.

One of the greatest ways to learn about an industry is to hear insights from its top experts.

And the cybersecurity field is certainly not lacking in experienced, knowledgeable specialists that can help you optimize your cyber strategy.

New data from Momentum Cyber found that in 2021, cyber startups raised an unprecedented$29.5 billion in venture capital, more than doubling the amount raised in 2020.

This flourishing industry will only continue gaining relevance and spotlight as the need for security increases.

Luckily for you, we’ve gathered the top 15 cybersecurity influencers breaking new ground, so we can all learn from their experience and know who and what to keep an eye out for. Without further ado, these are the top cybersecurity influencers to follow in 2023:

1. Assaf Rappaport

Israel's Top 15 industry influencers to follow — Assaf Rappaport, Co-founder and CEO at Wiz Photo: LinkedIn

Wiz is on a mission to help organizations create secure cloud environments by identifying and removing the most critical cyber risks. The company recently received a valuation of $6 billion, making it the fastest growing cybersecurity company to date.

For Assaf Rappaport, being Co-Founder and CEO at Wiz isn’t his first entrepreneurial rodeo. After his time as a software engineer in the IDF and as a consultant at Mckinsey & Company, he co-founded a cloud security company, Adallom, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2015. Now, Assaf is taking cybersecurity to new heights with the startup that everybody’s talking about.

2. Dean Sysman

Enabling companies around the world to control complexity, Axonius’s cybersecurity management platform enables asset inventory, uncovers security gaps, and automates action. Founded in 2017, the company has received plenty of recognition, including landing on the CNBC Upstart 100 list and Forbes 20 Rising Stars.

Axonius’s CEO and Co-Founder, Dean Sysman, is a distinguished cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur. Not only has he been selected for the Forbes Israel 30 under 30 list and won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, but he also previously founded another cyber company called Cymmetria that was acquired by private equity in 2019. Keep an eye on this one – we know we will!

3. Adi Sharabani

If you’re in the world of cyber, you’ve likely heard of Snyk, the Developer Security Platform empowering developers and security teams around the world to build secure applications. With over 1,200 customers and $775 M in funding, Snyk is paving the cyber path.

Leading the company’s tech innovation journey is Adi Sharabani, CTO of Snyk. With various impressive experiences under his belt, including as CEO and co-founder of Skycure and leader of security for IBM software products, Adi provides the cyber expertise needed to continue pushing Snyk to the forefront of the industry.

4. Yuval Lazar

Pentera’s state-of-the-art automated security validation solution allows organizations to test the integrity of all cybersecurity layers in real-time, at any scale. With a variety of awards under its belt and a recent $150 million C round, Pentera is the highest-valued company in its category.

Yuval Lazar, security researcher at Pentera, plays a key role in the company’s success and is a major player in the cybersecurity industry. She was named on the list of the “Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity,” and is sure to continue breaking new cyber ground in the future.

5. Lior Div

If you’re looking for protection against future cyber-attacks from industry experts, look no further than Cybereason. Made up of minds from the military, government intelligence, and enterprise security, Cybereason has raised $664 million to date and answers pressing needs to protect against cyber and ransomware attacks.

Lior Div is the brilliant co-founder and CEO behind Cybereason. He received an IDF Medal of Honor for outstanding achievements as a commander and leader of an elite cybersecurity unit, and before Cybereason, he was the founder of another cyber company called AlfaTech.

6.Guy Tytunovich

CHEQ is paving the path for Go-to-Market security (GTMSec) with its groundbreaking solution that protects companies from invalid traffic. With over 14,000 customers around the world and an array of awards in their portfolio, CHEQ is sure to go places.

Leading the company to the forefront of the industry is Guy Tytunovich, its Founder and CEO. Guy has founded multiple startups in the past, all along the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, NLP, and martech. He was driven to launch CHEQ in order to “safeguard the world’s leading brands through the use of new, cutting-edge technology.”

7. Keren Elazari

Founded in 2015, Leading Cyber Ladies is a movement that aims to achieve greater diversity, representation, and equality within the cybersecurity field. Leading Cyber Ladies hold various cyber meetups all around the world to provide opportunities for members to speak about their work, network with other women in cyber, and create a welcoming community.

Keren Elezari is one of two co-founders of Leading Cyber Ladies, as well as a security researcher, distinguished public speaker, and industry analyst.

Her op-ed essays and columns have appeared in distinguished publications, and her TED talk has helped shape the global conversation about hackers and their growing role in our digital society, making her a leading cybersecurity influencer.

8. Ilan Barda

Radiflow, a global vendor for Industrial Cybersecurity offers products and services to detect, monitor, and mitigate cyber risk in ICS environments.

The company supports end-users and channel partners to provide a fully managed lifecycle of ICS cyber management solutions, such as cyber-OT risk assessments, automated cyber threat detection platforms, and continuous MSSP services. Founded in 2009, Radiflow has offices and partners in Europe, the USA, and APAC. Its field-proven solutions are deployed in over 7,000 sites around the globe.

Ilan Barda, Founder and CEO at Radiflow, is the mind behind this successful company, which has been granted several prestigious awards for its excellence. With years of experience in telecommunications and cybersecurity, Ilan, together with a talented team of security professionals and developers, has led Radiflow to new heights and continued success. The recent sale of a partial ownership stake in Radiflow to the Sabanci Group will allow Radiflow to expand its presence and solutions’ deployment in EMEA and the US.

9. Michael Bargury

Zenity, founded just a year and a half ago, is the first and only security governance platform for low-code/no-code applications. The platform creates a win-win environment where IT and information security can give business and pro developers the freedom and independence they want in order to continue pushing their business forward while retaining full visibility and control.

Michael Bargury, co-founder and CTO at Zenity, is a cybersecurity expert who founded and headed security product efforts at Microsoft prior to launching this entrepreneurial venture. As leader of the OWASP community effort on low-code/no-code security and with 15 patents in the cyber field as well as regular blog contributions on DarkReading, Michael is the epitome of cyber innovators.

10. Amit Bareket

Perimeter 81 is a holistic, cloud-based solution and the world’s first Cybersecurity Experience (CSX) platform that radically simplifies cybersecurity.

Founded in 2018, it allows organizations of all industries and sizes to support the immediate desires of digital nomads with a purpose—while still granting IT teams the ability to manage it all safely.

Amit Bareket, co-founder and CEO at Perimeter 81, is an experienced cybersecurity expert with extensive knowledge in system architecture and software development. With multiple patents, an award from his alma mater, and previous entrepreneurial experience, Amit is definitely a cybersecurity expert to look out for.

11. Shaked Levy

KPMG Edge, part of KPMG Israel, is a team of advanced tech professionals with extensive knowledge of cyber architecture and solutions. Through a combination of expertise and state-of-the-art technologies, they help businesses around the world meet critical challenges. Serving global powerhouses like monday.com, Microsoft, and Google Cloud, KPMG Edge is taking cybersecurity to a whole new level.

As Head of Cyber and Information Security Services at KPMG Edge, Shaked Levy oversees the organization’s creation and implementation of innovative cyber offerings. With extensive experience in the security and IT industry and several senior executive positions under his belt, Shaked is one of the rising cybersecurity stars on everyone’s radar.

12. Itzik Kotler

SafeBreach is the pioneer in breach-and-attack simulation (BAS), empowering organizations to be proactive about security by combining the mindset of a CISO and the toolset of a hacker. Having just closed its $53.5 million Series D funding in November 2021, SafeBreach plans to expand its market footprint to new geographies and evolve its offerings in response to client needs.

Itzik Kotler is SafeBreach’s co-founder and CTO who has years of experience in the field and has been called “one of the finest minds in information security research and development.” Not only does he advance SafeBreach’s business and technological sharpness, but he is also a security researcher and frequent speaker at conferences.

13. Galina Antova

Claroty empowers industrial, healthcare, and commercial organizations to secure all cyber-physical systems in their environments: the Extended Internet of Things. Backed by the world’s largest investment firms and industrial automation vendors, Claroty’s unified platform is deployed by hundreds of organizations at thousands of sites globally.

Galina Antova, co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer at Claroty, is one of the world’s leading experts on OT cybersecurity. With unparalleled experience leading growth strategies to address the challenges of protecting against cyberattacks, Galina is one of the top cyber security experts in the field and an amazing person to look to for innovative inspiration.

14. Amir Jerbi

Aqua Security is the largest pure-play cloud native security company, providing customers the freedom to innovate and run their businesses with minimal friction. With a great deal of industry recognition and a $1 billion evaluation after their Series E round, Aqua Security is sure to continue skyrocketing and breaking new ground in cloud native security.

Amir Jerbi’s love for container technology is what led him to co-found Aqua Security, where he helps customers achieve the full potential of security for cloud native architectures as CTO. With more patents than you can count on one hand and years of rich experience in the cyber field, Amir is certainly someone to keep an eye on.

15. Boaz Gorodissky

XM Cyber is leading hybrid-cloud security posture management by enabling companies to rapidly respond to cyber risks affecting their business-sensitive systems. The company has received several industry awards recognizing the innovation and effectiveness of its solutions and has raised a total of $49 million since its inception in 2016.

Boaz Gorodissky is CTO and co-founder at XM Cyber, as well as a 30-year veteran of the Israeli Intelligence Community. In his previous role as Head of Technology, he re-organized and headed technology divisions and oversaw thousands of engineers and a large-scale budget. With such an impressive portfolio of experience, he certainly provides important insights into the field of cybersecurity.

There you have it. The cybersecurity industry is full of famous cybersecurity experts who are shaking up the game by leading with innovation and determination.

If you’re looking to stay sharp and up-to-date on all the latest and greatest goings-on in cybersecurity, make sure to check out these top 15 Israeli cybersecurity influencers on social media.

Because in general, social media influencing and cybersecurity do go hand in hand.

And if you’re looking to grow your business, bring in more leads, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, consider partnering with a startup marketing agency like SAGE to help you gain an upper hand in your industry.

Back Next