A Stanford University study found that 3% of Talpiot graduates have founded unicorns, a rate five times higher than Stanford’s MBA program.
By Hezy Laing
The IDF’s Talpiot program, long regarded as one of Israel’s most elite technological training tracks, has become a powerful engine for national innovation, with graduates and reservists now credited with helping launch 150 new startups through an elite incubator initiative over the past year.
Talpiot’s 18X Elite Impact program—supported by leading Israeli investors and former senior IDF figures—has enabled reservists to raise more than $15 million in early‑stage funding while transitioning battlefield experience into entrepreneurial ventures.
Talpiot itself has a decades‑long record of producing founders at an exceptional rate.
A Stanford University study found that 3% of Talpiot graduates have founded unicorns, a rate five times higher than Stanford’s MBA program.
The same study revealed that roughly 10% of all Israeli unicorns were created by Talpiot alumni.
The 18X Elite Impact incubator, which works closely with Talpiot graduates and other reservists, is backed by a network of 400 investors, including Noam Bardin, Nadir Izrael, Renana Ashkenazi, and former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi.
The program has supported more than 1,000 reservists since its launch, helping them convert military leadership and technical expertise into scalable companies.
The most successful companies to emerge from the Talpiot include some of Israel’s largest enterprises, illustrating the program’s outsized impact.
- Wiz, founded by Talpiot alumni Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik, became Israel’s largest exit when it was acquired by Google for $32 billion.
- Check Point, co‑founded by Talpiot graduate Marius Nacht, remains one of Israel’s most influential cybersecurity firms.
- Cyera, launched by Talpiot veterans, has become a major player in cloud data security.
- Classiq, founded by Talpiot alumni, is a leading quantum‑computing startup shaping next‑generation algorithm design.
- Via, co‑founded by Talpiot graduate Oren Shoval, has grown into a global transportation‑technology company operating in dozens of cities worldwide.
The Talpiot ecosystem — and the 18X Elite Impact incubator in particular — is designed to give reservists their first push, not to fully fund companies.
Most teams enter the program with nothing more than an idea, a prototype, or a problem they encountered during service.
The incubator provides mentorship, investor access, and technical guidance, but the funding rounds that matter — Series A, B, and beyond — happen after the program ends.
Many of the most successful Talpiot‑linked companies raised hundreds of millions later on:
- Wiz (Talpiot founders Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, Roy Reznik) raised over $900 million before its $32B acquisition.
- Check Point (Marius Nacht, Talpiot) became a multi‑billion‑dollar cybersecurity giant.
- Via (Oren Shoval, Talpiot) raised more than $650 million.
- Armis (Nadir Izrael, Talpiot‑adjacent ecosystem) raised over $300 million.
- Cyera (Talpiot founders) raised more than $160 million
Together, these companies demonstrate how the IDF’s Talpiot program—combined with incubators like 18X Elite Impact—continues to transform military excellence into one of the world’s most productive innovation pipelines.
