Cyber and AI, gaming and fintech, digital health and quantum computing – Forbes Israel presents: these are the innovative, promising startup companies selected for the Next Billion Dollar Startups list of 2026
Less than a decade ago, Gili Raanan left a partnership at a global venture capital giant to launch a small fund. Today, Cyberstarts manages $1.5 billion in assets and holds the seed investment that became Google’s largest-ever acquisition and one of the biggest deals in tech history • In a special interview with Forbes Israel, Raanan discusses the unconventional method behind his success, his family tragedy, the AI revolution on the horizon – and why, of all things, he invested in a basketball club
Itai Gafni and Roy Weisfeld, named this year to Forbes Israel’s 30Under30 list, complete an additional $27 million raise and report a doubling of headcount. Investment giant Blackstone led the round in its first Early-Stage cybersecurity bet in Israel – joining existing backers that include soccer star Mario Götze and NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald.
Donald Trump returned to office promising to restore American deterrence. Iran is now testing whether he means it. So far, the confrontation has exposed a familiar Western weakness: the tendency to end wars before their goals are met, trade momentum for endless negotiations, and tell itself that economic pressure can tame an ideological enemy. Israel learned the cost of that illusion on October 7. Trump may now be learning it in the Gulf
Clarity, the AI Security startup founded by Forbes Israel Under30 alum Michael Matias, has been acquired by Deel – the global workforce management platform led by fellow list alum Alex Bouaziz • The technology, originally developed to detect deepfakes, will now be built into Deel’s platform to protect organizations against the growing threat of impersonated employees
The 11th edition of Forbes Israel’s 30Under30 shatters records: 35 entrepreneurs, 23 startups, more than $1 billion in funding, and a combined valuation exceeding $6.6 billion – all before the age of 30
Cloud security startup Copperhelm says the old playbook of “patch criticals, defer the rest” no longer survives contact with AI-speed attackers.
While Real Madrid endured another trophyless campaign on the pitch, the Spanish powerhouse continues to dominate soccer’s financial leaderboard, claiming the title of the world’s most valuable club for the fifth consecutive year. Behind the gilded reality of Europe’s wealthiest clubs, however, lies a darker truth: a widening wealth gap and a steady erosion of competitive balance across the sport.
A quantum computer that breaks Bitcoin’s encryption is no longer considered sci-fi. This founder is building the operating system and control layer that might just do it.
As Iran disrupts the Strait of Hormuz and drone warfare reshapes the Gulf, Israel’s eyesAtop is positioning itself as the software layer behind allied drone fleets.
