Forbes Israel unveils its 30Under30 list of the country’s most promising young talents for 2026 – the 11th consecutive edition of the list, and an integral part of the global project connecting dozens of communities of young leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers around the world.
In keeping with Israel’s status as the “Startup Nation” – an innovation powerhouse at the cutting edge of numerous frontier technologies – the local list selects roughly 30 entrepreneurs each year in technology and research, alongside another 30 young standouts across a wide range of fields.
This year’s list features no fewer than 35 entrepreneurs, who together serve as founders of 23 innovative startups spanning AI, cybersecurity, fintech, EdTech, and beyond. Most launched their companies in recent years — many while serving in the war.
Together, this year’s honorees have secured a record-breaking sum of more than $1 billion in funding. The combined valuation of the companies they founded — as of this writing — has also set a new record, now exceeding $6.6 billion, a figure poised to climb even higher in the near future.
More Than $4 Billion in a Single Photo
Among this year’s honorees, five entrepreneurs stand behind some of the fastest-growing and most closely watched technology companies in Israel. Together, the companies they founded have raised more than $700 million and are valued at a combined figure exceeding $4 billion.
Co-founders Shay Sandler and Eli Rozen launched cybersecurity startup Vega in 2024, and in less than two years have already secured $185 million in funding. The most recent round, closed in February 2026, was signed at an $800 million valuation.
May Kogan, an alumnus of Israel’s elite Unit 8200 intelligence unit, is co-founder and CTO of Gambit Security, which closed a $56 million funding round this year at a valuation of several hundred million dollars, according to industry sources.
Bentzion Levinson is behind the founding of Israel’s first defense-tech unicorn as founder and CEO of Heven AeroTech, which this past November raised $100 million from American quantum computing firm IonQ at a $1.1 billion valuation.
Wonderful AI – artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Roey Lalazar (CTO and co-founder) – already stands at $50 million in ARR and is on track to break the revenue record set by Wiz, which reached $100 million in ARR in under 18 months. This past March, the company closed a $150 million funding round (bringing total funding to $290 million) at a $2 billion valuation.
Also among this year’s most prominent honorees are Itai Gafni and Roy Weisfeld, co-founders of promising cybersecurity startup Huskeys. Founded only in 2025, the company already employs approximately 30 people in Israel and serves a portfolio of dozens of clients, including global giants such as TikTok, Hugging Face, and Legoland. Notable backers include leading venture capital funds and angel investors — among them soccer legend Mario Götze, NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald, and Italian football clubs Juventus and Como.
Aviv Shamny and Ido Zabarsky, veterans of an elite reconnaissance unit, completed a year and a half of reserve duty before conceiving – at the height of the war – the idea that would become their AI startup. In less than a year since its founding, the company has already raised $10 million from major investment funds, including Andreessen Horowitz, generated millions in revenue, and built a growing roster of blue-chip clients.
The three co-founders of Spirit Security – Tomer Freizler, Itay Efraim and Dor Aharonson – closed one of the largest seed rounds seen in Israel in recent years: roughly $50 million at a $400 million valuation, secured in just three months and backed by Cyberstarts, Sequoia, and 1011 VC, and by industry heavyweights including Assaf Rappaport (Wiz), Yotam Segev (Cyera), and Yevgeny Dibrov (Armis).
Communities of More Than 8 Million Followers
Alongside the entrepreneurs, the list honors standout local talents -trailblazers and highly influential figures across a wide range of fields: athletes, content creators, and leaders in investment, media, culinary arts, art, entertainment, military and security, international advocacy, and social leadership.
Once again this year, several of Israel’s biggest young hopes in sports were selected for Forbes 30Under30 – joining past honorees who have since become international superstars. Among them: Deni Avdija, named an NBA All-Star this year after leading his Portland Trail Blazers to a historic playoff run; Manor Solomon, midfielder for England’s Tottenham Hotspur; and Oscar Gloukh, playing for Dutch giant Ajax.
Last year’s list included basketball player Ben Saraf, later drafted in the NBA and now playing point guard for the Brooklyn Nets. He was joined by soccer’s “European sensation” Anan Khalaili, who has continued to lead his club Union Saint-Gilloise atop the Belgian league, scored spectacular goals in the Champions League, and is reportedly set to sign with Italian giant Inter Milan for a record $25 million – the highest sum ever paid for an Israeli soccer player.
This year’s list adds soccer player Orian Goren (Barcelona), basketball players Omer Mayer (Purdue University) and Yarden Garzon (Maryland), gymnast Noam Berkowitz, and Israel’s youngest professional soccer coach, Shachar Weisinger.
“The most amazing and most exciting moment was when they picked me to train with the senior squad,” Barcelona youth player Orian Goren told Forbes Israel in a special interview marking his selection to the prestigious list. In the past year alone, he led his team to the league title, starred in the Derby against his club’s fiercest local rivals with a goal and an assist, and scored a brace in a UEFA Youth League match for Barcelona’s U-19 squad – all at just 16 years old. The young player, considered one of the greatest hopes of Israeli soccer, was described by AS as “the Israeli jewel of La Masia,” while Catalan newspaper Sport compared him to Spain national team midfielder and Barcelona star Pedri.
Among the content creators and media personalities selected for the list: Idan Telem (Inde Game, approximately 1.8 million followers), Liel Eli (approximately 1.4 million), Maya Keyy (over 1.1 million), and Eden Kozokaro. Together with the rest of the content creators and influencers on the list, they command a combined social media audience of over 8 million followers.
