Rise Of Computer Vision Brings Obscure Israeli Intelligence Unit Into Spotlight

According to Start-Up Nation Central data, Israeli cyber companies garnered around 18% of worldwide venture-backed financing in 2017. While not entirely monolithic, a big part of that industry has ties to 8200. Big name grads include Checkpoint founder and CEO Gil Shwed, who invented the firewall, and Microsoft Israel R&D head Assaf Rappaport, a young army hacker who sold his cyber startup Adallom to Microsoft in 2015. Members of 8200 EISP have even gone on a roadshow to the US. A recent academic paper specifically about its effect on the Israeli ecosystem said that companies founded by 8200 alumni "have a higher propensity for autonomy, risk-taking, and innovativeness than industry peers."