Study: IDF Talpiot Graduates Founded 10% of Israeli Unicorns, Outpacing Stanford MBA Rate

A study published for the first time by Globes reveals that graduates of the Israel Defense Forces' Talpiot Program have founded about 10% of Israeli unicorns, with a founder rate five times that of Stanford University's MBA program. The research, conducted by a Talpiot graduate and Prof.

Ilya Strebulaev at Stanford University, found that about 3% of Talpiot graduates founded companies valued at more than $1 billion.

In comparison, Stanford's MBA program sees six graduates out of every 1,000 founding a unicorn. About 25% of Talpiot graduates have become entrepreneurs, with one in three founding startups valued at over $100 million, and about 30% of deca-unicorns valued at more than $10 billion established by program alumni.

The study received information on Talpiot graduates spanning over 50 years, strengthening its findings despite the unicorn concept existing for only about 15 years.

The unicorn is a relatively new concept that has existed for about 15 years. Talpiot graduate Marius Nacht founded Check Point. Three of the four founders of Wiz—CEO Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, and Yinon Costica—are Talpiot graduates; Wiz sold to Google for $32 billion, marking the largest-ever Israeli exit.

Program alumni also founded Cyera in the defense industry, Classiq in quantum computing, and Via in transportation. We are concerned with technological superiority and core technologies, but everything starts with human capital.

The Talpiot Program was established under the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense R&D (MAFAT) to identify outstanding young people and train them as a technological-operational reserve. Participants study for a B.Sc. in physics, mathematics, computer science, or a combination at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The program aims to encourage defense R&D at MAFAT and train participants for the field. During selection, MAFAT's Dr. Danny Gold personally approves each individual and their track. The program was designed after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, during which Israel suffered from a gap between R&D and operations in the field.

Prof. Felix Dotan and Prof. Shaul Yatziv of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem designed the Talpiot Program and presented their plan to the Ministry of Defense.

In 1979, Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan instructed them to implement the plan. Talpiot is MAFAT's oldest elite program. Other programs include Psagot, a reserve program for technology service combining a bachelor's and master's degree, and Odem, a technology boarding school in the Golan Heights from 10th grade to military service, including a degree from the Technion.

A Talpiot graduate has headed the elite programs division at MAFAT for the past decade. Beyond entrepreneurship, about 9% of Talpiot graduates serve as professors at leading universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, and universities in Israel. One in two graduates who completed a doctorate later reached the rank of professor.

More than 80 Talpiot graduates have reached the rank of colonel in the IDF over the years. Talpiot graduates hold key defense roles, including former head of the National Security Council Eyal Hulata, former head of MAFAT Brig. Gen. Ofir Shoham, and founder of the National Cyber Bureau Eviatar Matanya.

The Israel Defense Prize shows a high correlation to elite programs and Talpiot, with about three to four prizes awarded each year.

Although we haven't done a study on the impact in the defense sector, there is the Israel Defense Prize, which has a high correlation, even if not quantitatively, to the elite programs and Talpiot in particular, which are partners in the prize. Talpiot graduates have produced lieutenant colonels and colonels in the IDF's leading technological units.

In the current fighting, Talpiot graduate colonels have led capabilities in air defense, where Israel is the most advanced in the world.

There are also others who helped achieve air superiority, which made it possible to operate over Tehran, with a deep technological component.