Assaf Rappaport
Assaf Rappaport | |
|---|---|
אסף רפפורט | |
 Assaf Rappaport CEO of WIZ | |
| Born | 28 August 1983 Israel |
| Education |
|
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, cybersecurity executive |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Wiz (company); co-founder of Adallom |
Assaf Rappaport (born 28 August 1983) is an Israeli entrepreneur and cybersecurity executive. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Wiz, a cloud security company, and a co-founder of the cybersecurity startup Adallom. He previously led Microsoft’s Israel Research and Development Center. In March 2025, Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, announced an agreement to acquire Wiz for about US$32 billion, which would represent the largest acquisition of an Israeli technology company if completed.[1][2]
Early life and education
Rappaport was born in Israel on 28 August 1983. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science, physics, and mathematics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by a master’s degree in computer science from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.[3]
He was selected for the Talpiot program, an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) track combining academic studies with technological training.
Military service
Rappaport enlisted in 2001 and joined the IDF’s Talpiot unit. He later served in Unit 81 and as a captain in Unit 8200, the IDF’s cyber and intelligence unit. During his service, he met Roy Reznik, Ami Luttwak, and Yinon Costica, who later became his co-founders.[4]
Career
Adallom
In 2012, Rappaport co-founded Adallom, a cloud access security broker, with Ami Luttwak and Roy Reznik. The company was acquired by Microsoft in 2015 for about US$320 million.[5]
Microsoft
Following the acquisition, Rappaport and his co-founders joined Microsoft. In 2018, he was appointed head of Microsoft’s Israel Research and Development Center, overseeing about 1,500 employees. He also led the Cloud Security Group, focusing on Azure security.
Wiz
In January 2020, Rappaport left Microsoft and co-founded Wiz with Luttwak, Reznik, and Costica. Wiz provides cloud security risk assessment across platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud.[6]
The company emerged from stealth in December 2020 with a US$100 million Series A round. By 2024, Wiz had raised over US$1 billion in funding and was valued at US$12 billion.
In March 2025, Alphabet announced an agreement to acquire Wiz for US$32 billion in cash. The deal, subject to regulatory approval, would be the largest acquisition of an Israeli technology company.
Personal life
Rappaport came out as gay at a young age and is in a long-term relationship with Ophir, a former educator who works in the high-tech sector. At Wiz, he introduced surrogacy grants for both same-sex and heterosexual couples.
He has been active in protests against the Israeli government’s judicial reforms and announced Wiz would transfer funds abroad in response.[7]
References
- ↑ https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/syxoybd2kg
- ↑ https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-waze-to-wiz-how-google-learned-to-love-israeli-tech/
- ↑ https://www.cs.technion.ac.il/news/view-new.php?nwid=1519
- ↑ https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/cloud-captains-how-assaf-rappaport-and-his-extraordinary-co-founders-built-the-worlds-fastest-growing-company/
- ↑ https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/syxoybd2kg
- ↑ https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/cloud-captains-how-assaf-rappaport-and-his-extraordinary-co-founders-built-the-worlds-fastest-growing-company/
- ↑ https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/syxoybd2kg