Personal: Married + 4, lives in Ganei Tikva
Professional: Cofounder and CEO of software development company Comm-IT, tech services and AI integration for enterprises.
Childhood and Family: I was raised in Petah Tikva by a father who owned a clothes store and mother who mainly took care of us. I have two younger twin sisters and a brother who is just 15 months older than me and I always also felt like a twin (Arik Feingold is one of the founders of Pentera and president and chairman of Comm-IT - DA). In school I achieved good grades but I didn’t enjoy going to class and preferred sporting activities. I played basketball, soccer and table tennis).
Military Service and Studies: I took a programming course in the Israel Defense Forces Mamram Center of Computing and Information Systems unit and I served for eight years in the Israel Air Force, most of which as Head of the Communications and Security Unit. Later during my military service, I completed a B.Sc. in Computer Science.
Comm-IT: After being discharged, I and two other friends from the air force - Ohad Dalal and Anatoly Koushnir - began to think about a startup product. We did not find an idea but went for the easy choice - a company that would provide services for the defense industries. All of us had worked in the army with Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and we knew what as required. So in 2005 we founded Comm-IT.
From the Military to the Commercial: My father pushed me and my brother to join forces. In 2009, at a Friday night dinner, it was decided that he would join Comm-IT as president and chairman. The desire was that he would bring the company, which until then had been mainly engaged in IP communications and information security, into the software business. Arik and his people immediately brought us advanced technology and international customers. The move also helped us shift the company's focus from the defense industries to the civilian commercial sector and later connect all the depth to cloud solutions and AI solutions. We never raised money and at the beginning we had to literally beg for customers for laptops, phones, even cars. However, the company was profitable from day one and continues to be profitable and grow.
The Product: Today the company is engaged in four areas: software (including cloud and subsequently AI), communications solutions, embedded systems with software or hardware and data. The idea is to create depth, connect between areas, and develop a technological solution for any enterprise, from startups to the defense industry.
Pentera: At the same time in 2015, Arik and I founded Pentera. Both of us together held 50% Arik Liberzon (the other cofounder and CTO - DA) also has 50%. We sought to do something in the field of cybersecurity, which then even more hot than today (Pentera became a unicorn three years ago - DA). Each of us still has our holding.
The numbers: Comm-IT currently has annual financial revenue of NIS 900 million (gross revenue forecast for 2025 - DA), and is active in Israel, the US, UK, and Canada. We have 1,200 customers: 40-50 unicorns, most of which grew with us from the concept and the seed stage; mature tech companies like Sapiens and Varonis; in the enterprise world - IBI, Bank of Jerusalem Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, Harel Insurance and more; we are also very strong with government ministries, and all the defense industries in Israel are our customers - the army, the police and Ministry of Internal Security. The company has about 900 employees.
Globally: We went overseas in 2021 but we only really got to understand the market in 2023, so that we are just at the start and the major growth will come from there. We currently have 200 customers outside of Israel but we are going to be a very significant player in the international arena due to our ability to provide 360 degrees solutions for the cloud. There is a feeling that overseas the sky is the limit with the tsunami that the cloud has brought and the tsunami that has already begun with AI. The trick is to be able to identify the next tsunami, to ride the wave and not fall off.
Acquisitions in the pipeline: "I am less focused at the moment on issues like an exit or an initial public offering, as we don’t need money, even though there are two acquisitions in the pipeline that will bring us up to more than 1,000 employees by the end of the year (beyond that he did not elaborate D.A.). If we will need money then we will take a loan.
The future for juniors: From the perspective of organizational effectiveness, I actually see a future demand for juniors. There is a lot of tailoring of interfaces and automations around the implementation of AI tools - these are great jobs for them, because it is an excellent entry point into this world. And in general, I think that fast-growing companies will be able to use AI to double the size of the company, without adding employees. The world of exits will also change and it will only take three years on average to go from concept to acquisition.
A soccer player at heart: In 2021-2022, I established the Hapoel Ganei Tikva soccer team, we rose from League 3 to League 2, but later it became clear to me that such an activity was not really suitable, in terms of facilities and spectators, for this community. All three of my sons play. In addition, I play padel, am a fan of philosophy lectures, and more recently also ballroom dancing with my wife.
What would I study today: I would be debating between robotics, product worlds, and industrial engineering and management, which is a field that is going to make a crazy leap because it includes the integration and streamlining of processes with AI.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 16, 2025.
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