Azi Cohen

Israeli M&A is running at an unprecedented pace in 2026 and the underlaying reason is really interesting. Wiz and CyberArk both cleared regulatory approval on deals announced last year. That's two megadeals closing on the same day. Beyond the massive headlines, the baseline activity in 2026 caught my attention. The numbers so far (as of Feb 11): → 13 disclosed acquisitions in 42 days → $4.2B of M&A capital → 2.2 deals per week This amounts to $100M of #liquidity returning to investors every day! What other ecosystem provides $100M of liquidity per day on average since the beginning of 2026? If this pace holds, we're looking at ~113 M&As by year-end and close to $37B in disclosed value. This is excluding the just approved megadeals and excluding the unannounced rounds (which probably add $3-20m each). What's driving this? AI is the obvious answer. 10 of 13 deals are AI-centric companies. But I think there's something deeper happening: - Acquirers are paying premium multiples to compress time-to-AI-capability rather than build internally. - Israeli startups are shipping production-level AI, not demos. That's the arbitrage. - Speed > cost in this market cycle. Meanwhile, startup creation is on the rise (we predicted this in our stealth report ~12-months ago). It seems the industry will continue producing sellable companies at an increasing rate. This year is poised to be very interesting 😇

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Informative new blog from Chairman Partners, LLC portfolio company, Plume Security, Inc, on the 3 "E"s of stopping ransomware attacks. Plume's new RansomStop is addressing an unmet need for businesses looking for a cost-effective, easy-to-install solution to prevent cyber chaos. https://lnkd.in/e94xz5q3

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Axonius co-founder Dean Sysman has joined the Lasso Security Board of Directors to help shape the future of AI security as enterprises scale AI agent adoption - https://lnkd.in/dTp2BTu9 “Dean’s track record of turning a novel cybersecurity idea into a global must-have category and scaling it is exactly what Lasso needs.” – Elad Schulman, CEO & Co-Founder, Lasso Security #AISecurity #Cybersecurity #AIagents #EnterpriseSecurity #TechIntelPro

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Your development team deserves better than endless security bottlenecks. Veracode's AI-powered SAST doesn't just find issues—it shows developers exactly how to fix them, right in their workflow. ✅ Faster remediation ✅ Fewer security debt cycles ✅ Happier developers See how industry leaders are transforming their secure development practices with Veracode's award-winning platform. #SecureCoding #DevSecOps #ApplicationSecurity #SAST

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On this week’s Economic Morning with Batsheva Moshe, we focused on the fundamental shifts currently shaping the Israeli ecosystem, from the strategic focus of new funds to the evolving revenue models in AI. Key takeaways from our discussion: *Early-Stage Momentum: Raising a $150M fund in today’s climate, as Yuval Cohen (StageOne Ventures) recently did with their 5th fund, is a significant signal. Yuval shared his perspective on why global LPs still view Israeli Deep Tech as a "safe harbor" and how this new capital will be deployed to back a generation of founders who are building with more discipline and realistic valuations than we've seen in years. *The AI Competitive Edge: While the broader SaaS market faces a valuation correction, AI-native companies like Wonderful are scaling at unprecedented speeds. Kfir Kachlon (91Ventures) highlighted why the real advantage today isn't the model itself, but the organizational context and the transition to usage-based pricing. *The Reality of Mega-Exits: Beyond the headlines of deals like Wiz, there is a complex operational "day after." David Siboni (Brooks Keret) joined us to break down the challenges of cultural integration and talent retention when startup agility meets corporate structure. The bottom line: The ecosystem is maturing. We’re moving away from FOMO and toward a model built on real usage and operational grit. Thanks to our guests for the deep dive. #IsraelTech #VentureCapital #AI #EconomicMorning #StartupNation

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One of the most actionable tips in Deepwatch’s new CISO 100 Days guide is simple but powerful: Executives don’t want dashboards. They want decisions. When reporting up: ✅ Translate alert tuning into reduced dwell time ✅ Tie detection improvements to uptime and customer trust ✅ Map telemetry to business systems, not log counts This is how security becomes a strategic function, not just a reactive one. 💡 Tip: Use “decision deltas” to anchor your board updates: What changed, why it mattered, and what action you took. #CISO

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We may have just found the perfect candidate for a VP Partnerships and Strategic Alliances role for one of CCL newest, AI driven security ventures: Yossi Cohen, former director of the Mossad ;) Interestingly enough, the similarities between an early-stage #cybersecurity founder and a Mossad operative are more striking than one might think. Both carry nearly impossible high stake missions. Both often work in hostile or uncertain environments. Both must navigate ambiguity, anticipate the unknown, and many times improvise without the luxury of perfect information. Success requires optimism and grit, but also the ability to go against the herd, to see what others miss, and to act before the world catches up. It is about vision, persistence, and the courage to pursue objectives others consider impossible. For Mossad operatives, the mission is national security. For cybersecurity founders, it is technological breakthroughs with global impact, often protecting organisations and societies from existential digital threats. The stakes may differ, one involves securing life and protecting peace, the other PoCs and securing the next round of funding, but the mindset overlaps: exceptional resilience, strategic creativity, and the ability to move fast and stay in stealth mode until the moment that matters most. Building a cybersecurity startup may not be espionage, but anyone who has done it knows: it often feels like running covert operations. Yossi’s new book, The Sword of Freedom, gives an interesting, candid look into that world. It is part memoir, part history, and part leadership manual, showing how discipline, courage, and foresight can shape not only intelligence operations, but also the way leaders and entrepreneurs think about risk and opportunity - https://amzn.to/4ng6uJw

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This week at Code Blue - from the boardrooms of Israel’s largest corporations to the heart of non-profit organizations, we are on the front lines of a wide range of cyber threats. 🔵 We kicked off with a large-scale ransomware simulation at one of most unique companies in the Israeli landscape. Together, we drilled into what such an attack would mean for them, and how leaders can make clear, critical decisions under pressure. 🔵 We continued with real-world incidents at two Israeli NGOs, where attackers targeted individuals and their personal data - a reminder that cyber threats affect not just businesses, but communities and people. At Code Blue, we believe every organization - whether a global corporate, small business, or NGO - has a unique cyber blueprint. That’s why we tailor every response, and work around the clock to ensure resilience in the face of evolving threats.

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https://lnkd.in/dfHtmViz European corporations are over attacked and under-served compared to the US. There is a clear momentum to close the Cyber Defense Gap. Cyber related spending in the EU is expected to grow in the coming months.

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Adversaries are no longer just "leaking" data, they’ve built a high-velocity factory to weaponize it. I’m excited to share that Constella Intelligence has officially released the 2026 Identity Breach Report. This year’s data reveals a massive shift toward the Industrialization of Identity, where threats now move at machine speed and scale. (Like for real excited, this was a heavy lift to get off my plate! Now to finish the website overhaul.) If you're a security leader, the takeaway is clear: legacy defenses aren't enough when attackers know your team better than your own systems do. It’s time to move toward a proactive Identity Risk Posture. Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eRhpusRZ

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In an era where AI memory systems are prime targets for sophisticated adversaries, security cannot be an afterthought. With 73% of enterprises experiencing breaches averaging $4.8M per incident, organizations must implement zero-trust architectures from inception. A security-first strategy reduces breach risk by 76% while preserving operational effectiveness. Your mission’s knowledge is your most valuable asset—protect it before exploitation becomes catastrophic. #Pryon #AIMemorySystems #AI #AICybersecurity

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