Some 150 startups were created by IDF reserve veterans, 18x Elite Impact, the entrepreneurship program focused on promoting companies founded by former soldiers, revealed at its one-year anniversary event on Sunday.
These represent an important part of Israel’s 1,000 reported new projects, according to estimates from the Innovation Authority, which also accounts for secretive startups without public seed funding rounds.
In comparison, according to the authority's latest report, some 500 startups pursued seed funding rounds in 2024, while 178 did so in the first half of 2025.
The program helped the entrepreneurs raise over $15 million in investment since it was created last year, with the companies led by former soldiers who fought in the last wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
"We believe the same focus and mission-oriented mindset that epitomizes an elite soldier can, with the right support, make an extraordinary entrepreneur,” said Mike Silberg, Managing Director and Founder, 18X Elite Impact.
“Veterans often find reintegration into civilian life complicated. Through our work at 18X, we are trying to help lift that burden. Our program helps reservists find and develop the energy and expertise within them, channeling it into entrepreneurship. This restores purpose and creates camaraderie, while at the same time unlocking successful business ideas and job opportunities,” he added.
The program’s “Summit Day,” which marked the one-year anniversary, was held on Sunday in Tel Aviv in collaboration with the Innovation Authority and hosted by leading Israeli law firm Arnon Tadmor-Levy.
During the summit, 12 selected startups from the program presented their projects to an audience of top-tier venture capitalists, industry leaders, and government officials.
High-tech industry leaders coaching IDF reservists
The program helped the reservists create their new startups, thanks in part to its network of 400 investors who actively participate.
Among their leading figures are Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder of Armis; Noam Bardin, former CEO of Waze; Aviv Kohavi, Former IDF Chief of Staff; and Daniel Bernard, a veteran tech investor.
Kohavi, in particular, personally mentored Or Ben-Shabat, CEO & Founder of DCA (Digital Combat Academy). “Mentoring a reservist like Or through 18x Elite Impact has shown me that this same excellence is now the engine of our civilian resilience,” he said.
“Seeing Or translate the leadership he displayed in combat into a tangible contribution to the Israeli economy is deeply moving. Our reservists defended the state with their lives; now, through entrepreneurship, they are building its future," he added.
Bernard, who also worked as a mentor in the program, explained that the best founders are those who can navigate uncertainty with total composure. “These reservists have been tested in ways few civilians will ever experience. My role is simply to provide the framework and the network; the grit and the vision are already there,” he commented.