An Israeli entrepreneurship initiative for IDF reservists marked its first anniversary on Sunday by unveiling 150 startups founded by former warriors, highlighting what organizers described as a growing effort to channel wartime leadership and resilience into the country’s high-tech sector.
The summit, held in Tel Aviv in collaboration with the Israel Innovation Authority and hosted by leading Israeli law firm Arnon, Tadmor-Levy, brought together investors, entrepreneurs, government officials and mentors connected to 18X Elite Impact, a program designed to help reservists transition from military service into the startup ecosystem.
Organizers said the program has supported more than 1,000 reservists over the past year, with participating ventures collectively raising more than $15 million in venture capital and non-dilutive funding.
Twelve selected startups presented their companies during the event to an audience of venture capitalists, tech executives and industry leaders.
The initiative was founded against the backdrop of the prolonged mobilization of Israeli reserve forces following the wars and security crises of recent years. According to the organizers, more than 300,000 reservists have been called up over the last three years, creating significant personal and professional disruption for many Israelis serving extended tours of duty.
18X Elite Impact seeks to harness the leadership skills, technical expertise and mission-oriented mindset developed during reserve service and redirect them into entrepreneurship.
“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, founder and managing director of 18X Elite Impact.
“Veterans often find reintegration into civilian life complicated,” Silberg said. “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.”
Silberg added: “We are not just building business leaders, we’re cultivating the talent and teams to make the ventures a reality.”
The program operates as a high-level incubator, pairing reservists with experienced entrepreneurs, investors and business mentors who help transform early-stage ideas into scalable companies.
Prominent investors
Among the initiative’s mentors and advisers are prominent figures from Israel’s technology and defense sectors, including former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Armis co-founder and CTO Nadir Izrael, former Waze CEO Noam Bardin and veteran investor Daniel Bernard, founder and chairman of Redwood International Sports.
Kochavi, who mentored Or Ben-Shabat, founder and CEO of Digital Combat Academy, said the transition from military leadership to entrepreneurship reflects a broader dimension of Israeli resilience.
“Throughout my service, I have seen the unparalleled caliber of our soldiers on the battlefield,” Kochavi said. “Mentoring a reservist like Or through 18X Elite Impact has shown me that this same excellence is now the engine of our civilian resilience.”
“Seeing Or translate the leadership he displayed in combat into a tangible contribution to the Israeli economy is deeply moving,” he added. “Our reservists defended the state with their lives; now, through entrepreneurship, they are building its future.”
Bernard said reservists often possess qualities highly valued in the startup world.
“In my career, I’ve seen that the best founders are those who can navigate uncertainty with total composure,” Bernard said. “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.”
The Israel Innovation Authority, which endorsed the initiative, praised the program’s rapid growth and impact.
“When we launched this initiative, we looked for programs that could deliver high-impact results at startup speed,” said Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. “18X Elite Impact has emerged as a great example of success, scaling reservist-led startups while leveraging a unique pipeline of talent that is essential to the future of Startup Nation.”
The program is supported by a volunteer network of more than 400 business leaders, investors and technology professionals who provide strategic guidance, mentorship and access to global networks and institutional capital.
The summit reflected a broader trend within Israel’s technology sector as reservists returning from combat and emergency service increasingly seek to apply military experience to civilian innovation.
While Israel’s startup industry has long drawn heavily from skills developed in elite military units, programs such as 18X Elite Impact aim to formalize that transition at a time when thousands of reservists are attempting to rebuild careers interrupted by war.
For the organizers, the vision extends beyond launching companies.
“18X offers a structured pathway that respects the service of these individuals while acknowledging their immense potential as civilian leaders,” the organization said in a statement. “We are helping create the next generation of Israeli entrepreneurs while strengthening the resilience of Israeli society itself.”
