Assaf Rappaport

Assaf Rappaport
Assaf Rappaport
Born	August 28, 1983 (age 43); Israel
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, cybersecurity executive
Known for	Co-founder and CEO of Wiz; co-founder of Adallom; head of Microsoft Israel R&D Center

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Assaf Rappaport, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Assaf Rappaport (; born 28 August 1983) is a prominent Israeli entrepreneur and leader in cybersecurity, recognized primarily as the co-founder and CEO of the cloud security firm Wiz and as a co-founder of the cybersecurity startup Adallom. He has also held the position of head at Microsoft’s Israel Research & Development (R&D) Center. In March 2025, Alphabet revealed plans to purchase Wiz for roughly US$32 billion, potentially setting a record for the largest acquisition of an Israeli technology company to date.

Early life and education

Rappaport was born in Israel on 28 August 1983. He completed his undergraduate studies in computer science, physics, and mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by a master’s degree in computer science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. During his academic tenure, he was part of the highly selective Talpiot program, an elite unit within the Israel Defense Forces dedicated to cultivating advanced academic skills and leadership.

Military service

In 2001, Rappaport enlisted in the IDF and joined the prestigious Talpiot program. Subsequently, he served in Unit 81, a classified technology unit, and held the rank of captain in Unit 8200, the IDF’s cyber and signals intelligence division. It was during this period that he met future collaborators Roy Reznik, Ami Luttwak, and Yinon Costica.

Early roles

Following his military service, Rappaport briefly took on a consulting role at McKinsey & Company before founding his own cybersecurity enterprise.

Adallom (2012–2015)

In 2012, together with Luttwak and Reznik, Rappaport co-founded Adallom, a cloud access security broker (CASB) specializing in protecting data within SaaS applications. Microsoft acquired Adallom in July 2015 for approximately $320 million.

Microsoft (2015–2019)

Post-acquisition, Rappaport joined Microsoft and was appointed head of its Israel Research & Development Center at age 34, managing around 1,500 personnel. He also led Microsoft’s Cloud Security Group with a focus on strengthening security for Azure services.

Establishment and expansion

In January 2020, Rappaport co-founded Wiz alongside Luttwak, Reznik, and Costica. Wiz provides a platform that delivers real-time security risk analysis across leading cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud.

The company publicly launched in December 2020 after securing $100 million in a Series A funding round. By mid-2021, Wiz had attained unicorn status with a valuation close to $6 billion following several investment rounds. In February 2023, it raised $300 million, increasing its valuation to $10 billion; this was followed by a $1 billion Series E round in May 2024 that valued Wiz at $12 billion. Supported by investors including Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, and Insight Partners, Wiz rapidly became one of the fastest-growing SaaS firms, surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue within just 18 months.

Acquisition by Google

By 2023, Wiz was serving more than 40% of Fortune 100 companies. Reports emerged in mid-2024 about Alphabet’s intention to acquire Wiz. Although CEO Rappaport initially declined a $23 billion offer to focus on an IPO strategy, talks resumed amid challenging market conditions. On 18 March 2025, Alphabet confirmed an agreement to acquire Wiz for $32 billion in cash, subject to regulatory clearance. This transaction is poised to be Google’s largest acquisition ever and the biggest deal involving an Israeli tech company. Wiz is expected to operate under Google Cloud while retaining autonomy in servicing clients across multiple cloud platforms. With an estimated ownership stake of about 10 percent, Rappaport stands to gain over $3 billion before taxes from the sale.

Personal life

Openly identifying as gay from an early age, Rappaport maintains a long-standing partnership with Ophir, who transitioned from a career in education to the high-tech sector. He made history in Israel as the first CEO to implement surrogacy benefits applicable to both same-sex and heterosexual couples.

Favoring a lifestyle centered on practicality rather than luxury, Rappaport opts for public transportation instead of car ownership, citing difficulties related to parking availability. His management approach is distinctive and democratic, frequently engaging with staff in informal attire such as jeans and sneakers.

A vocal critic of contentious judicial reforms in Israel, he publicly declared that Wiz would transfer financial resources abroad, keeping only the funds necessary to cover payroll and critical business functions.

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