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August 13, 2026

From Ideas to Unicorns: Technion Named Among World’s Leading Universities

Stanford research places the Technion among the world’s top universities outside the US for producing research master’s graduates who go on to found billion dollar companies

LONDON, 13 August 2026: Behind every unicorn is an idea and behind some of the world’s most successful technology companies is a Technion graduate.

New research led by Stanford University Professor Ilya Strebulaev, an expert in venture capital and innovation, has placed the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, among the top 10 universities outside the United States for producing research master’s graduates who have gone on to found deep tech unicorns, privately held companies valued at more than $1 billion.

The study identified 347 research master’s graduates from 206 universities outside the US who went on to found 270 unicorn companies. The Technion produced seven of those unicorn founders, placing it among an elite group of universities worldwide.

It is the latest evidence of an entrepreneurial culture that has helped ideas born at the Technion grow into companies worth billions of dollars and technologies used by millions of people around the world.

For more than a century, the Technion has educated scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers and entrepreneurs who have gone on to shape Israel’s economy and make an impact far beyond its borders.

Research published by the Technion, based on data from the Samuel Neaman Institute, found that between 2015 and 2022, Technion graduates founded or managed 1,021 startup companies, approximately one quarter of all startups established in Israel during that period.

The Technion also educates approximately one third of the engineers graduating from Israeli universities and around half of Israel’s PhDs in science and engineering.

Perhaps the most spectacular recent example is Wiz. The cybersecurity company was cofounded and is led by Technion alumnus Assaf Rappaport, who completed his master’s degree in computer science at the Technion.

Founded in 2020, Wiz experienced extraordinary growth, becoming one of the world’s most valuable cybersecurity companies. In 2025, Google announced an agreement to acquire Wiz for approximately $32 billion, the largest acquisition in Google’s history and the biggest exit in Israeli technology history. Before founding Wiz, Rappaport was also a cofounder of cybersecurity company Adallom, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2015.

Another Technion entrepreneurial success story is Armis, the cybersecurity company cofounded by Technion alumnus Nadir Izrael. Armis grew into a multibillion dollar global company protecting organisations and their connected assets. Izrael has spoken about how his time at the Technion helped prepare him for entrepreneurship, not only through his studies but through the relationships he formed there. It was at the Technion that he met the person who would eventually become his cofounder.

Other examples span the technology landscape. Silverfort, the identity security unicorn, was cofounded by Technion graduate Yaron Kassner. Technion alumna Merav Bahat cofounded and led cybersecurity company Dazz, which was acquired by Wiz in 2024 in a deal reported to be worth approximately $450 million.

These companies form part of a much larger ecosystem of businesses created and led by Technion graduates, spanning cybersecurity, software, medical technology, mobility, infrastructure, engineering and many other fields.

For Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, the figures are significant not simply because of the valuations involved, but because of what they reveal about the people and ideas behind them.

Alan Aziz said: “People talk about unicorns because of the extraordinary numbers attached to them, a billion dollar valuation or a multibillion dollar acquisition. But for me, the most exciting part of this story comes long before any of that. It begins with a student, an idea and the belief that something can be done differently. The Technion gives brilliant people the knowledge and the environment to question what is possible and then the confidence to go out and build it. When you see companies such as Wiz and Armis growing from ideas into businesses operating on a global scale, you begin to understand the extraordinary impact a university can have. These companies create jobs and economic value, but more importantly they create technologies that solve real problems. The seven unicorn founders identified by this research are seven remarkable success stories. But they also represent something much bigger: generations of Technion graduates who have taken what they learned and used it to change the world.”

The Stanford research is particularly significant because it focuses on deep tech unicorns, companies whose success is built around substantial scientific or engineering innovation. That connection between fundamental knowledge and real world application has been at the heart of the Technion since its creation.

The university’s graduates have helped build Israel’s reputation as the Startup Nation, while creating companies and technologies whose influence extends far beyond Israel.

Across the Technion today, students and researchers are working on challenges spanning medicine, energy, water, cybersecurity, sustainable technology, transportation, computing and engineering.