Success Stories
Success Stories
Israel’s innovation story isn’t theoretical — it is lived. From garage-built prototypes to world-changing technologies, Israeli creators have proven that constraint breeds creativity, risk fuels progress, and bold ideas can reshape the world. These stories highlight real breakthroughs that define the Start-Up Nation’s legacy.
Breakthrough Companies That Changed the World
These Israeli companies didn’t just succeed — they transformed global industries and set new standards for innovation, scale, and impact.
Waze — Revolutionizing Navigation
Beginning as a user-powered mapping project, Waze became the world’s leading crowdsourced navigation app. Its real-time traffic reports reshaped how the world drives. Acquired by Google for $1B+, it remains one of Israel’s defining success stories.
Mobileye — Making Driving Safer
From a Jerusalem lab to the global leader in autonomous vehicle vision systems. Mobileye’s driver-assist technologies set industry standards. Intel purchased the company for $15.3B — the largest acquisition in Israel’s history.
Check Point — Cybersecurity Pioneer
Founded in the 1990s, Check Point helped establish the cybersecurity industry itself. Its firewall technologies and security innovations made Israel the world’s cyber powerhouse.
Life-Saving Medical Innovation
Few countries contribute more medical breakthroughs per capita than Israel. These innovations save lives around the world.
PillCam — A Camera You Swallow
Created by Given Imaging, this tiny ingestible camera revolutionized gastrointestinal diagnostics, bringing non-invasive internal imaging to hospitals worldwide.
ReWalk — Restoring Mobility
A robotic exoskeleton that allows people with spinal cord injuries to stand, walk, and regain independence. A transformative example of human-centered engineering.
Insightec — Surgery Without a Scalpel
Using focused ultrasound guided by MRI, Insightec enables non-invasive treatment of tremors and neurological disorders — a genuine medical revolution.
Innovation with Global Impact
Some Israeli innovations exist not for profit — but because the world desperately needs them.
Watergen — Drinking Water from Air
Using atmospheric water generation, Watergen provides clean drinking water to disaster zones, rural communities, and regions suffering extreme water scarcity.
Netafim — Smart Drip Irrigation
Born on a Negev kibbutz, Netafim’s drip irrigation technology transformed global agriculture, allowing crops to flourish with minimal water use.
OrCam — AI Assistance for the Visually Impaired
Created by the founders of Mobileye, OrCam uses wearable AI to read text, recognize faces, and give independence to the visually impaired worldwide.
The Mindset Behind the Success
Israel’s innovation culture is built on values, instincts, and habits that turn challenges into breakthroughs.
- Direct communication: feedback is instant, honest, and constructive.
- Risk tolerance: failure is seen as experience, not defeat.
- Military-to-civilian innovation pipeline: elite units like 8200 cultivate world-class talent.
- Pressure as motivation: scarcity drives creative solutions.
- Global-first thinking: products built to scale, not just survive.