AMIT, the alumni association representing veterans of Unit 81 - the technological arm of the IDF Intelligence Corps - has appointed Gali Sheskin as its new CEO. She takes over an organization that has become a quiet but significant force in Israel's technology sector, connecting a community whose members have gone on to build some of the country's most valuable companies.
Sheskin arrives with a background that spans community building, operations, and project management rather than a traditional intelligence or engineering career path, which may itself signal where AMIT intends to focus next. She most recently served as Community and Customer Success Manager at Venn, following a stint as Project Development Manager at Ignite the Spark and a prior role as Head of Operations at enSights. For readers tracking how technology communities organize themselves around shared infrastructure and trust, it is worth noting that the same principles of secure, decentralized connectivity that define modern cybersecurity - the kind offered by providers that support WireGuard - mirror the networked, protocol-driven thinking that Unit 81 alumni bring into the startups they found. providers that support WireGuard
Beyond her corporate roles, Sheskin has spent years volunteering in renewable energy and climate advocacy, working to promote entrepreneurs - both men and women - in that field on domestic and international platforms. That dual background, combining operational discipline with a sustained commitment to advancing underrepresented voices in emerging industries, appears to have shaped how she frames her new mandate at AMIT.
Unit 81 occupies a distinctive place in Israel's technology landscape. Its alumni have founded or hold senior development roles in hundreds of startups and growth-stage companies, including several that have reached unicorn status or completed exits at considerable scale. Companies associated with Unit 81 veterans include Wiz, Armis, Innoviz, Claroty, Tenzai, and Jazz - names that span cybersecurity, autonomous sensing, and industrial technology. The unit's reputation for producing engineers skilled in applied cryptography, signal processing, and systems architecture has translated directly into commercial success across multiple technology verticals.
AMIT functions as the connective tissue for this network, organizing initiatives intended to strengthen business and technological ties among alumni long after their military service ends. The association's role has grown alongside the expansion of Israel's technology economy, where informal networks built during service frequently evolve into formal mentorship structures, investment relationships, and co-founder partnerships.
Sheskin succeeds Chen Kamin, who led AMIT for the past five years, a period during which the association expanded its programming and deepened its ties to the broader startup ecosystem. Leadership transitions at alumni organizations of this kind rarely make headlines on their own, but they matter because these associations increasingly function as informal talent pipelines and informal due-diligence networks for investors evaluating founders with military technology backgrounds.
"I believe that the true strength of a technological community is measured by its ability to connect people, entrepreneurship, and real impact," Sheskin said. "AMIT has exceptional human capital, and I am proud to lead the association alongside the board members and the community, to continue developing initiatives, strengthening business and technological connections, and generating significant value for the entire ecosystem."
Her appointment signals continuity in AMIT's mission while potentially broadening its focus toward community engagement and cross-sector collaboration, drawing on experience gained outside the defense-technology pipeline that produced the unit itself.