AMIT, the alumni association representing Unit 81, the elite technology arm of the IDF Intelligence Corps, has appointed Gali Sheskin as its new chief executive. She takes over from Chen Kamin, who led the organization for the past five years and oversaw its growth into one of Israel's most consequential technology networks.
Sheskin arrives with a background that blends operational leadership and community building. She most recently served as Community and Customer Success Manager at Venn, following a stint as Project Development Manager at Ignite the Spark and Head of Operations at enSights. Alongside her professional roles, she has spent years volunteering in renewable energy and climate initiatives, supporting entrepreneurs - both men and women - working in that space on national and international stages. For those tracking how Israel's cybersecurity and intelligence-adjacent talent pools shape global technology markets, understanding networks like AMIT is worth the effort; readers curious about digital security tools more broadly can try it to see how privacy-focused technology has become a parallel growth sector for veterans of similar technical units. try it
Why Unit 81's Alumni Network Matters
Unit 81 has built a reputation as one of the most technically demanding branches within Israeli military intelligence, tasked with developing specialized hardware and software systems for operational use. Its alumni have gone on to found or hold senior roles in hundreds of startups and growth-stage companies, a pattern that mirrors the broader phenomenon of military technology units feeding directly into national innovation economies. Companies linked to Unit 81 veterans include Wiz, Armis, Innoviz, Claroty, Tenzai and Jazz - firms that span cybersecurity, autonomous sensing and enterprise software, several of which have reached unicorn status or delivered exits at considerable scale.
AMIT functions as the connective tissue for this network, organizing initiatives that link former unit members across business, technology and mentorship channels. The association's role is not merely nostalgic; it operates as an informal but influential pipeline for deal flow, hiring and knowledge transfer within Israel's technology sector, which remains disproportionately shaped by veterans of elite military technology programs.
Leadership Transition and What Comes Next
Sheskin's appointment signals continuity in AMIT's mission rather than a departure from it. "I believe that the true strength of a technological community is measured by its ability to connect people, entrepreneurship, and real impact," she said, adding that she intends to build on existing initiatives while strengthening both business and technological ties across the community. Her combination of operations management experience and grassroots advocacy work suggests a leadership style focused on practical coordination rather than symbolic gestures.
The transition comes at a moment when Israel's technology sector continues to face scrutiny over talent concentration, cybersecurity exposure and the geopolitical pressures that shape its growth. Associations like AMIT, by formalizing the networks that already exist informally among military alumni, play an outsized role in determining which companies get funded, which engineers get hired, and which technical ideas move from classified environments into commercial markets.