Gil Shwed, the founder and CEO of leading cybersecurity firm Check Point, has won the first-ever Israel Prize for Technology and Innovation, Education Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday.
Bennett tweeted that he had added the new category to the prestigious Israel Prize awards this year to mark Israel's 70th anniversary.
Calling Shwed "the startup nation's pioneer," Bennett said Shwed's story is "the story of Israeli high-tech."
"As a veteran of [IDF unit] 8200 who founded Check Point, he paved the way for me and for thousands of Israeli high-tech entrepreneurs, and devotes his energy to Israeli education," Bennett said. Unit 8200 is an elite military intelligence unit that has produced many of Israel's leading high-tech figures.
Shwed, 51, was born in Jerusalem and began programming when he was 13. After completing his military service, Shwed began working as a programmer in Optrotech, a startup that later merged with Orbotech. Along with partners from his military service and his previous workplace, he founded Check Point, which is now valued at more than $17 billion and employs some 4,500 workers in 45 countries.
Bennett also awarded the Israel Prize for Industry, to husband-and-wife team Yehuda and Yehudit Bronicki, who more than 50 years ago founded Ormat Technologies, a leading Israeli company in the renewable energy and electricity market that now has projects around the world.
Bennett praised the Bronickis for their achievements.
The Bronickis have also contributed to the community through the Ort Ormat school, established in 1970. That year, the number of students studying there was greater than the number of employees working in Ormat. Among the school's alumni are leading professionals, managers and engineers.
After their retirement, the couple continued their philanthropic community work in education, technology and other fields.
