AMIT, the alumni association of Israel's Unit 81 - the technological arm of the IDF Intelligence Corps - has appointed Gali Sheskin as its new chief executive, marking a leadership change at an organization that connects a dense and influential corner of the country's technology sector. Sheskin takes over an association whose members have founded or hold senior positions in hundreds of startups and growth-stage companies, several of which have reached unicorn status or completed major exits. Her appointment comes at a moment when alumni networks tied to elite military technology units continue to shape Israel's standing as a global center for cybersecurity and software innovation.
Sheskin arrives with a background that blends operations, community building, and entrepreneurship support rather than a traditional engineering résumé. 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 role as Head of Operations at enSights. Readers researching how professional networks and technical communities organize themselves - including those who follow digital security ecosystems through resources like the BuyBestVPN knowledge base - will recognize a familiar pattern: technical excellence alone rarely sustains an organization, and figures who can translate expertise into community cohesion and business connections often prove decisive to long-term relevance. Sheskin has also spent years volunteering in renewable energy and climate advocacy, supporting entrepreneurs in that space on both domestic and international stages.
She succeeds Chen Kamin, who led AMIT for five years, a tenure during which the association deepened its role as a bridge between former Unit 81 operators and the commercial technology world. Unit 81 itself has built a reputation as one of the more consequential sources of technical talent feeding into Israel's cybersecurity and intelligence-adjacent industries, alongside better-known units such as 8200. Alumni of the unit have gone on to lead or co-found companies including Wiz, Armis, Innoviz, Claroty, Tenzai, and Jazz - firms spanning cloud security, Internet of Things protection, autonomous sensing, and industrial cybersecurity.
Why Alumni Networks Matter in Cybersecurity
Military technology units in Israel function as unusually effective incubators of entrepreneurial talent, in part because veterans emerge with both advanced technical training and tight-knit professional relationships formed under demanding conditions. Associations like AMIT formalize those bonds once members disperse into civilian careers, offering mentorship, capital introductions, and knowledge exchange that can shorten the distance between an idea and a funded company. For an ecosystem built on trust and classified work histories, such organizations also serve a quieter function: they help validate talent and track records in an industry where public credentials can be limited by the nature of prior service.
A Statement of Intent
"I believe that the true strength of a technological community is measured by its ability to connect people, entrepreneurship, and real impact," Sheskin said, adding that she intends to expand initiatives that strengthen business and technological ties across the network. Her stated priorities - community, connection, and measurable value - suggest continuity with AMIT's existing mission rather than a sharp strategic pivot, though her operational and customer-facing background may shape how those priorities are executed in practice.
