Israel's Top Startups Lean on Cybersecurity and AI

Oak, an identity security firm that launched publicly three months ago with a $60 million seed round, topped LinkedIn's 2026 ranking of Israeli startups, the platform announced on Wednesday. The list, centered on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, shows where Israeli entrepreneurial talent is concentrating.

A Security-First Ranking

Greylock Partners, Accel and CRV led Oak’s $60 million seed investment. Shai Morag co-founded the company with Tal Marom. Morag isn’t new to cybersecurity. He previously founded two cybersecurity companies; Palo Alto Networks acquired one, and Tenable acquired the other.

The rest of the top five follows the same pattern. The three-year-old AI development firm doubleAI ranked second. Wonderful, an AI operating-system developer, came third. Kela Technologies took fourth place as an open software platform and fifth place as a business-to-business (B2B) cybersecurity firm.

The full list of 15 reads like a catalog of defensive technology. It includes Cyera (private network security), Mate Security (cybersecurity), Eon (cloud data protection) and Dream (AI cybersecurity). Also listed are Notch (AI automation), Port (workflow automation), Encore AI (AI data analysis), Limitless Labs (AI for precision manufacturing), Adaptive6 (spending control) and FINQ (AI fintech).

"Our annual LinkedIn Top Startups list surfaces the 15 emerging Israeli companies growing fast, gaining attention and recruiting top talent right now," LinkedIn said in a statement. The company said it identified firms working on pioneering cybersecurity solutions, AI "expert intelligence" and workflow automation, using only LinkedIn data.

How the List Was Built

The methodology relies on data, not editorial judgment. LinkedIn drew on five sections of platform data, including employee growth, engagement, job interest and attraction of top talent. The company measured engagement through "views and follows of company pages by non-employees, as well as non-employees' views of startup employees' profiles." Job interest counted views of and applications to advertised roles. Attraction of top talent measured a company's ability to hire workers from LinkedIn's global Top Companies lists.

The eligibility screen was strict. Companies had to be no more than seven years old, privately held, fully independent and not owned by larger firms. They also needed at least 30 employees from July 2025 to June 2026. LinkedIn disqualified startups that laid off 10% or more of their workforce between July 1, 2025, and the list's publication.

That filter matters. It screens out firms that shed staff over the past year, meaning each company on the list kept growing through it.

Why This Matters: The ranking is a commercial snapshot, not a strategic assessment, but it points to a clear pattern. Israeli founders keep building in cybersecurity, the field where the country's defense establishment has long operated under constant digital threat. Seasoned operators like Morag, who’ve already sold companies to Palo Alto Networks and Tenable, can raise $60 million in seed funding from major Western investors. That suggests global capital still treats Israeli security expertise as a premium asset. It’s one data point, drawn only from LinkedIn activity, and it says nothing about long-term performance. But for a country facing sustained pressure on multiple fronts, a technology sector that keeps attracting talent and foreign money is an economic and strategic strength.