The Israeli founders who turned hardship, ambition and Unit 81 into a $1 billion exit

In less than four years, entrepreneurs Danny Brickman and Amit Zimerman built a company worth about $1 billion, signing a letter of intent under which Israeli cybersecurity company Cyera is expected to acquire Oasis Security, the startup they founded. Above all, it is an unusual all-Israeli exit: both the buyer and the acquired company are Israeli. In practice, it is the fastest all-Israeli startup exit to reach the $1 billion mark. “It all started in the army, when he kept coming over to my desk, hanging around and asking lots of questions,” Danny says of his partner Amit. The two have a long history together, beginning with their service in Unit 81 of Military Intelligence and continuing all the way to the exit. “We’re like a married couple. Even if we get sick of each other for a moment, the next day we fall in love again.