Gil Shwed
#1027

Gil Shwed

Israel 58 years old Self-Made

Overview

Source of Wealth
Software
Industry
Technology
Residence
Tel Aviv
Marital Status
Single

Assets

  • Check Point Software Technologies Lt
    24,870,000 shares @ -
    -
    CHKP-US
  • Check Point Software Technologies Lt
    1,622,000 shares @ -
    -
    CHKP-US

Biography

Gil Shwed, considered the inventor of the modern computer firewall, cofounded Check Point Software Technologies in 1993 with Shlomo Kramer and Marius Nacht.

The company went public on the Nasdaq in 1996.

Shwed owns about 25% of Check Point's stock and serves as its executive chairman.

Check Point, which develops cybersecurity software, counts many of the largest U.S. companies as its clients.

Check Point prevented over 3 billion cyber attacks annually and has secured over 100,000 organizations worldwide.

About

Shwed first joined the billionaires list in 2001, only to fall off in 2003 when the tech bubble burst. He returned to the billionaire ranks in 2011.

Shwed sits on the boards of the Youth University of Tel Aviv University and Yecholot Association, which works to reduce dropout rates in high schools.

In 2018, the Israeli government awarded Shwed the first Israel Prize in the technology category for his contributions to cybersecurity and the country's economy.