Shlomo Kramer
Israeli cybersecurity entrepreneur; co-founder of Check Point, Imperva and Cato Networks
| Shlomo Kramer | |
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| Nationality | Israeli |
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| Occupation | Entrepreneur; investor |
| Known for | Co-founder of Check Point Software Technologies, Imperva and Cato Networks |
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| Education | BSc Mathematics, MSc Computer Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
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Shlomo Kramer is an Israeli cybersecurity entrepreneur and investor, and a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces signals intelligence unit Unit 8200. He co-founded Check Point Software Technologies in 1993 with Gil Shwed and Marius Nacht, co-founded the web-security firm Imperva, and since 2015 has been co-founder and chief executive of Cato Networks.[1][2] Greylock Partners, an investor in Cato, says he has been called the "Godfather of Israeli cybersecurity".[3]
Unit 8200
Globes reported in 2024 that the three Check Point founders "all of whom had served in the 8200 unit".[2] Lightspeed Venture Partners, profiling Cato for the Fortune Cyber 60 list, wrote that Kramer served in the IDF's "elite 8200 unit", and that he and his IDF colleague Gil Shwed went on to found Check Point.[4] Greylock describes him as having "honed his cybersecurity chops" in "an Israeli army intelligence unit that over the years produced many of the country's best-known entrepreneurs".[3]
Companies
According to Cato's company page, Kramer co-founded Check Point Software Technologies in 1993, the maker of the first commercial firewall, and Imperva, the web-application firewall company, in 2002. He co-founded Cato Networks, a secure access service edge (SASE) company, in 2015 with Gur Shatz, a former Imperva colleague. He was an early investor in Palo Alto Networks, Trusteer, Gong and other firms.[1][3] Greylock says he backed Nir Zuk when Zuk founded Palo Alto Networks, and sat on its board for six years.[3]
In September 2025 Ctech reported that Cato Networks was buying Aim Security, an AI-security start-up founded by Unit 8200 veterans Matan Getz and Adir Gruss, for an estimated $300–350 million. It was Cato's first acquisition. The same report said Cato employed about 1,400 people, half of them in Israel.[5]
In 2025 Kramer publicly criticised Palo Alto Networks' $25 billion purchase of CyberArk. Ctech quoted him as saying the deal was "the end of a successful run" for Palo Alto.[6]
"Limit the First Amendment" remarks
In a CNBC interview at the end of December 2025, Kramer said: "I know it's difficult to hear, but it's time to limit the First Amendment in order to protect it." Asked what he meant, he said: "we need to control the platforms, all the social platforms. We need to stack, rank the authenticity of every person that expresses themselves online and take control over what they are saying, based on that ranking." He said governments "should do that", and contrasted the United States with China's "single narrative". Ctech reported that the clip was watched millions of times and caused an uproar online. Kramer then said his remarks had been taken out of context, that he was "a firm supporter of the First Amendment", and that his target was covert, AI-driven influence campaigns, not individual speech.[7]
See also
- Check Point Software Technologies
- Cato Networks
- Gil Shwed
- Marius Nacht
- Unit 8200
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cato Networks, Company Cato Networks, accessed 19 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assaf Gilead, Check Point names Nadav Zafrir next CEO Globes, 24 July 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Greylock Partners, CATO: The Godfather of Israeli Cybersecurity Does It Again Greylock, 18 April 2024.
- ↑ Lightspeed Venture Partners, Cato Networks Is Always Fortifying Your Security Lightspeed, accessed 19 October 2026.
- ↑ Sophie Shulman, Cyber unicorn Cato acquires Aim Security for $350 million amid AI cyber arms race Ctech, 3 September 2025.
- ↑ Diana Bahur-Nir, "This is more of a merger than an acquisition," CyberArk founder Alon Cohen explains Ctech, 11 August 2025.
- ↑ Ctech, "It's time to limit the First Amendment": Shlomo Kramer's remarks ignite backlash Ctech, 4 January 2026.