Eli David (Deep Instinct)
Israeli artificial-intelligence researcher and entrepreneur, co-founder of the cyber-security company Deep Instinct, who served in the Israeli Air Force's air-defence missile arm and was chosen as an Independence Day torch-lighter in 2025 for his social-media advocacy during the Gaza war
| Eli David
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  David, from his personal website |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Computer scientist; entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of Deep Instinct and DeepCube |
Eli David is an Israeli artificial-intelligence researcher and entrepreneur who co-founded the deep-learning cyber-security company Deep Instinct in 2015 with Guy Caspi and Nadav Maman.[1][2] In 2025 the Israeli culture and sports minister, Miri Regev, chose him to light a torch at the state's Independence Day ceremony, citing his role in "Israel’s public diplomacy efforts during the war" through his X account.[3]
Military service
In a 2026 podcast interview with the venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg, David described his entry into AI: "You know what happens in Israel when you don't get accepted to become an air force pilot? ... You go to the anti aircraft missiles division." Asked by Eisenberg whether he had been "in the anti missile defense program", he replied: "Yes. In chess", and said that he had built neural networks for chess engines for his master's degree and doctorate (Israeli Air Force).[4]
Career
David's website says that he "is the developer of Falcon, a Grandmaster-level chess playing program based on genetic algorithms and deep learning, which reached second place in the World Computer Chess Championship", and that he "has co-founded several successful deep learning-based companies, including Deep Instinct ... and DeepCube, an AI accelerator which was acquired in 2021".[2] Deep Instinct says that it was "Founded in 2015 by Guy Caspi, Nadav Maman, and Dr. Eli David".[1]
Public advocacy
Ynetnews reported in April 2025 that the statement announcing David's selection as a torch-lighter, aged 42, called him "a prominent influencer who has spent the past two decades researching and applying artificial intelligence. Despite online attacks, he has become a key figure from the high-tech and AI sectors in Israel’s public diplomacy efforts during the war, thanks to his popular X account". The paper added that "David has previously criticized Israel’s hostage release deals".[3]
See also
- Deep Instinct
- Guy Caspi
- Nadav Maman
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deep Instinct, About Us Deep Instinct, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eli David, Dr. Eli David | AI Researcher and Entrepreneur elidavid.com, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Moran Azulay, Nova DJ, former NBA star Omri Casspi among Independence Day torchlighters Ynetnews, 24 April 2025, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Aleph, Eli David Invested (podcast transcript, hosted by Michael Eisenberg), 30 March 2026, accessed 11 November 2026.