Early Life
Gil Shwed was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1968. He showed an early aptitude for technology, beginning to program computers at age 13. He attended computer science courses at Hebrew University in Jerusalem while still in high school, laying the foundation for his future innovations in network security.
Rise to Success
In 1993, at the age of 25, Shwed co-founded Check Point Software Technologies with Shlomo Kramer and Marius Nacht. While serving in the Israeli Defense Forces' technology unit, he developed the concept of stateful inspection, which became the foundation for Check Point's FireWall-1, launched in 1994. This technology revolutionized cybersecurity and established Check Point as a leader in the industry. The company went public on NASDAQ in 1996.
Key Business Strategies
Check Point's success is attributed to Shwed's innovative approach to cybersecurity. The company focused on stateful inspection, providing advanced firewall technology, which was later expanded to include VPNs, endpoint security, and cloud protection. Shwed's leadership, including his role as CEO until December 2024, drove Check Point's expansion and its adoption by over 100,000 organizations worldwide. Check Point has also expanded its offerings through strategic acquisitions such as the AI-native security platform Lakera in 2025.
Philanthropy
Gil Shwed is involved in youth education. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Yeholot Association founded by the Rashi Foundation whose charter is, among other things, to reduce dropout rates in high schools. He also founded the Check Point Institute for Information Security at Tel Aviv University.
