Early Life and Education
Marius Nacht was born in 1962 in Curtea de Argeș, Romania. At the age of three, he immigrated to Israel with his family, escaping the Ceausescu regime. He grew up in Ashkelon. His education laid the foundation for his success. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Communication Systems. He also served in Talpiot, an elite Israeli army division.
Rise to Success
Nacht's career began in software development. In 1990, he met Gil Shwed while working at Orbotech. Three years later, Nacht, Shwed, and Shlomo Kramer co-founded Check Point Software Technologies in Ramat Gan, Israel. Nacht wrote the original code for Check Point's first product, FireWall-1. The company went public in 1996, which marked a major turning point in his wealth. He served in various managerial roles at Check Point, including R&D, Product, Sales, Marketing, and Support, and later served as Non-executive Chairman from 2015 to 2020.
Key Business Strategies
Check Point's initial success was based on the development of the first commercially successful firewall software. Nacht has been involved in venture capital. In 2016, he co-founded aMoon, an Israeli healthtech VC firm focused on early-stage biotech and digital health startups. His investments include LightCyber, SafeDK, Cyber Secdo, and Rapid API.
Philanthropy
Nacht's philanthropy is focused on technology education and cybersecurity awareness. He has supported organizations like GiveDirectly and The Technion Foundation. He also donated to those affected by the Meron disaster and supported artists during the pandemic.
