Wiz Founders Poised to Acquire McDonald's Israel Franchise
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
The four founders of Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz are close to acquiring the McDonald's franchise in Israel. Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, and Roi Shvartz-Ziv are in final negotiations with McDonald's global. This follows McDonald's global's 2024 repurchase of the Israeli operations from former franchisee Omri Padan. The Wiz founders have diversified their investments since their company's $32 billion sale to Google.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Wiz co-founders Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, and Roi Shvartz-Ziv are nearing a deal for the McDonald's Israel franchise.
- The Wiz founders' group is the leading candidate after McDonald's global repurchased the Israeli operations in 2024.
- McDonald's global acquired the chain from Omri Padan, who had operated it for over 30 years.
- The acquisition by McDonald's global occurred amid boycotts and after the Israeli franchisee provided benefits to IDF soldiers.
- This move signifies the Wiz founders' expansion into the food industry following their company's $32 billion sale to Google.
The four co-founders of the cybersecurity firm Wiz, Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, and Roi Shvartz-Ziv, are reportedly nearing a deal to acquire the franchise for McDonald's operations in Israel. Negotiations between McDonald's global and the group led by Rappaport are in their final stages, with a signing of the agreement anticipated.
Several groups vied for the franchise, but the Wiz founders' consortium has emerged as the leading candidate. While Rappaport's representatives previously denied involvement, recent progress in talks suggests a deal is close, though not yet finalized. This move would mark a significant expansion for the founders, who recently achieved a massive exit when Wiz was sold to Google for $32 billion, the largest in Israeli tech history. Each founder reportedly received approximately $3 billion before taxes from that sale.
McDonald's global purchased the Israeli operations back in 2024 from Omri Padan, who had held the franchise for over three decades. The global company acquired the chain's operations, which included 225 branches and approximately 5,000 employees at the time. Padan originally brought McDonald's to Israel, opening the first branch in 1993.
The global entity's acquisition followed boycotts against the chain in various countries due to the Gaza war and benefits provided by the Israeli franchisee to IDF soldiers. Following the purchase, McDonald's began exploring options to transfer operations to a new franchisee.
For Rappaport and his partners, this potential venture represents an expansion of their investment activities beyond the tech sector. The founders established a joint investment company after the Wiz exit, managed by Yotav Costica, Yinon Costica's brother. Their investments include a controlling stake in Channel 13, acquired through the Merit fund, with a commitment of $120 million over three years, and a 60% purchase of Israel Entertainment Digital Group for NIS 48 million. If the McDonald's deal is completed, it will extend their business interests into the fast-food industry with one of the world's most recognized brands.
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