Biomed Entrepreneur Mati Gil Joins Naftali Bennett’s Yachad Party for Knesset Run

Mati Gil, a 46-year-old biomed entrepreneur and CEO of AION Labs, is joining Naftali Bennett’s Yachad party to run for the Knesset. Gil has served as the party’s high-tech chief of staff and was a founder of its "New Agreement for High-Tech" program. Previously, he was chief of staff to Avi Dichter during Dichter’s early political career in Kadima and until 2009 when Dichter was Minister of Public Security. During that period, Gil was wounded in a Hamas shooting attack near the Gaza border, resulting in a permanent 20% disability.

After working with Dichter, Gil held various senior roles at Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva from 2010 to 2021, managing external relations and regulatory affairs. He supported former CEO Kare Schultz through a major crisis involving layoffs and plant closures, including in Israel. Since leaving Teva, Gil founded AION, an incubator for AI-driven drug discovery startups. Over four years, AION has launched ten startups with partnerships including major pharma companies, Amazon, and venture capital funds.

Gil immigrated to Israel from the U.S. at age 12 and lives in Jerusalem with his family. He served in the IDF’s Operations Directorate in a foreign relations unit, reaching the rank of captain. Since October 7, he has completed three reserve duty tours in the Northern Command, helping establish and command a joint operations center in Lebanon coordinating with U.S. military representatives. Gil holds a law degree and an Executive MBA from Reichman University, and is married with three children.