Avital Wilkin, 28, has been driving aerospace and defense innovation for nearly a decade. As VP Operations and Business Development for Starburst Israel, she leads three acceleration programs for defense and aerospace startups. Since age 19 she has been involved in innovation, helping establish the Israeli Air Force’s technological innovation hub and fostering cross-organizational collaboration. After her military service she joined Starburst and founded the IAI internal accelerator, enabling close to one hundred venture initiatives, many of which reached international commercialization. She later founded ASTRA, the joint IAI–Starburst accelerator. This year she founded Innovet, the first venture studio of its kind for reservists and veterans. Avital now leads Starburst’s Israeli programs and builds strategic connections between industry, government, academia and startups.

“Opportunities never arrive at the perfect moment; they simply appear. Saying yes, even during uncertainty, can define your entire career.”