Wiz Founders Near Deal to Acquire McDonald's Israel Franchise
Wiz founders Assaf Rappaport and his partners are in advanced talks to acquire the McDonald's fast-food franchise in Israel, expanding their investments beyond tech into the restaurant sector.
The founders of cybersecurity giant Wiz—Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, and Roy Reznik—are in advanced talks to acquire the franchise for operating the McDonald's fast-food chain in Israel. According to reports, negotiations between global McDonald's and the group led by the Wiz co-founders are in the final stretch, with both sides nearing a definitive deal. Several groups competed for the franchise, but the tech entrepreneurs have emerged as the leading candidates to take over the local operations of the global fast-food giant.
Expanding Beyond Tech Investments
This move marks a significant expansion for the four founders outside of the high-tech sector, following Wiz's monumental acquisition by Google for 32 billion dollars. Each of the four founders amassed an estimated 3 billion dollars before taxes from the historic exit. Since then, the group has established a joint investment firm managed by Yotav Costica. Alongside tech investments, Rappaport and his partners acquired a controlling stake in Channel 13 through Merit Fund, committing to inject 120 million dollars into the television network over three years, alongside a 60 percent acquisition of the digital group Israel Bidir for 48 million shekels.
McDonald's Operations in Israel
McDonald's remains one of the largest fast-food chains in Israel, operating 235 branches by the end of 2025, compared to 230 at the end of 2024. Its annual sales turnover is estimated at 1.7 billion shekels, with the Israeli franchise value estimated between 200 and 300 million dollars in recent months. Global McDonald's previously repurchased the Israeli operations from Omri Padan in 2024 after more than three decades under his franchise, following international boycotts and franchise controversies linked to the war in Gaza. If finalized, the franchise agreement will transfer the restaurant network from direct global management back to a high-profile local ownership group.
