Asaf Gilboa
Asaf Gilboa is a business and social entrepreneur, a major in the reserves of the IDF and an avid backpacker and mountain biker. In 1999, after growing up in Yavne, Israel, and in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Asaf enlisted in to the IDFs newly founded unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit. During his six years of service, Asaf advanced within the unit, leading dozens of operations, commanding numerous teams and finishing as head of operations. In 2006, after traveling through South America for nine months (cutting his trip short as he was called back for the Second Lebanon War), he began studying law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During his freshman year, Asaf and four partners established Themis UAV Applications, a startup company that made UAVs from the military accessible to the civilian world. Asaf was Themis’s CEO for five years, growing it in size and sales and expanding its activities around the world. In March of 2012, Themis’s cash flow hit a low point and its activities were frozen. Over the years, Asaf has also been involved in creating and leading organizations and projects in politics, education and public policy. He completed his law Internship at Yigal Arnon and in September, 2013, began studying at Harvard Business School.
As CEO of Themis, Asaf led a revolution in the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) market. Originally created for military use, UAVs have endless applications in the civilian world, but because of their high cost, they weren't utilized. In response, Asaf created and implemented a unique business model that allows users to share the costs of operating UAVs by creating an intermediary between them and the manufacturer. This enabled Themis to execute the first UAV flight in Greece and one of the first in Europe, as well as the first agricultural UAV flight in Israel and the first fully civilian UAV flight in India. Asaf impacted the UAV market and led the way for dozens of UAV service providers, which gave civilian users access to these amazing tools. As Co-founder of the Israeli chapter of Khan Academy, Asaf has also been leading a revolution in education. As Director of the organization's operations, he works with teachers across Israel to implement Khan's flip class approach, where students learn at home via videos and the classroom is retained for processing and sharing information. This approach, implemented in five Israeli schools, is changing the way teachers and students interact and is helping students acquire crucial skills for the 21st century.