Gad was born in Rehovot, Israel. His family moved to the US and settled in Atlanta, Georgia. Gad was born without fibulas in either leg; he had had both feet amputated when he was four.
Gad earned his AB in earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. He also comnpleted his MBA at Harvard University.
As an undergraduate Gad was not only a varsity wrestler, but also highly successful academically graduating magna cum laude with highest honors. Gad received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue PhD studies in earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University.