The Culture Trip’s Spotlight on Israel’s Female Cultural Entrepreneurs

Here in Tel Aviv, we’ve noticed something about many entrepreneurs who are currently finding success: they’re women who have found their niche in the cultural domain. In the past three weeks, The Culture Trip’s Tel Aviv hub has published three in-depth features highlighting fearless entrepreneurial females thriving in their fields: Sharonna Karni of Dreame, Galit Reismann of TLVstyle and Danielle Baruch, a pastry chef who sells her homemade creations to various restaurants and markets across the country. Israel is known as ‘Startup Nation,’ and the fact that these women started independent ventures with strong cultural connections that also showcase their business acumen and technological skills shows that something rather extraordinary is taking place here. The professional environment in Israel is unique and dynamic, and its constant creative energy has allowed for niche startups in cultural fields such as art, food, design and fashion to launch and become creative, thriving businesses with global reach.

Although the Israeli startup scene is often associated with finance, data and tech, these female entrepreneurs delightfully surprise with their innovative cultural businesses. For Sharonna Karni, who has always seen herself as a creative and headstrong person, living in Israel made it easy for her to take her thoughts and translate them into a fast-growing business that pairs dreamers with artists who transform their dreams into tangible works of art. With over 50 artists (based both in Tel Aviv and abroad) who display a range of styles, Karni has created a unique and fascinating cultural startup that not only has deep ties to the community, but also has universal appeal. Thanks to Karni’s natural business skills and great creative intuition, Dreame is growing and hopes to become a global enterprise within the year.

Dreame’s Dream Office by Elodie Garbe (Paris)

In contrast to Karni, who created an innovative and original concept with Dreame, Galit Reismann founded her startup in order to delve deeper into the already established world of fashion. Reismann’s startup TLVstyle evolved as an extension of her deep loves for both Tel Aviv and the world of Israeli fashion. It is her personal mission to propel Tel Avivian fashion onto the world’s stage, and she found that the best way to do so was through TLVstyle. Since Reismann has extensive experience in the retail business, she uses her post at TLVstyle to support and mentor new and talented designers.

Hosting Italian Journalists © Galit Reismann

While not a startup founder per se, our third feature highlights Danielle Baruch, a pastry chef extraordinaire with an addictive Instagram account. Baruch’s delectable creations launch her community into sensory overload. She has always been passionate about baking and creating new gastronomical delights, and her skill and determination have led to her notable success in Israel. She has had extensive experience in the restaurant and catering industry, but she also chooses to sell her homemade treats at a local farmers’ market and share her creations on Instagram in order to interact with the physical and virtual community around her. She hopes to open up her own pastry shop one day, and it seems that her skills in baking coupled with her drive for connection on a cultural level will certainly lead her to find success in making those dreams come true.

Rolling Cinnamon and Chocolate Babka © Danielle Baruch

These three examples of successful businesswomen show the reality of, as Sybil Ottenstein (the Director of Culture at our Tel Aviv hub) puts it, ‘The rise of the female cultural entrepreneur in the most unexpected of places.’ This phenomenon is empowering and inspiring for women with entrepreneurial aspirations all over the globe, and the beauty of The Culture Trip’s hubs is that they make this possible; our writers are local, but our reach is global. Through the over one million person strong audience we have garnered via our site and our global and local Instagram, Twitter and other social media channels, we harness the Startup Nation ethos and apply it to how we think and write about the whole world.