What is your business about?

DineNTalk is a culture-sharing platform. It is an online platform for exchanging cultures where we try to connect people from various cultural backgrounds. We particularly focus on those who are interested in other cultures but are unable to travel or do not have enough opportunity to travel to particular countries because of a number of restrictions, such as a lack of time or money or a pandemic.

How did you come up with the idea?

I’ve worked in the tourism industry for 12 years, and I want to travel and see various cultures. However, because I have an Iranian passport, my travel options are constrained, I can’t travel regularly, and it’s very difficult for me to get visas for the places I want to visit. There are many others who are facing the same challenges. I would also love to show my culture and traditions to people from other countries, besides finding friends as a newcomer! But there was no platform that encouraged communication over culture. In my country, there are many beautiful cultures, but my country, Iran, is going through a struggle. We had to leave our country and build everything from scratch because of the government. The citizens of my nation are battling to preserve our nation’s future. People are now stepping up to overthrow the dictatorship. Our culture and nation shape our identities. If we don’t fight for our culture and basic rights, we’ll be nothing, especially as women. Platforms like DineNTalk encourage people to share positive aspects of their cultures and make travel more accessible.

What are you proud of in your entrepreneurial journey?

I started this journey during my second month in the Netherlands. I was trying to settle in this new country while also trying to set up my business. I admire my courage in starting this journey from scratch. I respect Forward’s efforts in creating a network appropriate for our company. While you may create a network on your own, it is difficult to focus on a certain market for your business by yourself. I created that particular network with the aid of Forward.

What comes to mind when thinking about your journey with Forward?

I recently put some time into my business. Despite numerous difficulties and personal troubles, I made a strong effort to keep going. I then submitted an application for the third-biggest community event-  the UNWTO’s third global competition on gastronomy startups. Together, we prepared for the event, and now we are at the semifinal stages.

What is your current challenge, and how can we, as a community, help solve that challenge?

We want to find a front-and-back developer. We couldn’t find a suitable person as we have a limited budget. We are trying to find people who have high-quality work and are also highly motivated to create this application with us.

What do you wish for Forward Inc. and all the new entrepreneurs joining?

Be mindful that such a journey will be complex to complete when you consider it. Be patient, and never forget to be persistent.

When I need assistance, I can simply ask Forward and receive a response, making them like my family.