Meet Dima Grama

EMEA Sales Manager at SimilarWeb

"I got used to it and yes, maybe I compromised on some European values of social living, but I got what I wanted in the end"

So what’s your deal? Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’m just one lucky guy. My life threw me into so many locations and situations, I lost control of the usual way of living and went with the flow.

I lived in the US on multiple occasions, I dropped out of college to pursue my career at 19, and I worked in the “boiler room” of sales, meaning that I was cold calling CEOs with only a dial phone in front of me. No computer, ‘no nothing’, but I learn that this is a phrase we say here. 

Fast forward, I moved countries, held a commercial role in Kyiv Post news in Ukraine, and managed teams in early-stage start-ups and agencies. 

What made you move to Israel? What brings you here? 

So I have a very interesting fun fact. I am not Jewish. Well, I am, but there is no proof. The proof was burnt in the church in a Ukrainian village where they held the important documents ages ago. 

Regardless of that, my life brought me an Israeli husband, whom I met in the US, and we decided to move to Tel Aviv. That’s when I faced Israeli bureaucracy. It took longer than anyone expected for me to get a working visa, but I was hungry for Israeli hi-tech and when I got my documents I finally got access to it! 

I had my eye on Guesty before I moved here. I was a host on Airbnb, managed luxurious properties on Cape Cod, and was very familiar with the start-up culture. So I was offered an Account Executive job. Loved it, stayed there for 3 years, and will never forget the people, culture, and authentic fun we had there. Kudos guys, best energy ever!

Do you feel Israeli?

Culturally, yes. I belong here. I understand the flow of people. I like what I see every day on the streets (funny enough).

I got used to it and yes, maybe I compromised on some European values of social living, but I got what I wanted in the end. Somehow I managed to open a small business here, a charity in fact. I worked with many people from multiple professions from cleaners and service workers to fashion and business influencers. 

And I get them and they get me, even without Hebrew. Maybe I’m lucky or maybe I learned how to be Israeli.

What do you do for work? What did you have to do to get to where you are right now? 

I’ve been in Sales for about a decade now, but I had some time in between to chill. As my peers know, it’s a fast-paced, very target-oriented environment and naturally, you want to do something else at some point. 

I did some manual work, helping remodel houses and making them profitable for short-term renting in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was really amazing because you live in one of the most wealthy places in the US and you learn from the crowd, and absorb that talent and knowledge. Maybe that’s why I have thick skin when doing my job in sales. 

After coming to Israel, I worked for 3 years at Guesty followed by my current role as a Sales Manager at Similarweb. I worked with the largest enterprises in the CIS region (that’s Russia, Ukraine, and some ex-Soviet countries), closing 6-digits deals. 

But my whole world collapsed on Feb. 24, 2022, when the Russian military attacked Ukraine. I was born in Ukraine, lived my teenage years there, and couldn’t sit still. So I created We Ukraine - a project aimed to help Ukraine’s defensive and humanitarian needs. The simple e-com model allows anyone around the world to buy a t-shirt with a unique Ukrainian design and help those in need. We are close to the $10,000 mark in donations, and we plan on launching more merch and expanding in the future in order to buy more bulletproof vests, night-vision equipment, and humanitarian necessities. Please donate if you have the means to do so.

Editors note - you can donate here.

What's something about your work that you find super interesting to share?

Similarweb is a unique product in itself. I find it fascinating how much data we process every day. Being at the frontier of competitors’ intelligence, I enable companies to think broader. The motion of competitiveness drove the success of the industrial and technological revolution for years, and we are here to make it even more evident. 

I always said - I can sell everything, but if I love the product I would go above and beyond to let others enjoy the technology. This is what fascinates and encourages me to be successful.

What are your biggest challenges, work, and life-wise? 

I think my real challenge at the moment is the absence of Hebrew. Only now I enrolled in Ulpan, 5 years after. I’d suggest all the newcomers not to neglect this important part of being here and start learning Hebrew right away. At work, I now have to adapt to a new reality of working with a different market, but we’ve been there and done that, so I’m not too worried.

What keeps you going?

Maybe not a thing, but a human - Elon Musk. I know it is a cliche, but if you haven’t seen his last interview and TED talk - you should. It is very easy to get depressed nowadays: wars, climate change, pandemics, etc. But it is always important to remember that we can do better than that. Our world is an amazing place and humans are talented creatures with a huge capacity for improvement on all frontiers. All together we can do a lot. 

What advice do you have for soon-to-be Olim or those who could use the extra boost? 

Do not be afraid to fail. Israel isn’t an easy country to climatize yourself in. It is challenging to learn a language, find a job, and start living a comfortable life from scratch. And there will be times when some things will be hard to achieve, you will make mistakes and you will fail. But failure is a drive for success. Just remember that there will always be sun after a rainy day, and in Israel, this sun is brighter than anywhere, trust me.

Lastly, what is a fun fact about your life right now? 

I am still not sure if I want to get a driving license. Just the idea of getting on the road in Israel scares me. Only in Israel.

A passion project by Ron Khirman

I’m Israeli-born, Silicon Valley raised. I hold a BSc. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona. From my peers, I’m the “jack of all trades” marketer, helping companies scale and go to market. 

In my free time, I kick-box, DJ, go to the beach, and do fun passion projects like this. If you’re an Oleh/Olah in tech and would love to be featured, let's connect on LinkedIn!