Yael Kochman

Yael Kochman is an experienced entrepreneur, company builder and open innovation expert, with a great passion for startups and technology. With 15 years of experience in venture building and business development, Yael Co-Founded Re:Tech – a fi rst of its kind innovation hub helping retailers and CPG’s with open innovation, powered by a community of 500+ startups and tech companies developing cutting edge solutions to disrupt retail. As part of her work at Re:Tech, Yael is Co-Founded Re:Tech Disrupt - a global event series celebrating retail innovation and technology.

In addition to her work at Re:Tech, Yael also serves as the Executive Director of Strategy at RETHINK Retail, where she is leading all the AI in Retail initiatives and works closely with the NRF team of AI related content and partnerships. Yael is also an advisor to startups and tech companies, such as Sizer, buywith, Syte and others, assisting with strategic development, go-to-market and other commercial aspects.

In 2025 Yael was selected by NRF as one of 48 “Voices in Retail” from all over the world. She was also acknowledged as a Top Retail Expert by RETHINK Retail in 2024 and 2025, and was also selected as one of 40 under 40 by TheMarker, one of the top 100 Retail Tech Leaders by Retail Week and one of 59 Infl uential Women Marketers by HubSpot.

As a speaker, Yael is often invited to industry events, such as; ShopTalk, The Lead, Tech by Retail Week, and many others. She is volunteering as a mentor in several accelerators and academia programs as well as on the retail tech committee of the Israeli Export Institute.

Yael Kochman holds an MBA from the Sofaer International Program at Recanati Business School, Tel Aviv University. She is an active voice in the business community and has contributed to marketing and business magazines such as Fast Company, Forbes, and others.