Season 3 continues with a second deep-dive into Swan, the leading provider of embedded finance solutions in Europe. This time, Andrea Vaugan interviews Pico Petershagen, VP Growth at the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) startup. Splitting his time between Paris and Berlin, Pico leads Swan’s growth marketing, product marketing and brand teams. What Pico outlines as the reason for Swan’s rapid success in now 10 European countries is a growth strategy he coins “hyper-localization”. How this strategy compares to more traditional growth marketing and international business development strategies, what the difference between mere translation and true localization is and how important it is to recognize differences, but also similarities between local ICPs - all included in this step-by-step guide to hyper-localization. Pico on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/janphilip-petershagen/) Swan on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/swan-baas/) Andrea on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/?viewAsMember=true) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Last year we discussed the important role of partnerships for a successful market expansion - now we’re welcoming back another team member of Qonto! Benjamin Romberg, Head of Global Communications, is leading central PR, Social Media, and Community teams at the European unicorn start-up. Qonto is the leading European business finance solution, making day-to-day banking easier for SMEs and freelancers. Founded in 2016 by Alexandre Prot and Steve Anavi, Qonto now operates in 4 European markets (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), and employs more than 1,400 people. In conversation with Andrea Vaugan, Benjamin explains how important it is to find the right balance between a coordinated global strategy and market localization. More questions that you’ll find the answer to in this interview: TIMING: At what point in your expansion journey should you take things to the next level and hire senior comms professionals? GROWTH: What are concrete communication goals that support the company’s growth? SETTING UP: How can you build up on the existing brand image and simultaneously localize comms and branding? Benjamin on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-romberg-4a758093/) Qonto on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/qonto/) Andrea on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/?viewAsMember=true) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome back to Go-to-Germany Stories! Season 3 is kicking off with an exciting new player in the European start-up space: Franziska Geier, Managing Director DACH at Stoïk, sits down with host Andrea Vaugan to outline the start-up’s impressive European expansion processes. Founded in 2021 by Jules Veyrat, Alexandre Andreini, Nicolas Sayer and Philippe Mangematin, Stoïk is the first insurance agent in Europe to empower brokers by providing their clients with insurance policy and protection against cyber risks. Franziska and Andrea discuss how the start-up’s vision of being European is influenced by investors and how this ties into their expansion strategy. If you too are a disruptive innovator in a more conservative industry, just like Stoïk is at the intersection of cybersecurity and insurance, tune in to learn how important smart relationship building can be in a new market! If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow us and leave a rating! Franziska Geier on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziskageier/) Stoïk on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/stoikio/) Andrea Vaugan on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/?viewAsMember=true) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Season 2 is coming to an end with this fifth episode and our guest Sophie Wehrle. Sophie Wehrle is currently General Manager DACH at PlayPlay, a B2B SaaS startup and video creation platform trusted by more than 3000 organizations in 15 countries. Before kickstarting the DACH market launch at PlayPlay, Sophie helped Doctolib, now one of France’s most successful unicorn companies expand to Germany. Sophie and Andrea discuss how crucial well-structured playbooks are not only for sales, but for the efficiency of the entire company and its growth trajectory. Strategic hiring as well as finding the right balance between using synergies and adapting to local markets are amongst the other topics the two dive into. Sophie on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiewehrle/) PlayPlay on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/playplay/) Andrea on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode of "Go-to-Germany Stories," Andrea Vaugan invites Thorsten Seeger, Group COO of October and the CEO of October Germany. October is a European FinTech specialized in business lending. Leader in continental Europe, it has already financed thousands of SMEs for a total amount of over €1 billion in France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. Based on his extensive experience in the traditional banking sector and FinTech industry, Thorsten shares insights into October’s initial business-model-specific challenges and their solutions, such as opting for a partnership strategy over direct marketing. Thorsten also walks us through the learnings listeners inside and outside of the FinTech cosmos can takeaway from October’s early market entry days. He outlines their strategy for the all-important brand- and trust-building, showcasing once again how essential a deep-founded knowledge of the German market and its customers is. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dans l’épisode nr. 3 de la saison 2 de "Go-to-Germany Stories", Andrea Vaugan discute avec Felix Nübold, Country Manager Germany chez Rapidmooc. Rapidmooc, une entreprise bootstrapped fondée à Lyon en 2016, est un fournisseur d'e-learning qui permet aux organisations de créer de manière rapide et facile des contenus de formation pour leurs équipes. Felix partage comment, avec le partenariat de longue date avec Andrea Vaugan et l'équipe de Wyngs, Rapidmooc a stratégiquement élargi sa présence en Allemagne, en mettant l'accent sur des actions concrètes, des workshops stratégiques, et en intégrant le feedback des clients. Ils explorent également les nuances de la création de confiance sur le marché allemand, les adaptations nécessaires du produit, et la gestion des responsabilités entre les équipes en France et en Allemagne. Un épisode rempli d'insights sur une internationalisation réussie en Allemagne. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Join Andrea in episode 2 of season 2 for an insightful conversation with David Frei, Head of DACH & Eastern Europe at Swan. David joined the European fintech early 2022 as their first employee outside of France and is running the Berlin office. Swan’s Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform is the easiest way for companies to embed banking features. Via its simple APIs, European companies can integrate banking services (accounts, cards and payments) quickly and easily into their own product. Founded in 2019, Swan processes around 300 million euros of transactions per month, for 100+ companies across ten European countries. Swan has over 150 employees and is led by fintech experts and experienced entrepreneurs Nicolas Benady, Nicolas Saison and Mathieu Breton. The company was founded with the startup studio, eFounders, and has received growth capital from leading VC investors such as Lakestar, Accel, Creandum, and Bpifrance, with a recent Series B of € 37m. Discover how Swan's tailored sales strategies, pivotal partnerships, and cultural adaptations helped them succeed in the competitive German fintech ecosystem, all while maintaining a strong European spirit. David on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-frei-berlin/) Swan on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/swan-baas/) Andrea on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this first episode of season 2 of Go-to-Germany Stories, Dominik Drechsler, Country Manager Germany at YouSign, shares his insights on successfully launching the French e-signature startup in the German market during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yousign is a major European player in electronic signature, document management and identification services. Founded in 2013 by Luc Pallavidino and Antoine Louiset, Yousign has more than 15,000 customers and over 4M monthly signatories, as well as a team of over 200 employees. Based in Caen and Paris, Yousign has offices in Germany and Italy.  Dominik and Andrea discuss the importance of product adaptation, trust-building through logos, and SEO optimization. Join us, as we delve deep into the world of cross-border entrepreneurship and B2B SaaS solutions. Dominik on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikdrechsler/) Yousign on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/yousign/) Andrea on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavaugan/) Wyngs on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyngs/) Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, Andrea Vaugan interviews Eva Katernberg, a localization specialist and translator. They discuss the importance of localization and the differences between translation, localization, and transcreation. Eva explains that localization involves not only translating content but also adapting it culturally, including numbers, images, and cultural references. Transcreation, on the other hand, focuses on creative translation, especially for slogans and marketing campaigns. They emphasize the importance of hiring a professional translator who is a native speaker and has cultural expertise. They also discuss the benefits of outsourcing translation work and the potential risks of relying on internal employees who may not have the necessary skills or cultural understanding. #localization #translation #transcreation #culturaladaptation #professionaltranslator #outsourcing Key takeaways - Localization involves not only translation but also cultural adaptation of content. - Transcreation is a form of creative translation, often used for slogans and marketing campaigns. - Hiring a professional translator with cultural expertise is crucial for accurate and effective localization. - Outsourcing translation work to a specialized translator is recommended for quality and consistency. - Relying on internal employees for translation may result in inaccurate and poorly adapted content. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:59 Understanding Localization and Transcreation 07:52 The Importance of Localization for the German Market 11:47 Challenges and Benefits of Professional Translation 23:17 When to Outsource and Risks of Internal Translation 27:45 Final Thoughts and Conclusion Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Andrea Vaugan interviews Tim Rath, the founder of Yoyaba, a leading B2B tech SaaS growth agency in the German market. They discuss how to approach the German market and the critical steps to launch a brand successfully. They emphasize the importance of mindset, market differences, and mechanics in the process and also highlight the need for thorough research, understanding the target market's pain points, and adapting the creative strategy to fit the local culture. They discuss the challenges of convincing investors and stakeholders to prioritize warming up the market over immediate revenue goals. They also touch on the key elements of building a European brand, such as formality, task-oriented communication, reliability, and transparency in data handling. They conclude by discussing the importance of personal interactions and offline events, especially for reaching the German Mittelstand (SMBs). Takeaways - Approaching the German market requires a specific mindset, understanding market differences, and implementing the right mechanics. - Thorough research and understanding of the target market's pain points are crucial for success. - Adapting the creative strategy to fit the local culture is essential for building a European brand. - Warming up the market and establishing trust before focusing on revenue goals is important, even if it requires convincing investors and stakeholders. - Personal interactions and offline events play a significant role in reaching the German Mittelstand. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:15 Approaching the German Market 09:17 Thorough Research and Understanding of Pain Points 18:35 Adapting the Creative Strategy for a European Brand 25:03 Warming Up the Market: Trust Before Revenue 30:57 Building a European Brand: Mindset and Communication 37:08 Reaching the German Mittelstand: Personal Interactions and Offline Events Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.