Examples on companies that have found advisors from Germany
A COSMETICS BRAND ENTERING THE GERMAN MARKET
How does a Nordic cosmetics brand enter the German market? Not very easily without some local help.
Our client, a fast-growing cosmetics brand generating €5 million in revenue, wanted to enhance their sales in Germany. They asked us to find an advisor to collaborate with the local team and gain access to German distribution channels.
We identified several candidates with suitable backgrounds from our pool of 10,000 advisors, including 800 from Germany. After conducting interviews, the company began working with an advisor who had successfully established a cosmetic brand in the entire DACH region and thus had a broad network in the industry.
A STARTUP NEEDING ACCESS TO HOTELS IN GERMANY
Our client, a provider of digital tools for the hotel industry, had established a customer base with some hotels and hotel chains. However, they aimed to broaden their reach into new markets. That's when they asked us to find advisors who could assist them in gaining access to national hotel chains in key European markets.
We got several applications from advisors that had both relevant background and stated interest to work with the company:
- “… worked several years in the travel industry in Germany I have good national and international contacts.”
- “I have worked for over 2 decades with Starwood, Hilton, Kempinski & FRHI Hotels & Resorts across Europe…”
- “… role as Industry Lead Travel Europe at GfK, Europe's leading market research firm…”
AN IT DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LOOKING FOR ACCESS TO GERMAN COMPANIES
This DevOps company builds scalable tech organizations by improving software development practices and creating rapid, reliable cloud environments. The company has experienced strong growth for several years and serves a range of customers, including leading corporates, SMEs, and startups. However, it needed to expand its sales presence in Germany.
They asked us to find advisors to work with the management and local sales team on entering the German market, particularly to open doors to potential customers or partners. Candidates were expected to have connections to relevant stakeholders (e.g., CTOs, other C-level executives, directors, or team leads responsible for software development) in corporates, Mittelstand companies, or startups. Alternatively, they could have connections to German IT consulting or development companies that lack DevOps skills and/or resources.
We found around ten advisors, all of whom had suitable backgrounds and an interest in working with the company. After conducting several interviews, the company decided to start working with a senior advisor who has over 20 years of experience in advising CIOs and technology-focused organizations. This advisor proved to be very valuable in making introductions to relevant clients.
A COMPANY LOOKING FOR FUNDING FROM GERMANY
Typically, the best country to find investors is the one which is the key market for your business. If this country is not your home country, you may have an issue in finding suitable investors due to the limited personal networks.
This was also the case with one of our clients from the Nordics. Their main market was Germany, and thus they planned to raise funding from there. While we at Boardio have a network of 800 advisors in Germany, we found them several candidates who got interested in helping. After some discussions, the company selected one that has worked with Family Offices for many years. This advisor started to make introductions, eventually leading to an investment.
You can imagine the value that someone local with the right connections brings to the funding process. They know who might be interested in investing in your business and make sure you get a chance to meet the investors and present your company.