Expanding to Germany: Lessons from the First Year on the Ground

Breaking into the German market is never just another "next step" in your expansion playbook. It's a leap of faith—often into the unknown—that takes far more than a budget line item or a translated website.

Three French scale-ups—Stoïk, Spendesk, and Lucca—shared their lessons learned, doubts, wins, and surprises at Next Market Live Weglot. Here's what a first year in Germany really looks like.

Why Germany? A Strategic Choice, but a Demanding One

For each company, the "why" matters. At Stoïk, a cyber-insurance leader, the decision was anything but random. Germany is Europe's largest insurance market, and a must-win to prove the model's viability to investors and customers alike.

At Spendesk, the opportunity came partly by chance: "We jumped in because I spoke German, but we quickly realized that wasn't enough." says Clémentine Platel-Paris. The market needed educating, competition was nearly nonexistent: everything had to be built from scratch.

Before taking the plunge, all three scale-ups recommend:

• Validate the real market potential. Not just its size, but its maturity level too.
• Assess your ability to adapt your offering (and your organization) to expectations that can differ sharply from France.
• Make sure this fits into a genuine company strategy, not just a "let's see what happens" experiment.

The First Year: Fieldwork, Structure, Adaptation

The first year is all about accelerated learning. One thing was clear for everyone: you need to be there in person.

"When I announced I was coming to town, I'd get over 50% response rates on my emails—and I'd close 30–35% of my in-person meetings." — Clémentine Platel-Paris, Spendesk

Being Local: The Real Game Changer

At Spendesk, the breakthrough came when physical presence became consistent. Clémentine spent a week in Berlin, a week in Hamburg, a week in Munich—and it was on the ground that she converted her first customers, built credibility, and truly understood what prospects needed.

Key takeaways:

1. Remote prospecting doesn't work well: being physically present builds trust and speeds up conversions.
2. Speaking the language isn't a "nice-to-have", but a must.
3. Sales cycles are long and require a strong ability to listen.

Building Your German Team and Nailing Your Go-to-Market

One of the biggest lessons shared: don't stay solo for too long.

In the early days, Clémentine handled everything at Spendesk alone: prospecting, closing, onboarding, support. Looking back, she admits:

"If I could do it again, I'd hire as soon as the first positive signals appeared to challenge the pitch, share learnings, and accelerate acquisition."

Structural advice from their experiences:

• Set clear milestones for opening roles (e.g., hire a BDR at €15k MRR, a second at €30k…).
• Prioritize hiring native or bicultural talent (Lucca, for example, hired a bilingual French-German PMM to bridge the gap with headquarters).
• Build a partner network early: in Germany, trust often comes through local third parties like accountants, advisors, referral partners.

Adapting Your Product for Germany: Branding, UX, Compliance

You simply can't enter the German market with a straight translation. At Lucca, the team conducted around 30 interviews with local HR professionals to understand their needs and adapt the product roadmap accordingly.

What makes the difference:

• Adapt modules and features to local practices (e.g., specific leave management rules, HR compliance).
• Fix every detail: Lucca identified and improved over 300 items in their German interface.
• Work on positioning: Stoïk deliberately downplayed the "startup" image to build trust in a traditional market.

"We did everything we could to not look like a startup. In cyber-insurance, trust and professionalism are everything. 'Fun' comes second." — Franziska Geier, Stoïk

Must-Haves, Pitfalls, and Surprises: What These Scale-Ups Would Do Differently

The Non-Negotiables

• Structure your approach from day one. Define your ICP clearly, set your goals, and invest early in a dedicated team. This keeps you from flying blind and lets you accelerate as soon as positive signals appear.
• Lean on local partners early. Building relationships with referral partners, integrators, or early customer champions boosts credibility fast and opens doors to key networks.
• Adapt your product down to the details. In Germany, the devil is in the details: compliance, documentation, market-specific features… Only truly localized offerings build trust and convert.

Traps to Avoid

• Running the project entirely from France. Without a local team, you lose market understanding and customer proximity. Autonomy on the ground is essential.
• Hiring too late. Waiting for traction slows down collective learning. Better to grow the team as soon as you see early wins.
• Confusing German-speaking Switzerland with Germany. Same language, very different expectations and habits. Each market needs its own approach.

The Surprises

• Salary gaps: In tech, insurance, and other sectors, German talent often commands higher salaries than in France—sometimes up to 10% more.
• Customer caution: Even with a perfect product, trust takes time to build.
• HR complexity: A local salesperson who speaks the language, understands the market firsthand, and actually uses the product is seen as far more credible than someone based in Paris.

The first year in Germany is never smooth sailing. It's a year of humility, listening, and iteration. You'll face a demanding market, long cycles, and high expectations. But for scale-ups willing to take the time to understand, invest, and build the right team, Germany can become a powerful new growth engine.

"In Germany, you have to show you're here to stay. Credibility isn't built in a quarter—but it strengthens every day, on the ground." — Sophie Nomikossof, Lucca

FAQ

Why is it hard to expand to Germany?

Because the market requires deep product adaptation, local presence, and a dedicated strategy—not just a copy-paste from your home market.

How do you succeed in your first year in Germany?

By being on the ground, building a local team, and adapting your product and positioning to meet specific German market expectations.

What mistakes should you avoid when expanding to Germany?

Managing remotely, waiting too long to hire locally, or assuming a translation is enough. Deep adaptation is key.