Five Lessons for Scaling Internationally: Expert Insights from Tyto’s Scaling Without Borders Podcast Series

There is a famous Dutch insurance company with a slogan that says, ‘We became big, by staying small’ – and there’s a lot of truth to that.  

 Whether you plan to grow, or it simply happens, scaling is part of nearly every entrepreneur’s journey. Building a successful and sustainable company requires growth. It creates stability for employees and clients and unlocks new opportunities.   

Growth means better support, more widespread services or a bigger portfolio and overall solid performance. But how do you scale – especially across borders?  

Over the past few months, my colleague Chantal Schepers and I explored this question for Tyto’s Scaling Without Borders podcast series. We spoke with founders who have scaled internationally, investors that have enabled cross-border expansion, and advisors who have supported companies succeed abroad.  

These conversations are now available to stream in full, however there were five key lessons that stood out to me from across the series.  

Lesson 1 – Get the basics right: start where you know the market, culture, and customers

All the expert emphasised the importance of getting things right at home first before expanding internationally.  

According to Matthijs Welle, CEO of hospitality management platform Mews, the advantage of starting in your home market is that it is easier to find the right people, the right funds and the right customers.  

Martijn Hamann, co-owner and partner of investor Endeit Capital, agrees. He says that cracking a few key European markets is tough but a major win – once you’ve done that, expanding to the US or Asia becomes a lot easier because you’ve got a strong base to fall back on. 

But where should you expand to first? Lieke Conijn, start-up liaison at the Dutch Embassy in London says the UK is a logical first step in Europe for many firms.  

Lesson 2 – Become local: adapt your product, pitch, and messaging for each country

When scaling across borders it’s very important to understand the market you’re entering. For instance, Martijn Hamann highlights how businesses in the Netherlands often have very different outlooks and prioritise different things to those in Germany. 

Lieke Conijn emphasises this as well. She says that what works in one market might not work in another – you may need to tweak your product, story, or pitch. It’s important to be adapt, not too stubborn, and you mustn’t give up too quickly. 

Another key takeaway from the experts is the importance of hiring locally when entering a new market.  

Language is also an important consideration. As Rob van den Heuvel, the co-founder and CEO of Sendcloud, points out, even if your company runs in English, having native speakers in each market you enter is essential – they help you to truly connect with the local market and gain traction.

Lesson 3 – Ask for help: lean on investors, mentors, and co-founders for support

Although entrepreneurs are often fiercely independent, that might not always be the best approach. Asking for help and taking advice from someone who’s been there before can make a big difference. 

Serial entrepreneur and author Wibe Wagemans, says there’s a lot be gained from surrounding yourself with other entrepreneurial people.

In addition to seeking external assistance, the experts also highlight the benefits of having individuals within your company with complementary skills and strengths.   

Martijn Hamann says investors are more likely to back companies with well-rounded founding teams – those that combine tech, marketing, and leadership, with diversity in age and gender. If the team has been together for a few years, that’s even more attractive. Products and strategies can be changed, but a solid, committed team is much harder to build.  

Matthijs Welle agrees. He says you need to really understand yourself and find someone to support you who’s different from you and make sure that you have a strong relationship with that person that can balance your thoughts and instincts. 

Local expertise and market insight is key. Haran Sold recommends finding a local partner who understands your goals and has experience helping companies grow in the country that you’re expanding into.

Lesson 4 – Get funding: conserve capital by only raising the funds you need to expand

Scaling up demands funds – and getting your hands on the right funds is not easy and takes time. It also requires persistence when things don’t go to plan.

Investors also have become more critical as they can get their hands on a lot of data. According to Martijn Hamann, they have become more data-driven today, a clear break away from the ‘spray and pray’ investments of the past.   

With investors being more selective, it can be tempting to try to secure as much funds as you can when you can, but it’s important for founders to be disciplined.  

Rob van den Heuvel, the co-founder and CEO of Sendcloud, a leading European shipping software company says having too much funding can actually work against you because it creates the temptation to do too much, too soon, and lose focus. 

This ties into a broader point about how funding structures can shape a founder’s journey. Wibe Wagemans says that European investors often include stricter terms, which aren’t always founder-friendly so it’s crucial that founders are willing to evolve and take on new leadership roles as the company grows. 

Lesson 5 – Protect the company culture: present a clear vision to help maintain a strong company culture

As companies scale, culture can easily get lost in the mix, but the experts agree it should stay front and centre. Rob van den Heuvel says that culture plays a huge role in successful international growth. 

Matthijs Welle agrees, saying his role today is much less about product or finances, and much more about shaping and driving culture. He believes in hiring great people, giving them ownership, and treating them like adults because engaged teams perform better. 

Martijn Hamann goes even further. He says that nurturing a strong culture isn’t just a HR task – it’s a CEO responsibility. He believes the CEO needs to be the company’s storyteller. Even if a founder is more introverted or product-focused, they need to step into that role or bring in someone who can lead with vision and inspire others. 

Scaling Without Borders explores the high and lows of growing a tech business internationally, offering valuable insights from some of Europe’s most inspiring tech leaders who have been there and done it.