Your business works in North America. Will it work in Berlin?
We help North American companies decide whether Germany or another European market is the right fit, and then gain a foothold there. For Mexican companies, the US is on the table too.
For North American companies ready to grow in Europe.
Family businesses, high-growth companies, private equity or venture-backed firms, and regional leaders from North America. You know your home market inside out. We help you answer the next big question with method: which market comes next?
Your international expansion should be a plan, not an adventure.
Two global playing fields, two business dynamics.
Both markets offer strong growth potential. For Mexican companies, this is a choice; for US companies, it is a contrast with home. The key is understanding the DACH region’s unwritten rules and aligning your commercial strategy with the local business culture.
Germany keeps attracting capital: in 2025, foreign companies invested an estimated €96 billion, up from €43 billion the year before.1
| Strategic axis | DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) | US |
|---|---|---|
| Governance and decisions | Longer deliberation, focused on solid, long-term institutional agreements. | Fast decisions, often renegotiated as the market moves. |
| Building trust | Built on technical reputation, strict certifications, solid references, and time. | Built on immediate results, speed, and commercial traction. |
| Regulatory framework | Standardized European rules, certificates of origin, and mandatory documentation from day one. | A fragmented legal landscape: rules and tax regimes vary widely from state to state. |
| Sales model | Consultative, technical, and relationship-driven. It takes strategic patience and deep specialization. | Large, fast sales cycles in a highly competitive market. |
| Logistics and proximity | Different time zones and many languages in a diverse single market. | Direct proximity, integrated supply chains, and similar time zones. |
Senda experts’ assessment, not official statistics. We assess the risks and opportunities of your portfolio industry by industry.
Your industry picks the region.
Germany is investing: up to €500 billion from its special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality, and 147 companies plan more than €800 billion in investment through 2028.2 Arrive now, and you arrive in a market that is building.
Industry fit: Senda's assessment. We choose the location with you based on customers, suppliers, public funding, and talent.
Four phases: set menu or à la carte.
Whether from Germany to Mexico or from North America to Germany: the questions are the same, the answers are not. You stay in control: the complete methodology or the specific phase your business currently demands.
Validate
The right market
Which market offers your product the most potential at the lowest risk: Germany, another country in Europe, or, for Mexican companies, the US?
You get: a feasibility assessment with solid data and sources, and a clear recommendation: “Go,” “Not yet,” or “No-Go.”
Decide
The financial architecture
We decide on the entry model with you and estimate the project’s financial viability.
You get: a business case with ramp-up curve, liquidity need, working capital, financing, and break-even, calculated before you invest.
Enter
The operational entry
We coordinate everything needed on the ground: from vetting customers and partners to incorporating the company, mandatory certifications, and hiring key staff.
You get: a list of vetted partners and locations, and an entry timeline with fixed dates.
Accompany
Governance across both sides
We act as the strategic, technical, and cultural bridge between your headquarters and the target market. We align regulations, technical documentation, and complex, long-term decision-making.
You get: bilateral status reports, timely decisions at board level, and a local operation run on a no-surprises policy.
No reports for the archive. Only decisions ready to execute.
Example: a roadmap for entering Europe
This is what a typical roadmap looks like when a North American company sets up its own entity in Europe. Click a workstream to see the tasks.
Market and opportunity
- Assess market size and competition by country
- Clarify regulation and entry barriers
- Interviews with experts and around ten potential customers
- Work out unit economics in the target market
- Recommendation to management: “Go,” “Not yet,” or “No-Go”
Decision and approvals
- Business case with ramp-up, cash flow, and break-even
- Choose the entry model: distributor, partner, or own entity
- Approval of plan, budget, and funding
Legal and compliance
- Select and engage a law firm
- Incorporate the entity, set up registered office and signatories
- Clarify licenses, product certifications, and standards
- Implement data protection under the GDPR
- Take out insurance
Product and suppliers
- Adapt the product to local standards and expectations
- Documents and contracts in the local language
- Tender, select, and contract key suppliers
- Integration and testing
Finance, tax, and banking
- Open the business account and set up payments
- Manage currency risk: euro against peso or dollar
- Define the funding structure
- Local bookkeeping, closing, and consolidation
- Clarify tax obligations and transfer pricing
- Track budget against actuals
Team and talent
- Hire locally or through an employer of record
- Fill the first key roles
- Bring in local advisors
Operations
- Set up customer service
- Organize logistics and customs
- Set up receivables management
Launch
- Full test of all processes
- Pilot with a small group of customers
- Marketing in the target market
- Win the first customers, then scale
Illustrative example, not a commitment. Duration and sequence depend on industry, country, and entry model.
If you want to sell in Germany, you need to know how Germany buys.
In Germany, over 99% of companies are small and medium-sized, and they employ more than half of the workforce.4 Your customer in Germany is most likely a family business that decides carefully and bases its decisions on trust.
Two complementary perspectives and one shared focus: feasibility, speed of execution, and the return on your investment.
We work with the same method we use for European companies heading to Mexico. Confidentiality is standard: on request we sign an NDA, and our clients’ names stay protected.
Five ground rules for your first meeting in Germany
- On time means on time. Dinner included.
- Every meeting has an agenda. And minutes.
- A “no” is information, not rudeness.
- Reasoned disagreement is welcome, even with the boss.
- Business first, relationship second. The relationship comes once you deliver.
We know both sides. We translate the language and the expectations.
Who you'll need in Europe and the US.
These are categories, not names. We name specific partners only once a collaboration is confirmed.
- Chambers and associations
- Customers and distributors
- Strategic partners
- Banks and investors
- Legal, tax, accounting
- People and talent
- Logistics and customs
- Government and trade organisations
- Universities
Coffee and Cake
Or a cafecito, if you prefer. Tell us where you want to go. We'll tell you honestly what we see. If it fits, an offer for the first phase follows.
Sources
All figures on this page come from these sources.
- German Economic Institute (IW), Cologne: Ausländische Direktinvestitionen in Deutschland 2025 mehr als verdoppelt (IW-Nachricht, Jürgen Matthes). As of 2026-01-25. Reliability: A (economic research institute, Bundesbank data, extrapolation).
- German Bundestag (special fund, 18 Sep 2025) and Federal Government (Germany Fund, 16 Jul 2026; "Made for Germany", 30 Sep 2026): Investitionsprogramme des Bundes: Sondervermögen Infrastruktur und Klimaneutralität, Deutschlandfonds und Initiative „Made for Germany“. As of 2026-09-30. Reliability: A (Bundestag and Federal Government).
- DPMA (patent filings 2025), Saxony Economic Development (microelectronics), German Startup Association and Startupdetector (via GTAI), Destatis (seaborne cargo 2025, via VerkehrsRundschau), duisport: Wirtschaftsregionen in Deutschland: Patente, Mikroelektronik, Startups und Seehäfen. As of 2026-03-10. Reliability: A (authorities and official statistics) and B (association, trade press, port operator).
- Institute for SME Research (IfM) Bonn: Kleine und mittlere Unternehmen: volkswirtschaftlicher Beitrag (Pressemitteilung IfM Bonn, verbreitet über idw). As of 2026-07-06. Reliability: A (research institute, official business statistics).