In this special episode of Go to Germany Stories, host Andrea Vaugan sits down with the French Tech Düsseldorf team and the winners of the French Tech Germany Awards 2025 to explore what it really takes to build, invest, and scale across the Franco-German border.

This episode brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders who share their firsthand experience of expanding to Germany — from early market entry to long-term growth.

🎤 Guests in this episode:

Adrien Serres & Cyril Catel – French Tech Düsseldorf

🏆 Yun Luo (CEO, ROSi) – Best French-German GreenTech Startup

🏆 Pierre Saudin (CEO, Paire) – Best Breakthrough DeepTech Startup

🏆 David Erhun (Startup Success, XAnge) – Best VC / Investor

🏆 Céline Bayer (CTO, Lemonway) – Best Woman in Tech

💡 Topics covered:

✔️ Expanding a startup to Germany

✔️ Building trust in the German market

✔️ Differences between French and German business cultures

✔️ Scaling teams and operations cross-border

✔️ The role of VCs in European growth

✔️ Why Franco-German cooperation is a strategic advantage

This episode is also special for the host: Andrea Vaugan received the Best Woman in Tech Award last year and is proud to return this year to spotlight the next generation of leaders shaping the Franco-German tech ecosystem.

🎧 Subscribe to Go to Germany Stories for more real stories about international expansion, European tech, and cross-border growth.

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How do you win trust and business in one of Europe’s most conservative markets?

In this episode of Go to Germany Stories, Andrea Vaugan sits down with Besart Shala, Country Manager for Germany at Ibanfirst, to explore how Ibanfirst has built a strong presence in Germany, now accounting for 10% of the company’s global revenue.

We discuss the “sales secret sauce” behind their growth, how to break through the walls of a traditional banking market, and why everything had to happen in German rather than English.

From building a local team and culture from scratch to earning trust through personal connections (and even football!), this episode offers an honest, behind-the-scenes look at scaling a fintech across borders.

🎧 You’ll learn:

• Why trust and proximity are key in Germany’s B2B landscape

• How to build a local culture that still feels connected to HQ

• The balance between autonomy, ownership, and alignment

• Lessons for every startup expanding into conservative markets

👉 Tune in to hear how Ibanfirst turned a tough market into one of its biggest success stories.

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In this episode of Go-to-Germany Stories, host Andrea Vaugan sits down with Marek Kraus, Country Manager Germany at Lucca, the French HR software company breaking into one of Europe’s toughest markets.

Marek shares how Lucca combined rigorous preparation, thoughtful localization, and cultural awareness to build real traction in Germany — from adapting product features to small but telling choices in communication, like whether to say “Du” or “Sie.”

They discuss how to build a resilient local team, turn sales enablement into a true growth driver, and strengthen cross-border collaboration between the local and HQ teams.

A must-listen for anyone expanding into Germany and looking for practical lessons on focus, differentiation, and cultural authenticity.

Marek Kraus has been active in the HR tech industry since 2013 and has held senior positions at companies such as Sage, Lessor (now Infoniqa), Compleet, and Bullhorn. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade at Microsoft. Today, he is dedicated to driving Lucca’s dynamic growth in Germany – with innovative HR and finance solutions tailored to the evolving needs of modern businesses.

Lucca designs user-friendly HR and finance software that simplifies everyday work for employees and HR teams. Founded in 2002 in Paris, the company serves more than 8,700 clients and over one million users across 130 countries. Lucca’s modular solutions cover core HR processes such as leave management, time tracking, and expense reporting — all designed with usability, data security, and local compliance in mind. With its Munich office, Lucca continues to expand its footprint in the German market.

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