When a green business model doesn’t translate across borders, adaptation becomes everything.

In this episode of Go-to-Germany Stories, Andrea Vaugan talks with Christian Bergius, Country Director Germany at Ecotree, about adapting their French sustainability model to the German market.

Christian shares why EcoTree had to move away from copy-paste expansion, how local ecosystem needs and customer conversations reshaped the offer, and what it takes to build a country operation with limited resources while staying aligned with HQ.

🎧 You’ll learn:

• Why Germany requires local sustainability projects

• How market feedback drives real adaptation

• What to prioritize when opening a new market

  👉 A concise, practical take on localization and scaling sustainability in Germany.

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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.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.