From Market Expansion to Ecosystem Expansion: Rethinking International Growth Through M&A

When companies think about international expansion, the default playbook is clear: enter new markets, open new offices, acquire local players.

But what if that’s no longer the smartest move?

In this episode, Erlend Mohus, Chief Strategy and Acquisition Officer at SuperOffice shares a radically different approach: using M&A not to expand geographically, but to strengthen your position where you already win.

After years of acquisitions across Europe, SuperOffice made a strategic shift—from entering new countries to building a powerful product ecosystem around their core CRM.

Instead of buying competitors, they acquire complementary solutions and turn integration into a real competitive advantage.

What you'll learn

• Why expanding internationally doesn’t always mean entering new markets

• How to shift from a “portfolio of products” to a true ecosystem strategy

• The real ROI of M&A: cross-sell and synergies—not just ARR

• How to approach post-merger integration (what to do in the first weeks and months)

• What most companies get wrong when acquiring competitors

A concrete example

You’ll hear how SuperOffice acquired an event management platform and turned it into a best-in-class integrated offering—creating a stronger value proposition than standalone tools or loose integrations.

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How do you scale internationally when your product is low-ticket, freemium, and mostly self-serve?

In this episode of International Corner, Laurent Leclerc, Co-Founder of Smappen, shares how his team expanded from France to the US, the UK, and now Canada — by turning outbound into a powerful inbound growth engine.

Smappen is a SaaS mapping platform used by franchise networks and multi-location businesses to decide where to open new physical sites. With over 1,200 customers and 80,000+ monthly users, half of their revenue now comes from outside France.

But their international growth didn’t start with a master plan.

At first, international customers came organically through inbound — thanks to a freemium model and an English version of the product. It was only later, anticipating market saturation in France, that the team became intentional about expansion.

In this conversation, Laurent explains:

• How outbound campaigns boosted brand awareness and actually increased inbound leads

• Why mass outbound failed — and what changed when they narrowed their ICP

• How they balance high-touch and low-touch sales (75% of new customers are self-serve, but high-touch drives most revenue)

• Why the US market requires extreme personalization and patience

• How to know when a new country is “working” before expanding further
  

One of the key takeaways?
Outbound doesn’t create inbound from scratch — it amplifies it. When done right, it becomes a credibility engine that fuels brand awareness, partnerships, and higher conversion rates.

If you’re building a SaaS company and thinking about expanding internationally — especially into English-speaking markets — this episode is packed with practical lessons on sequencing, focus, and building a repeatable growth formula.

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Breaking into Germany can be challenging—but trade shows are a powerful way to build trust, meet decision-makers, and establish credibility. In this episode of International Corner Podcast,Barbara Georgjan Limpa, founder of Interrelations and Quest Germany, shares her 16+ years of experience helping international B2B companies succeed.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trade shows matter in Germany: Build trust, meet decision-makers, and establish credibility.

• The 3-phase approach to market entry: From research and scouting to market entry and sales growth.

• Timing & preparation secrets: How to plan months ahead to maximize ROI, including pre-booking meetings and targeted outreach.

• Team & resource tips: Optimal booth sizes, team roles, and the “minimum viable preparation” if time is tight.

• The power of speaking slots: Position your company as an industry expert and accelerate market traction.

• Regional strategies: Why Germany’s decentralized structure requires thoughtful location and partner targeting.

• Realistic ROI expectations: How to measure success in long sales cycles and set achievable KPIs.
  

Tune in to discover actionable strategies to make your trade show investment pay off!

More about Barbara:

Barbara Gjurgjan Lempa is the founder of Interrelations and creator of Quest Germany, a market-entry program that helps international B2B companies expand into Germany with structure, credibility, and traction.
With over 15 years of experience guiding SMEs through trade shows, business development, and cross-cultural strategy, she combines practical market insight with a hands-on consulting approach.
Barbara has supported clients from more than 20 countries and is passionate about helping businesses turn “German complexity” into predictable growth.

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