How a German SaaS Moved 70% of Its Revenue to the US | Tomas Fandrich, quantilope
Dr. Thomas Fandrich co-founded quantilope in Hamburg and led its US expansion from 2018. Today around 70% of company revenue is American. In this episode: how he tested the US market from Germany before moving, the milestone his board set before approving the move, why their UK expansion underperformed, what he would do differently on pricing and hiring, and the personal cost of the move.
What you'll learn:
– How to test the US market before you relocate: US hours, US outreach, from home
– The milestone his board set before approving the move: 30 opportunities in one quarter
– The three-day trade show sprint that filled the funnel
– Why "German understatement" does not travel, and what to change instead
– Why their UK expansion underperformed their US one (no founder on site)
– What he would do differently: pricing, US HR, onboarding
– Why not to hire too senior in your first US team
– The personal side: eight months apart, visa delays, a spouse who could not work
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:59 Meet Tom and what quantilope does
03:55 Recording from a van next to a volcano in Ecuador
04:55 First job: selling keyboards at Toys R Us
08:05 Why the US, and the Series A behind it
10:04 The Hamburg task force: running US hours before moving
13:05 The "30 opportunities" milestone the board set
13:46 What surprised a German team in America
17:00 Why New York: the scorecard approach
18:25 The personal cost nobody talks about
21:20 Why the UK expansion went worse than the US
25:57 What he would do differently: pricing, HR, onboarding
29:21 Leading a US team vs a German team
31:52 $1M ARR in year one, 70% of revenue today
32:55 His three rules for US expansion
About the guest:
Dr. Thomas Fandrich is co-founder of quantilope, a consumer intelligence platform that uses agentic AI to automate end-to-end consumer research. He has served as CEO, US President, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Customer Officer, and led the company's US expansion from 2018. He is now a board member and strategic advisor. He and his wife are currently driving the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.
About Scaling Stateside:
Scaling Stateside is the podcast for founders navigating US expansion. Hosts David Rose (CEO, USXP) and Matt Oxley talk to founders and investors who have made the jump, to surface the real playbooks, pitfalls, and best practices.
🔗 CONNECT WITH Dr. Thomas Fandrich
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-thomas-fandrich-00b546165
🔗 CONNECT WITH David Rose
LinkedIn ⮕ https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrose
🔗 CONNECT WITH Matt Oxley
LinkedIn ⮕ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdoxley
🏢 POWERED BY WILSON SONSINI
This episode is powered by Wilson Sonsini, the leading law firm for technology and growth companies. Wilson Sonsini helps European founders navigate US expansion, from entity formation and regulatory compliance to VC fundraising and M&A. Their deep cross-border expertise ensures you structure it right from day one.
US Expansion Partners ⮕ https://www.usxp.co
Scaling Stateside ⮕ https://www.scaling-stateside.com
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on scaling to the US the right way.
#USExpansion #Startups #Founders #SaaS #GoToMarket #ScalingStateside #Neolane #Adobe
What you'll learn:
– How to test the US market before you relocate: US hours, US outreach, from home
– The milestone his board set before approving the move: 30 opportunities in one quarter
– The three-day trade show sprint that filled the funnel
– Why "German understatement" does not travel, and what to change instead
– Why their UK expansion underperformed their US one (no founder on site)
– What he would do differently: pricing, US HR, onboarding
– Why not to hire too senior in your first US team
– The personal side: eight months apart, visa delays, a spouse who could not work
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:59 Meet Tom and what quantilope does
03:55 Recording from a van next to a volcano in Ecuador
04:55 First job: selling keyboards at Toys R Us
08:05 Why the US, and the Series A behind it
10:04 The Hamburg task force: running US hours before moving
13:05 The "30 opportunities" milestone the board set
13:46 What surprised a German team in America
17:00 Why New York: the scorecard approach
18:25 The personal cost nobody talks about
21:20 Why the UK expansion went worse than the US
25:57 What he would do differently: pricing, HR, onboarding
29:21 Leading a US team vs a German team
31:52 $1M ARR in year one, 70% of revenue today
32:55 His three rules for US expansion
About the guest:
Dr. Thomas Fandrich is co-founder of quantilope, a consumer intelligence platform that uses agentic AI to automate end-to-end consumer research. He has served as CEO, US President, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Customer Officer, and led the company's US expansion from 2018. He is now a board member and strategic advisor. He and his wife are currently driving the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.
About Scaling Stateside:
Scaling Stateside is the podcast for founders navigating US expansion. Hosts David Rose (CEO, USXP) and Matt Oxley talk to founders and investors who have made the jump, to surface the real playbooks, pitfalls, and best practices.
🔗 CONNECT WITH Dr. Thomas Fandrich
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-thomas-fandrich-00b546165
🔗 CONNECT WITH David Rose
LinkedIn ⮕ https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrose
🔗 CONNECT WITH Matt Oxley
LinkedIn ⮕ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdoxley
🏢 POWERED BY WILSON SONSINI
This episode is powered by Wilson Sonsini, the leading law firm for technology and growth companies. Wilson Sonsini helps European founders navigate US expansion, from entity formation and regulatory compliance to VC fundraising and M&A. Their deep cross-border expertise ensures you structure it right from day one.
US Expansion Partners ⮕ https://www.usxp.co
Scaling Stateside ⮕ https://www.scaling-stateside.com
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on scaling to the US the right way.
#USExpansion #Startups #Founders #SaaS #GoToMarket #ScalingStateside #Neolane #Adobe
