Building global sales beyond
the US
How SOLA supported Sendbird’s ambitious expansion plans
The challenge
Following Series B funding, Sendbird wanted to aggressively grow non-US revenue, starting in EMEA. They needed to establish a presence and build a revenue engine outside of the domestic market without diverting local resources.
Sendbird wanted to focus on the UK and Continental Europe initially but didn’t have the expertise to set up operations and hire teams in those jurisdictions. They needed to avoid the risk associated with launching in an unfamiliar territory.
At a glance
Company: Sendbird
CEO: John S. Kim
VP Sales: Justin Smith
Founded: 2013
HQ: California, USA
Sector: SaaS / API / SDK / Chat
SOLA entry
Date: March 2019
Stage: Series B
Headcount: Circa 100 staff in the US
Plan: International expansion
Aim: Open and develop EMEA markets
SOLA exit
Date: October 2021
New hires: 29
EV: From $1 billion+
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See how SOLA helped Sendbird
build teams & launch overseas
After initial discussions and diagnoses, SOLA designed a detailed scope and project plan. SOLA leaders visited Sendbird’s offices in the US for a deep dive into the company’s purpose, mission, vision and values as well as the key drivers for success.
From that work, the SOLA team developed an employee value proposition to help them present Sendbird to prospective candidates. And a strategic gameplan and timeline were agreed.
SOLA's approach
SOLAarc Incubator solution
SOLA deployed its SOLAarc Incubator solution,
creating a “virtual subsidiary” to support Sendbird’s EMEA expansion. This included:
Talent identification
SOLA drew on its deep sector knowledge, executive search expertise, and extensive candidate networks to identify, entice and hire exceptional local talent, incubated within a Virtual Subsidiary for Sendbird.
Compliance with local employment laws & regulations
The Virtual Subsidiary was legally compliant across employment contracts, management, payroll, taxation, and benefits. It removed candidate doubts about working for a US HQ business and positively appealed to key hires. And it provided data & IP protection for Sendbird.
Tailored employment lifecycle & infrastructure support
SOLAarc Incubator provided Sendbird and the new hires with onboarding, compliant employment contracts, policies & processes, fully managed payroll & expenses, benefits management, employer insurances, background screening, HR support, employee performance management, and off-boarding.
Path to exit
SOLA worked closely with all Sendbird’s stakeholders to facilitate a seamless transfer of incubated employees into a true UK Sendbird subsidiary, without loss of continuity of employment.
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Download a PDF copy and learn more about how SOLA helped to launch Sendbird's EMEA expansion.
The results
Would you like to discuss your own overseas expansion plans?
Let's discuss your requirements to see how we can help.
"Over the past few years, we grew from less than 90 to 300+ staff and 1,000+ customers in 7+ countries with a $1Billion+ EV"
YK (Yaekyum) Lee, Global Head of CX
