Couch Convos: Taking Your Startup Overseas
Going overseas is on a lot of founders' roadmaps. Far fewer have heard the real stories from people who've actually done it.
So we're pulling up a couch with three people who've taken startups into new markets, and getting them to share it all: what changed, what needed localising, what they'd sort out at home first, and the bits nobody warned them about.
On the couch:
Michael Levot, GM of Canva Frontier. Leading localisation at Canva into emerging markets, building the charge of the fast growing company globally.
Minh Cung, CEO & Founder of Hyperlocalise, ex-Canva and ex-Heidi. Has been inside two of Australia's fastest-scaling startups as they grew beyond home and is now helping companies scale with localisation.
Glenn Tan, Founder of Zavior. Building a compliance platform across Asia and Australia, and doing the cross-border move himself right now.
Brought to you by Zavior, Singapore Global Network and 8 Circle.
This is for you if:
You're thinking about expanding overseas, even if it's a year or two out
You're weighing up which market to go to first
You own the GTM or ops plan for an international expansion
You want a real conversation about what's involved, not the pitch-deck version of going "global"
You'll walk away with:
A clearer idea of what to fix at home before you expand
The localisation questions to ask early: language, payments, contracts, and how buyers actually buy
A better sense of which market suits your business first
Answers to your own questions, not just the ones on the run sheet
How the night runs:
Intimate couch chat, relaxed and unscripted
A small room, so you can jump in and ask what you actually want to know
Drinks after
About the hosts
Zavior: an all-in-one compliance platform built for teams to get their cyber security and data protection requirements in order. Zavior helps startups attain and maintain the certifications enterprise and government buyers ask for before they will sign, including ASD's Essential Eight and ISO 27001.
8 Circle: a community of 2,000+ founders and industry experts guiding startups and SMEs through incorporation, accounting, tax, work permits, funding and regulatory filings, with a vision of connecting communities across major global cities to enable cross-border expansion.
Singapore Global Network: Supported by Singapore Global Network (SGN), a community of changemakers, professionals and friends globally. Born out of a desire to build meaningful relationships across borders, SGN exists to connect people to opportunities that Singapore and its network of members have to offer. Join SGN to become a member of our global community of professionals and friends with Singapore at its heart. Learn more at www.singaporeglobalnetwork.gov.sg.
Seats are limited and the room is the point. Grab yours.