Building & retaining a global founding team (without slowing down growth)
Scaling your startup internationally is exciting - but building the right team can be one of the hardest challenges for seed-stage founders.
Hiring too slowly can stall growth, while hiring too quickly can stretch your resources and dilute your culture.
In this session, we’ll explore how to attract, retain, and structure your early team while scaling globally - without slowing down your growth trajectory.
Whether you’re just starting to hire beyond your home market or planning your first international hires, this webinar is designed to give practical, actionable guidance to founders like you.
Join us in person at the Founder Bootcamp to explore global expansion alongside more advice for founders:
Our hosts🎤:
Adam Desanges
Co-Founder, Emerald Technology
Adam Desanges is Co-Founder of Emerald Technology, a global recruitment and Employer of Record (EoR) partner supporting startups and scale-ups to expand internationally.
With almost 20 years of experience working with high-growth technology companies, Adam advises founders on how to enter new markets, hire the right talent, and build scalable global teams - from first international hire through to multi-country expansion.
Aaron Duke
Accounts & Partnership Manager, SeedLegals
Aaron is an Accounts & Partnerships Manager at SeedLegals, with a background in Partnerships & VC. During his career he has supported founders with raising investment, incentivising teams with share options, applying for SEIS/EIS, and managing their cap table.
Nina Briance
Founder & CEO, Cult Mia
Nina Briance is the Founder and CEO of Cult Mia, the independent luxury fashion marketplace curating the next big names in global fashion. She previously worked in investment banking at UBS and Goldman Sachs and held strategy roles in the luxury fashion and consumer sectors at Moda Operandi and the United Nations.
Nina holds degrees from Stanford University and London Business School (MBA), with a concentration in entrepreneurship. Passionate about supporting female-founded brands and businesses, she serves as a British Fashion Council Mentor and is an Alma Angel investor.
Moderated by🎤:
Ben Tang-Watts
Head of Partnerships, Emerald Technology
For over a decade, Ben has been helping high growth VC backed companies build go-to-market teams and scale business operations around the globe, quickly and cost-effectively. Passionate about making it 'less scary' to grow your business in new countries whilst remaining compliant & hire your 'A-team' globally with the experience to help you scale revenue & be successful in new markets.
About Emerald Technology
Emerald Technology helps startups and scale-ups build and scale high-performing global teams.
Combining specialist recruitment with Employer of Record (EoR) and global employment services, Emerald enables companies to hire and employ talent anywhere in the world without setting up overseas entities.
With a hands-on, founder-focused approach, Emerald supports companies through every stage of growth - from first international hire to building teams across multiple markets - helping them scale quickly, compliantly, and with confidence.
About SeedLegals
We're the UK’s go-to platform for startup legals, funding, share options, SEIS/EIS and more.
Whether you're just starting out or gearing up for your next raise, SeedLegals is built to help founders move faster and smarter. Our tools make it simple to create and sign essential legal docs, close funding rounds, and reward your team – without burning time or cash on admin.
We’re trusted by 60,000+ startups and investors and power 1 in 6 early-stage funding rounds in the UK. If you're raising, hiring or just figuring out what’s next, we’re here to help you do it right.