Scaleups & SMEs
We'll help you drive new revenues from international markets

We help growth stage companies secure new customers, partners and investors in international markets.
And we do it in a way that's fast, low-risk and cost-effective.
We've supported companies' cross-border growth journeys across Asia to Europe and the Americas.
When entering complex new markets, having a trusted, experienced, culturally-attuned team on the ground is crucial if you want to sign that ground-breaking deal.
That's where we come in.
Whether you want to sell directly, sign up distribution partners or appoint a local representative to manage your key customers, we can help.
Importantly, we won’t just develop a market expansion strategy for you. We’ll roll up our sleeves and implement it, securing deals with international customers and partners on your behalf. Then, when you’re ready, we can help you set up your own overseas entity – whether through a local subsidiary, partnership or acquisition.
We work across many sectors and particularly focus on supporting companies that are addressing the big issues facing our society – such as climate change, ageing populations and the need for rapid decarbonisation and digitisation.
We have specialists in medtech and life sciences, energy, automotive, digital media, industrial materials, software, telecoms, ecommerce and more.
Our services
We provide a wide range of services designed to help growth stage companies generate revenues in international markets.
Sales & licensing
We run comprehensive programmes to identify and engage your potential overseas customers and secure sales or licensing deals for you. Our Surrogate Sales Program™ will give you an immediate sales presence in international markets without the costs or risks of having to establish your own operation.
Channel development
We will develop your distribution in overseas markets by researching the best channels for your business. We’ll start by undertaking a thorough analysis of the options, then generate a long list of the most qualified candidates, whittle it down to a short list and help you negotiate with and onboard your chosen partners.
Market research & strategy
We will analyse your market to understand the opportunity. We’ll then develop your strategy, combining desk research with meetings with potential customers, partners and other stakeholders.
In-country representation
We will act as your overseas representative to manage and safeguard your interests – without the need for you to set up a local company or hire your own team. That could be to manage your relationship with an important customer, partner or supplier, or to support your own people in the market.
Intralink helped us nurture prospects and navigate the complex path to deal closure.
Leadership

Alex Gover
Alex leads our EMEA International Market Expansion and Trade & Investment teams, and has commercial oversight of our all our Europe and Middle East client engagements. As a Japanese speaker, he was formerly based in our Tokyo office where he developed and implemented market expansion strategies across a range of sectors, including semiconductors, telecommunications, and enterprise software. He has worked in and with Asia for the past 30 years.

Thomas Shiekman
Fluent Mandarin speaker, Tommy has worked in global business development for 20+ years. He received a degree in East Asian Studies from Dickinson College and spent seven years with Intralink Shanghai, during which he secured millions of dollars in revenues for clients across a range of sectors including automotive, CE, semiconductors and industrial. Currently based in Silicon Valley, Tommy drives the growth of our North America outbound business.

Graham Barker
Based in the UK, Graham heads our global Medtech & Life Sciences practice and is responsible for business development teams in EMEA , North America and Asia, and for the overall sector strategy. He has wide-ranging experience across the sector and a 30-year track record of helping growth stage companies develop global sales, licensing and sourcing strategies – in recent years focused specifically on Asia.

Michal Witkowski
Michal is responsible for our European clients' international success. He spent 12 years in Korea, where he worked in industrial, energy and software fields as part of our Seoul operation. Currently based in Poland, Michal is fluent in Korean and holds an Executive MBA from Atlanta Georgia State University.

Paul Dupont
Paul is based in London and works with our clients in the UK, Ireland and France. He speaks fluent Mandarin, French and English, and was based in Shanghai and Taipei from 2010 - 2018 helping Western companies buy and sell a wide range of high-tech products and services, including lasers, logistics and industrial solutions.

Oren Bernstein
Based in Boston, MA, Oren supports our outbound business development activities in North America, specialising in delivering global expansion programmes for companies in information security, telematics, video streaming, smart factories, construction machinery, electric mobility and renewable energy. Previously a member of Intralink’s Tokyo team, he secured deals for clients in the EV mobility, construction machinery, solar energy, enterprise software and cybersecurity spaces.

Sol Bergen Bartel
Sol leads our outbound medtech and life science business development in North America. He has worked with Intralink clients across industries including diagnostics, biopharma, medical devices, food & agtech, software, semicon and wireless. While in Asia, he served as director of operations for Greater China and led project initiatives covering the China, South Korea and Japan markets. Sol has a degree in molecular biology from the University of Virginia and speaks fluent Chinese.
Client stories
Car connectivity platform
VNC Automotive is a UK-based developer of vehicle connectivity and infotainment software.
The company appointed us to drive demand with Asia's largest automakers and to license its technology to in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) head-unit OEMs in Japan, Korea and Greater China.
The programme has proven a great success. We’ve secured licence deals worth millions of dollars with IVI brands including Panasonic, JVC Kenwood, Fujitsu, Alpine, Clarion, Humax, Yanfeng and Changxing for cars from Asia’s top OEMs.
On-chip debug
UltraSoc needed an immediate sales presence on the ground to capture the growing opportunity in China for its on-chip debug tools.
Intralink targeted major players who were either developing highly complex chips or working on RISC-V core-based designs. Targets included HiSilicon, Spreadtrum, Phytium, MediaTek, Realtek, Sanechips, and Horizon Robotics - companies that UltraSoc had yet to engage.
This direct sales approach resulted in successful licensing deals, including with HiSilicon, and formed the basis for Ultrasoc to establish its own entity in the territory. It has also contributed to UltraSoC's subsequent acquisition by Siemens in 2020.
Fuel Cells
Ceres, a British company specialising in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, already had a Korean partner. But the relationship was a difficult one and progress was slow.
We decided to take a different approach, focusing on potential new partners with a greater appetite and technical capacity to develop fuel cell products.
We identified an opportunity with Korea’s largest fuel cell player, Doosan, and ultimately enabled Ceres to license its technology to Doosan in a series of deals worth US$ 57 million.
Your business Our expertise
Discover what we can do for you.
We’d welcome the chance to discuss your plans and how we could support your business.