US Market-Entry GTM for a European Vertical SaaS Platform

Challenge

A Europe-based B2B SaaS platform — an AI-driven “Skills Intelligence” engine already used by several large European enterprises — needed to establish its first Go-to-Market footprint and lead-generation presence in the US B2B market. The company had strong product-market fit in Europe but no US pipeline, no defined ideal customer profile for the US, and no commercial infrastructure to generate qualified opportunities.

Approach

• Commercial framework: Structured a partnership to execute business development services in the US on the vendor's behalf.
• Dual ICP mapping: Defined two distinct Ideal Customer Profiles — partner-side (HR consultancy, change-management, and organizational-development firms, including Big 4 and specialized boutiques) and client-side (mature enterprises with established HR tech stacks such as Workday, SAP, or Oracle).
• Pipeline qualification rules: Set explicit criteria for a “Qualified Opportunity” — project timeline under 12 months, verified capability match, known decision criteria, and an agreed next meeting.
• Governance cadence: Established weekly 1:1s with vendor leadership and direct access to marketing/sales resources.

Tools & Frameworks

• AI Skills Intelligence / Living Skills Architecture platform (the vendor's core product)
• Dual-ICP segmentation model (partner vs. client)
• Performance-linked pay framework

Role

US Go-to-Market Partner / Business Development Services Lead — sole owner of US pipeline generation and qualification.

Results

• Identified and benchmarked a foundational US target pool of 900 Marketing Qualified Accounts, 8 Sales Qualified Accounts, and 3 active opportunities during initial baseline mapping.
• Operationalized monthly sales targets of 10 Qualified Meetings and 2 Qualified Opportunities, building toward a 12-month deal pipeline.

Timeline

Engagement effective June 2025; initial execution window of 1–3 months to stand up the pipeline motion.