1. European market entry
Gabriel Hubert • @gabhubert • gabriel@stripe.com
European Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Stanford School of Engineering
February 1 2016

2. A short overview of Stripe
European expansion for a Silicon Valley-based startup
> Why
> When
> What
> Where
> Who
… In Stripe’s case

3. Stripe: economic infrastructure for the Internet
Launched in 2011
APIs and tools for technology
companies to accept payments
online anywhere in the world

4. Stripe abstracts complexity in payments
User
Processor
ISO
Merchantacquirer
Visa,Mastercard
Issuingbanks
American Express
International
PCI audits
Reporting

5. MarketplacesSubscriptionsE-commerce

8. Please keep in mind…
Not all startups are business-to-business
global by nature
developer-focused
infrastructure companies…

9. First beta users in the UK in March 2013
Currently launched in 6 European countries and in beta in 10 more
Offices in Berlin, Dublin, London, Paris
Stripe in Europe: 3 years and counting

10. Why: Stripe’s mission is global
New categories of companies
will flourish in the years to come
We believe in more cross-border
commerce, fewer artificial barriers

11. Why: to reach European users and support
the expansion of U.S. users
508 Million inhabitants, 77% with access to the Internet
$400B B2C commerce
715,000 active B2C websites
But mostly: Angelist, GitHub, Stack Overflow and 100+ accelerators
Europe is an attractive market but must also be part of your vision

12. When: within two years of launch
2013: U.K., France, Germany, BENELUX,
Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Finland
2014: Italy, Switzerland, Denmark,
Sweden, Norway, Austria
2015: Portugal
You don’t need to build/launch Rome in one day, but learning early helps

13. What: a localized product offering on par
with our U.S. feature set… over time
API: Stripe’s documentation and guides for developers
Checkout: optimized payment flow on web and mobile
Connect: tailored to marketplaces
Relay: helping retailers convert across social platforms
Be deliberate about product feature rollout beyond localization

14. Where (and how): from London with
increasing support in Europe… and SF
London: product/market fit and minimal localization required
Paris, Berlin: explore regional specificities and build local expertise
New Markets: focus on the launch of countries from San Francisco
Support in the U.S. is as important as the European footprint you decide on

15. Who: autonomous generalists with market
expertise, connected to HQ
First steps: financial business development, market intelligence, setup
In beta: developer outreach, user feedback, growth analysis
In growth: sales, support, communications (etc…)
All along: robust connection to SF (rotations, convergence, trips)
Your first European hires are in many ways like very early employees

16. Why: Europe is an attractive market but must also be part of your vision
When: You don’t need to build Rome in one day, but learning early helps
What: Be deliberate about product feature rollout beyond localization
Where: Support in the U.S. is as important as the footprint you decide on
Who: Your first European hires are in many ways like very early employees
“It depends”, but…

17. Hi from Stripe Dublin and London!

18. Guess what? We’re hiring.
Thanks, and please get in touch!
@gabhubert • gabriel@stripe.com