I’m at the point where I know I can’t scale into the US and Europe just by hiring people myself and managing them remotely. I need partnerships—with agencies, with compatible brands, maybe with infrastructure companies.
But here’s the problem: when you’re a Russian-founded company, there’s this weird dynamic. Some potential partners are immediately interested. Others… you can feel them being slightly cautious at first. Not sure if that’s just normal business skepticism or something more.
And even when interest is there, how do you vet someone you don’t know, in a market you don’t fully understand yet, across multiple time zones? I’ve had conversations with agencies in London and Berlin that seemed promising but fizzled out. I’m not even sure why—maybe it was just a bad fit. Maybe I didn’t pitch it right. Maybe they had concerns they didn’t voice directly.
What I’m really looking for is: how do you find partners who actually get what you’re trying to do? Who understand that a Russian-origin company isn’t exotic or risky—it’s just a company trying to grow? Who have experience with international partnerships or at least aren’t seeing it as their first rodeo?
And practically speaking: where do people actually form these connections? LinkedIn? Industry events? Direct outreach? Referrals through mutual connections?
I feel like there’s got to be a smarter way to approach this than just cold-reaching out to 50 agencies and hoping something sticks.
Okay, so this is literally what I do for a living, and I’m going to give you the real answer: the best cross-border partnerships I’ve seen don’t come from cold outreach. They come from warm introductions through people who already know both sides.
Here’s what works: Find someone (a founder, a marketer, a consultant—anyone credible) who has already successfully built partnerships between Russian and Western companies. That person becomes your compass. They know which agencies actually have experience with this, they know which ones just say they do.
The reason this matters: you’re right to be cautious. Not all agencies understand what it means to work with a Russian-origin company. Some are genuinely fantastic at it; others might have the skills but not the cultural fluency. You want the first kind.
What I’d do in your shoes: spend a week reaching out to 5-10 people who have publicly documented cross-border partnerships. Tell them what you’re looking for. Ask them for 3 introductions each—not a full business pitch, just an introduction. The quality of those intros will tell you who actually has credibility.
You’ll probably end up with a smaller list of potential partners, but they’ll be warm introductions, and that changes the entire dynamic.
Also—and this is important—when you do get introductions, the conversation isn’t “do you want to partner with us.” The conversation is “we’re expanding into your market, and we’re looking for people who understand both Russian and Western markets. Tell me about the best partnership you’ve ever done in this space.”
Listen to how they talk about it. Do they mention cultural differences? Do they talk about communication? Do they seem to actually value the Russian side of things, or are they just looking at a new revenue stream?
The good partners want to talk about the complexities. They don’t gloss over them.
Before you even go looking for partners, do yourself a favor and get clarity on what you actually need. I see companies start partnership conversations too early because they haven’t answered this question.
Ask yourself: Do you need a partner to execute campaigns, or do you need a partner to help you understand the market? Do you need access to their network, or do you need their operational expertise? Are you looking for equal partnership or more of a service provider relationship?
Once you know that, you’ll know who to look for.
Here’s why this matters: I analyzed partnerships across a bunch of companies in our portfolio, and the ones that failed had one thing in common—misaligned expectations about what the partnership was supposed to deliver.
A lot of Russian companies came in expecting a partner to instantly open doors and deliver results. Western agencies came in expecting the Russian company to already have a clear strategy and budget. Neither expected to do the market education work.
So: get real about what you can and can’t do on your own. Then you’ll know what kind of partner fills that gap.
Also—when you’re evaluating potential partners, ask them for specific references with other companies expanding into Western markets. And actually call those references. Not email. Call. Ask them something specific about the partnership dynamics, not just “was this good or bad.”
You’ll learn way more from a 10-minute conversation than from a reference email someone wrote when they had 5 minutes.
Man, I’ve been exactly where you are. We’re a B2B SaaS company, and we went through like 3-4 failed partnership conversations before we found someone who actually worked.
Here’s what I learned: don’t partner with someone just because they’re available and interested. You want someone who has already failed at something and knows how to recover from it. Sounds weird, but the agencies and consultants who have actually messed up an international expansion before are way more valuable than the ones who haven’t.
Why? Because they know what traps to avoid. They know where communication breaks down. They’re not going to promise you the moon.
We ended up finding our partner through a totally random conversation at a conference. He mentioned he’d done expansion work between Russia and Germany and had made some mistakes. That honesty is what made me trust him.
My advice: when you’re talking to potential partners, ask them about their failures, not their wins. See how they talk about it. That’ll tell you if they’re actually experienced or just good at sales.
Alright, from an agency perspective, here’s what I look for when I’m evaluating potential partnerships with companies expanding into my region.
First: clarity. Are you clear about what success looks like? Do you understand that entry into a new market takes longer than you think? Are you willing to invest in relationship-building and brand awareness, or are you expecting immediate revenue?
Second: communication. Can we actually communicate across time zones and language barriers? Does your team speak English? (I know this sounds basic, but you’d be surprised.)
Third: alignment on timeline and budget. I’ve seen partnerships fail because the Russian side is ready to move fast and the Western side needs more research. Or the budget is way too lean for what they’re asking for.
So when you’re looking for a partner, ask yourself if you meet those criteria. If you do, then you’re already in a better position to find someone good.
As for where to find partners: honestly, industry events work. But go to events where your target customer is, not just where agencies hang out. If you’re in e-commerce, go to e-commerce events. If you’re in fintech, go to fintech events. The agencies working in your space will already be there, and you’ll have more natural conversations.
Cold outreach works too, but you need a really strong first message. Something that shows you’ve done research and you’re not just sending the same email to 50 people.
Here’s the strategic angle: before you commit to a partnership, you need to answer one key question—are you looking for someone to execute in a new market, or are you looking for someone to help you enter a market?
Those require very different partners.
Execution partners: these are agencies, service providers, or consultants who can implement your strategy in a new market. You’ve already figured out the strategy; they’re helping you bring it to life.
Market entry partners: these are typically consultants, advisory firms, or even other businesses who can help you understand the market, validate assumptions, and figure out the actual strategy before you execute.
Most companies need both, but in sequence. You do market entry work first, then you find execution partners.
So when you’re looking for partners, be clear about which phase you’re in. If you’re early and you don’t really understand the US and European markets yet, you don’t need the sharpest execution agency. You need someone who can help you get smart first.
Once you have a real strategy, then you can find execution partners who are optimized for that specific work.
Key insight: the best partners help you answer the question “should we even be doing this?” before they help you execute on “how do we do this really well?”