Enter the right market.
Define your first-market strategy, sharpen the ICP and turn expansion ambitions into an operating plan.
Deliverables to scope: market shortlist, ICP, first-team plan and 90-day roadmap.
Explore the market-entry engagement ↗Independent GTM & revenue advisory · Barcelona / Europe
Build your European revenue engine.
Make AI part of how it works.
GTM strategy, sales leadership and practical AI workflows for B2B SaaS founders building their next stage of growth.
I’m Adrien de Malherbe. I help US and international SaaS teams choose their first European markets, build the right commercial team and improve sales execution.
The operating model
A revenue system with human judgment built in
- SignalFind a relevant account and reason to act
- EvidenceUnderstand the buyer and validate the need
- ActionAgree the next step and learn from outcomes
How I can help
Three ways to move revenue forward.
Build a repeatable sales motion.
Align team structure, pipeline inspection and management cadence around the next stage of growth.
Deliverables to scope: hiring scorecards, pipeline diagnostic and management cadence.
Explore the sales diagnostic ↗Give your team more capacity.
Identify where AI can improve research, preparation and execution, with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.
Deliverables to scope: workflow audit, pilot specification and evaluation scorecard.
Explore the AI workflow pilot ↗- Diagnose the constraint.Review your market, pipeline and operating model to identify what is holding growth back.
- Design the plan.Agree priorities, owners, decision criteria and a practical way to measure progress.
- Put it into practice.Test the approach, review the evidence and decide what to improve or scale.
Start with a useful decision
Guides you can put to work.
European sales compensation
Dated country benchmarks, Barcelona ranges and a hiring worksheet.
Choose your European hub
Compare operating needs, evidence and costs.
Evaluate an AI-assisted forecast
An evidence review and a reproducible local backtest.
Browse all AI sales guides and tools → · Browse worksheets and operating guides →
Europe expansion resources
Open Europe from Barcelona
Design and execute the GTM, hiring and operating plan for your European hub. From legal entity to first closed deal.
Hire and structure your Europe team
First VP Sales, AE hiring, compensation design, 30-60-90 onboarding, and the org structure that scales.
Design your Europe GTM
Market sequencing, ICP adaptation, outbound motion, pipeline architecture and forecasting for European growth.
Avoid the common failures
Diagnose stalled expansion using buyer progression, costs and delivery evidence.
High-intent playbooks
What to Look for in a VP Sales Europe
The operator profile, scorecard, and execution traits that matter most between €1M and €10M ARR.
When Not to Hire a CRO in Europe
Avoid the wrong senior hire when the real problem is stage fit, market selection, or sales-system design.
Founder-Led Sales vs VP Sales Europe
Know when founder selling is still an advantage and when it starts blocking repeatable regional growth.
What Breaks Between €1M and €5M ARR in Europe
The forecasting, hiring, and country-focus issues that usually appear before the next stage of scale.
Track record
€12M ARR
Scaled SaaS revenue across UK, DACH, Nordics & Southern Europe as VP International Sales
€1M ARR
Founded Allcolibri from zero, secured €1M financing (€500k equity, €500k debt)
25+
Built and led a team of 25+ across UK, DACH, Nordics and Southern Europe
€1M+
Personally drove strategic deals including a €1M+ contract with Schibsted
Barcelona startup hub
Plan your next stage of European growth
Barcelona can be a strong base for a multilingual B2B SaaS commercial team. Compare talent, operating costs and access to your target buyers before choosing a hub. Explore the guides below for the practical planning questions.
Why Barcelona for Your European Hub
Talent, cost, Beckham Law, MWC/4YFN and the city comparison honest founders need
Barcelona vs Dublin vs Amsterdam vs Berlin
Six-city decision framework with sourced context and a weighted scorecard
Hiring Costs in Barcelona
Separate salary, variable pay and country-specific employer costs
The Beckham Law in Spain
Assess eligibility and implications with qualified advice
How to Set Up a Spanish SL
NIE, notary, CIF -- the timeline, costs and common mistakes
12-Month Barcelona Hub Roadmap
From the decision to first European revenue -- month by month
Experience
Explore the career history behind the commercial work.
Read the full experience →Enterprise accounts
DecathlonMastercardFoot LockerIcelandairToyotaAllianzAXARichemontSchibstedSamsungHavasHP
Case studies
Commercial leadership experience
If you want to know whether Adrien can actually build Europe revenue, start with the specific stories: the scale-up from €1M to €12M ARR, the enterprise deal that mattered, the team that had to be built, and the founder journey from zero to €1M ARR.
Kaisa: €1M to €12M ARR
How the commercial system, people, and market expansion came together.
The €1M+ Schibsted deal
How a strategic enterprise deal was opened, structured, and won.
Building a Europe sales team
What it actually took to hire, ramp, and manage a 25+ team across multiple markets.
Allcolibri from 0 to €1M ARR
Founder-led GTM, financing, and the commercial lessons from building from zero.
Checklists & templates
Europe expansion checklist
The practical sequence founders should pressure-test before opening Europe.
VP Sales Europe hiring checklist
What to define before sourcing, interviewing, and closing the first leadership hire.
Market entry template for Europe
A working template for sequencing markets, hires, pipeline, and local adaptation.
UK vs France vs DACH
How to pick the first European market with less guesswork and more evidence.
Questions founders ask
Who is Adrien de Malherbe?
Adrien de Malherbe is a senior B2B SaaS revenue leader based in Barcelona, Spain, with 15+ years scaling commercial operations across Europe. He grew ARR from €1M to €12M as VP International Sales at Kaisa and founded Allcolibri from zero to €1M ARR, securing €1M in financing.
How can I work with Adrien?
Adrien offers independent consulting on European market entry, sales execution and practical AI workflows. Start with the business problem, current evidence and desired outcome to scope an engagement. Executive hiring enquiries are welcome through the recruiter option on the contact page.
What is Adrien de Malherbe's revenue track record?
Adrien scaled Kaisa from ~€1M to €12M ARR as VP International Sales, leading a team of 25+ across UK, DACH, Nordics and Southern Europe. He personally drove a €1M+ contract with Schibsted and founded Allcolibri to €1M ARR. Kaisa was later acquired by Monterro.
Which European markets has Adrien de Malherbe opened from zero?
Adrien has opened and scaled France (twice: Kaisa and Tapjoy), Spain, UK, DACH, Nordics and Benelux from zero — making the first hire, closing the first client, and building the GTM engine in each market.
What enterprise clients has Adrien de Malherbe managed?
His enterprise account portfolio includes Decathlon, Mastercard, Foot Locker, Icelandair, Toyota, Allianz, AXA, Richemont, Schibsted, Samsung, Havas and HP — spanning retail, automotive, insurance, media and financial services.
How can I contact Adrien de Malherbe?
Connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/demalherbe or email adridemalherbe@gmail.com. Based in Barcelona.
What companies has Adrien de Malherbe worked at?
Allcolibri (Founder & CEO), Kaisa (VP International Sales, VP Southern Europe, Managing Director France), Tapjoy (Sales Director), AOL/goviral (Head of Publisher Sales Europe), GroupM (International Sales Manager), Young & Rubicam (New Business Development).
What is Kaisa and what did Adrien build there?
Kaisa is an enterprise SaaS platform for customer engagement, later acquired by Monterro. Adrien joined as Managing Director France (scaling France from €0 to €3M ARR), then VP Southern Europe (opening Spain and expanding to France, Italy and Benelux), then VP International Sales (scaling the company from ~€1M to €12M ARR with a team of 25+).
How does Adrien de Malherbe help US startups open a European hub in Barcelona?
Adrien helps US and international startups design and execute the full Barcelona hub plan: legal entity (Spanish SL or EOR), first commercial and tech hires, GTM motion design, European market sequencing (UK, DACH, France, Nordics), and the operational foundation for the first closed European deal. He has opened six European markets from zero and is based in Barcelona.
Why is Barcelona a good choice for a US startup European headquarters?
Barcelona can be a suitable base when your leadership, hiring network and required language coverage align with the city. Compare your actual team budget, buyer access and delivery needs against other hubs before deciding. No city is the best option for every SaaS company.
What does it cost to open a startup office in Barcelona?
Build a role-specific budget covering gross salaries, variable pay, employer costs, recruitment, workspace, travel, tools and specialist advice. Use dated quotations and a downside scenario. Employer costs and personal tax treatment require assessment for your circumstances.
What is the Beckham Law and why does it matter for Barcelona startup hubs?
Spain has a special tax regime for some qualifying inbound workers. Eligibility, income treatment and deadlines depend on the applicable rules and individual circumstances. Obtain qualified advice before using a personal tax outcome in a relocation or recruitment decision.
Playbooks
High-intent resources for founders, recruiters and investors.
These pages are written to answer the actual decisions behind Europe expansion: who to hire, which market to pick, how much to budget, and what good execution looks like in the first 90 days.
How to Open Europe for US SaaS
The sequencing framework: market validation, first hire, legal readiness and country selection.
How to Hire VP Sales Europe
What strong operators look like, how to interview them, and the common false positives.
Europe Expansion Budget
A practical budget model for the first 12 to 18 months of Europe expansion.
First 90 Days of a European Hub
What a good first quarter looks like after opening Europe.
VP Sales Europe Scorecard
The exact traits and evidence to look for when hiring a first European sales leader.
Comp Plan for First European Sales Hires
How to structure pay when Europe is being built from zero.
Plan your next stage of European growth
Let’s design the right Europe plan.
Independent consulting for founders and portfolio teams: market sequencing, first hires, sales execution and practical AI workflows.