How Startups Can Scale Globally: Lessons from Wise’s Product Director

Going global isn't just a goal, it's a strategy.

There's a common myth in the startup world: 'First, you conquer your local market, then you go global’, but as the world becomes increasingly interconnected, this blueprint is being replaced. Today, breaking down barriers for customers, employees, and products is the key to sustainable growth.

To explore how a global-first mindset can help founders scale faster and build a more resilient business from day one, we partnered with SeedLegals, the all-in-one platform for startup legal needs. We hosted a webinar featuring Jacintha Love, Product Director for Treasury and Finance at Wise, and Anthony Rose, Co-Founder and CEO at SeedLegals, who shared their insights on why "Going Global Isn't a Goal, It's a Strategy."

Wise Business has teamed up with SeedLegals, the all-in-one platform for startup fundraising and growth, to bring exclusive benefits to their customers. Find out more here.

Jacintha leads Wise's treasury and finance teams - the cash and liquidity operations which power Wise's international payments engine. She shared her learnings on product development, scaling an international team of more than 100 members and making sure Wise is managing FX risk for over 16 million consumers and businesses around the world. Anthony, moderating the conversation, asked the vital questions that were top of mind for startup founders.

Here are the key takeaways from the webinar that can help with your international expansion, as you turn your financial operations from complexity and confusion into a powerful advantage.

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The Surprise Role You Never Applied For: Treasurer

In the early days, every founder wears multiple hats; CEO, CTO, Head of Sales, and CMO. But Jacintha says you're also something else: a treasurer. While Wise has a team of over 100 people worldwide dedicated to managing cash and currencies, as a founder juggling your business finances, you’re also doing the exact same job on a smaller scale.

She listed three key focus areas that will help you keep your cashflow healthy:

• Cash: How your money moves in and out of the business.
• Currencies: The real cost and risk of dealing in different currencies.
• Capital: Making sure your money is working for you.

Jacintha explained that at Wise, we’re focusing on managing these three areas to support £145B in international payments for 16 million customers and 700K businesses. By prioritising and getting a handle on these areas, you can start building a smarter, more resilient business.

Your Money Has Two Dimensions: Amount and Time

When it comes to your company’s money, Jacintha says that it’s not just about how much working capital you have, but also about accessing that cash when you need it. This is vital for a business with international operations and cross border payment needs. Operating in multiple countries means your cash might be scattered across different bank accounts in various countries, some in Euros, some in Pounds, some in Dollars. For a founder, this fragmented cash flow isn't just an inconvenience; it's a direct threat to your ability to scale.

By focusing on smart cash management from the start, you ensure your working capital remains a dynamic tool that can be deployed instantly, wherever in the world your business needs it. Whether it’s paying remote teams or contractors, processing supplier invoices or receiving investment from overseas. This simple idea is a foundational strategy for building a truly resilient global company.

Here’s Jacintha’s breakdown of how you efficiently manage your cash, from your day-to-day to your long-term strategy:

• The Now: Can you see your cash position in real time? If money gets stuck in the wrong account or takes days to arrive, it can slow down your entire operation. Having the flexibility to pull all your cash in a fast, reliable and low cost way is your most powerful tool for staying agile. This is exactly what you get with Wise Business.
• The Near Future: Look at the bigger picture over the next month. Are you a "cash-burner" or a "cash-grower"? Do you see patterns in your cash flow from sales or vendor payments? Understanding these trends helps you make better decisions, like deciding if you can afford to hire or expand to another country.
• The Big Picture: When you're thinking a year ahead and can analyse data from previous quarters/years to make forecast decisions, you're a true treasurer. By knowing your long-term cash burn, you can plan for financing, hiring, and international expansion.

She explained that Wise Business is helping over 700K businesses with the global money challenges they face every day. For a founder, this means having a central hub to manage your international finances. Instead of dealing with multiple bank accounts in different countries, you can receive investment from overseas VCs via local account details like USD or EUR, making the process faster and smoother for both parties.

The Wise Business account also gives you a live view of all your currencies in one place. This makes it simple to pay your global contractors, freelancers, and suppliers in over 40 currencies, cutting down on transfer fees and manual work.

Stop Overpaying for Currencies: Three Rules to Live By

Currency exchange can feel confusing and unclear, full of hidden fees and unexpected volatility. This challenge is multiplied when you're managing cash across borders for global expansion. Your job as a startup founder is not to predict the market; it's to protect your business.

Follow these three simple rules to understand how much your FX is costing you:

1. Find the Real Cost: Every time you make an international payment, you are being charged. If you haven't checked the mid-market exchange rate, you are probably overpaying. This is where banks tend to hide their fees, and it’s one of the biggest silent drains on a business's profits as they expand globally.
2. Know Your Risk: Think about the worst-case scenario. What would a sudden 10% currency swing do to your business? By running this simple calculation, you can determine if your margins are strong enough to handle market volatility. Sometimes the risk is worth it, and sometimes it's not.
3. Create a Plan: Once you understand your risk, you have options. You can decide to accept the risk, try to hedge it by pricing your products in the same currency as your costs, or use a multi-currency account like Wise to hold balances and convert money when the rate is best for you.

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What We Learned About Scaling Globally

In the audience Q&A session, Jacintha explained that a global strategy goes far beyond just opening an overseas account. It requires a fundamental rethink of how you manage money, build teams, and enter new markets. When it comes to building a global team, Jacintha emphasised that a successful playbook is to hire a small, strong group of people in a new market, rather than just a single person. This will ensure you have people on ground to establish a solid market entry strategy, navigate compliance or regulatory constraints and ensure your product speaks to the needs of your customers. She also stressed the importance of flying out from your HQ to meet with teams, adding that "the cost of a flight ticket is always worth it" for building a shared culture and mission.

The speakers also explored the go-to-market strategies for global expansion. Anthony shared his own lessons from SeedLegals' expansion into the US, warning against the common mistake of thinking the US is a single market. Instead, it’s a collection of 50 markets with their own regulatory specifications, demography and customer needs. He also noted that while a product might have traction in one country, launching in another can be a double-edged sword: investors might see it as a risk if you don't yet have traction in the new market. The key, he argued, is to figure out your audience and your go-to-market playbook before you jump in.

Ultimately, Jacintha’s insights are a reminder that a global business isn't built on a grand strategy alone, it's built on a foundation of solid, smart financial decisions. By thinking like an international business from day one, you can give your startup the stability and efficiency it needs to truly go global.

Wise Business is the only account startups need to scale internationally. Streamline and save on cross-currency payments, extend your runway, and simplify cash flow management on one easy-to-use platform. With a Wise Business account, you can start receiving, sending and spending in 160+ countries in 40+ currencies. Explore our offering of accounting software integrations, so you can sync your data and have a complete financial picture without the manual work.

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