Webinar Recap: Entering the German Market for Medtech Companies
A medtech company has built traction in its home market and starts exploring Germany. Early conversations with clinicians are encouraging, the product addresses a clear problem, and the leadership team begins discussing its first local hire.
Before committing to a launch, several questions still need answers. Who will pay for the product? Can the business model work within the German healthcare system? Does the company need a senior country leader, a salesperson or specialist market access support?
These were among the questions raised in the webinar Entering the German Market for Medtech Companies. Hosted by Matthias Fuchs, the discussion brought together Daniela’s perspective on healthcare market entry, Nick Frey’s recruitment expertise at Avomind and Vanessa’s international employment perspective from Safeguard Global.
For international medtech and digital health businesses, the opening discussion highlighted a practical priority: validate the commercial opportunity and use that understanding to shape the team and operating setup. Here are five considerations for planning the expansion.
Validate demand before building a local team
Daniela opened with a warning against confusing market size with market accessibility. An attractive market can still require substantial work to identify the right customers, funding route and starting point.
Her recommendation was to validate the opportunity before investing heavily. That means speaking with relevant experts and prospective customers to understand how the product would be used, purchased and funded in Germany.
Look beyond one interested pilot customer
An enthusiastic response from one organisation is a useful starting point. It leaves open whether the same demand exists elsewhere and whether interest will translate into a purchase.
During the discussion, Daniela encouraged companies to gather signals from several potential customers. The strength of that evidence matters more than setting an arbitrary interview target. Conversations should reveal whether organisations share a problem, see value in the proposed solution and have a plausible way to pay for it.
Ask what must happen between a successful pilot and a commercial agreement. Who evaluates the outcome? Which budget could fund continued use? What would prevent the customer from proceeding?
Choose a focused starting point
The discussion also raised the question of where within Germany to begin. A practical launch plan should identify an initial customer segment and geography where the company can test its assumptions and support early users.
That focus gives the first local employee a clearer remit. It also helps headquarters distinguish progress within a defined market from a broad collection of introductory meetings.
Address reimbursement while shaping the business model
Daniela emphasised that reimbursement belongs in the earliest market entry conversations. Companies should understand the potential funding pathway before moving too far into discussions with pilot customers.
A business model that works at home may need changes in Germany. The relevant institutions, commercial relationships and payment arrangements can differ, even between European countries.
Test how the product will generate revenue
In the webinar, Daniela described an eye care example involving a Norwegian company connecting opticians with ophthalmologists. Her broader point was that the roles of participants in the local system can change the viability of an established model.
For an entering business, the practical questions are straightforward: who receives the benefit, who purchases the solution and where does the money come from?
Reimbursement also depends on the care setting. The US International Trade Administration’s Germany healthcare guide distinguishes between inpatient and outpatient reimbursement arrangements. The applicable route therefore needs assessment for the specific product and intended use.
Consider whether direct sales could fit
The discussion explored direct B2B or B2C sales as possible alternatives where they suit the product and customer. Reimbursement should be assessed alongside the wider commercial model rather than assumed to be the only route.
This decision affects hiring. A company still validating its funding model may need different expertise from one ready to build a pipeline of hospital customers. Clarify what the business must resolve before expecting a sales hire to deliver repeatable revenue.
Understand the buying process beyond the clinical champion
A physician or nurse who sees the value of a product can help a company understand the clinical need and develop internal support. The webinar also highlighted the limits of relying on a single hospital champion.
Daniela described starting with users as part of a bottom-up approach, while stressing the need to identify the other relevant stakeholders and remain patient through the process.
Map the path from interest to a purchase
For each target account, establish who will use the product, who owns the budget and who needs to approve a purchase. Depending on the solution, discussions may also need input from procurement, IT, implementation teams or other functions.
Use customer discovery to establish which stakeholders actually matter for that account. Ask the clinical contact how comparable purchases have been approved and what evidence colleagues would need to consider the proposal.
Assess candidates against the sales environment
This has direct implications for recruitment. A candidate’s network is useful when it reaches the people and organisations relevant to the company’s intended customers.
Ask candidates to explain a previous healthcare sale from first contact to agreement. Which stakeholders became involved? What delayed the decision? How did they maintain momentum? Their answers can reveal whether their experience fits the buying process the business expects to encounter.
Define the first hire around the work required
Nick Frey described a recurring set of questions from companies preparing to enter Germany: how senior should the first person be, should they be a managing director or salesperson, and how important is an existing network?
These questions become easier to answer once the company defines what it needs the person to accomplish.
Establish the mandate before choosing the title
A business that needs someone to refine its local strategy, develop partnerships and coordinate external specialists may require a different profile from one with a validated proposition and a clear sales process.
Before opening the search, agree on the unresolved decisions, the support available from headquarters and the authority the hire will have. Explain whether they will be expected to build a market approach or execute an existing one.
Turn that mandate into practical selection criteria. Relevant experience might include entering a new territory, selling to a particular customer segment or building relationships without an established local brand.
Connect early objectives to market readiness
Set expectations around the company’s actual starting position. If customer validation is still under way, useful early objectives could include confirming target accounts, documenting the buying process and developing qualified opportunities.
Revenue expectations should reflect the work required to reach a purchasing decision. This gives both the employee and headquarters a clearer basis for reviewing progress.
Plan the employment setup alongside recruitment
Vanessa’s opening contribution focused on putting structure in place before scaling. From an employment perspective, companies need to establish how their local staff will be hired and managed.
Safeguard Global introduced its support for businesses hiring internationally, including businesses with and without a local entity. The appropriate arrangement needs to be assessed against the company’s plans and the proposed role.
Give candidates clear answers early
Before reaching the offer stage, decide who will employ the person, how payroll will be handled and who will coordinate the employment process. Resolve the proposed arrangement with the relevant specialists while recruitment is progressing.
Clear answers also help candidates evaluate the opportunity. Someone considering a first local role will want to understand the reporting line, available support and how the business intends to operate in Germany.
Coordinate the launch around shared milestones
Market validation, recruitment and employment planning need to inform one another. A change in the target customer or commercial model may change the required candidate profile. A revised hiring timeline may affect the launch schedule.
Give each workstream an owner and review dependencies before committing to a start date. That makes it easier to identify decisions that could otherwise delay the first hire or leave them without the support they need.
Building a team for German medtech expansion
The discussion connected three decisions that companies need to make together: how the product will reach customers, which capabilities the business needs locally and how the team will be employed.
Before launching a search, establish the initial customer segment, test the commercial model and define the work required from the first hire. Those decisions provide a stronger basis for choosing the right seniority, experience and network.
Avomind supports international businesses hiring commercial, strategy, leadership and specialist talent. For medtech companies entering Germany, our recruitment approach considers the role alongside the company’s stage of expansion and the conditions the new employee will face.
Planning your first local hire? Speak with Avomind about building the team for your German market entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should medtech companies validate before entering Germany?
Assess the target customer, clinical use case, purchasing process and potential funding route. Speak with several relevant stakeholders to test whether early interest could develop into a viable commercial opportunity.
Should a medtech company hire a country manager or salesperson first?
Start with the work required. A company still shaping its local strategy may need a broader leadership profile, while a business with a validated proposition and defined customer segment may prioritise sales execution.
When should reimbursement be considered?
Consider the potential reimbursement route during initial market validation and before committing heavily to pilots, hiring or expansion. Assess direct sales options where they fit the product and intended customer.
