Coming from a tech/marketing international background (ex-Airbnb, ex-PayPal), Sam has lived and worked in Latin America, the US, and Europe and now leads international marketing at Swile, based out of their Paris office. As a confirmed marketing generalist, he has a transversal role in marketing and International organizations, working with various teams to localize, adapt and deploy brands and marketing strategies consistently in different markets worldwide. He has lived in Paris for more than 6 years with his husband, dog, and 52 plants.
I had a fantastic conversation with Sam. In this episode, you will learn about his journey as one of the early employees of Airbnb and how he experienced massive growth in Brazil thanks to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.
Sam moved to Paris because of love. His husband is a French guy who did an exchange program to study in Brazil. Years later, they moved to France when his husband got a job opportunity.
Sam shared his experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Paris and his adaptation process to France. He is an active member of the LGBTech France association, promoting and supporting LGBT+ diversity in the French Tech ecosystem.
Sam and I talked about the different initiatives from La French Tech, notably their new one: Welcome to France. A valuable website with resources to help you prepare for your move to France (or to help you convince yourself).
At the end of the episode, we shared some advice for my friend Daniela, but equally applicable to any person that would like to work in France.
- Target companies on international expansion: I recommend looking into the top 40 most promising startups in France. You can find the list of companies and job opportunities on La French Tech (Taiwan chapter) website or the most popular job board in France: Welcome to the Jungle.
- Learn French: If you want to move to France, you need to learn French.
- Understand the paperwork: Check out the Welcome to France website to learn about the procedures according to your nationality and learn more about the benefits.
You can listen to my conversation with Sam on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Anchor.
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