Starting a Business, Especially in Germany
For people who want to start a business and need practical support with the model, setup, offer, first customers and early operations, especially in the German market.
Business launch, growth & market entry
Operating Partner
for Launch, Growth & Market Entry
Turn your venture into a business that can sell, operate and scale.
I work with founders, owners, education companies and enterprise teams on business launch, growth, operations and market entry, especially where robotics, STEM, distribution, learning products or local partnerships matter.
Evgenii Charikov
Operator, founder and market-entry partner
0 → 32
locations in 3 years
10,000+
children reached since 2022
€13M+
e-commerce scale
€3M
fundraising experience
Positioning
A practical operating partner for launch, growth and market entry.
Most early business problems are connected: the offer affects the funnel, the funnel affects operations, operations affect margin, and margin affects what can be scaled. I work with founders and teams across that whole chain, without pretending that one channel or one framework will fix the company.
- Clear thinking when everything feels equally urgent.
- Hands-on experience instead of abstract advice.
- Simple systems that help leaders make better decisions.
Where I Step In
Four situations where I can help turn complexity into a working business.
The work is broad by design, but not vague. I usually help when a company needs to launch, grow, enter a new market, or turn an education/STEM initiative into an operating business.
STEM & Robotics Education Operations
The strongest proven expertise: 32 locations, 10,000+ children reached, classes, camps, teachers, partnerships and local education operations.
European Market Entry for Robotics & Education Products
For manufacturers and suppliers entering Germany or Europe: distributor search, education channel, retail channel, partnerships, WRO ecosystem, schools and local trust.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Education & Enterprise Teams
For established companies and corporate teams that need an external operator to shape, launch or grow an education product, academy, partnership, market or new business initiative.
Operating areas
The business usually improves where the parts connect.
Offer & positioning
Clarify who the business serves, what problem it solves, how the offer is packaged and why a customer should choose it now.
Marketing & sales
Improve lead quality, conversion, follow-up, landing pages, paid channels, local acquisition and direct outreach.
Operations & team
Turn repeated work into processes: scheduling, delivery, hiring, communication, quality standards and handovers.
Economics & scale
Read the business through useful numbers: revenue, margin, capacity, conversion, retention, unit economics and product mix.
AI tools & automation
Use AI to improve marketing work, operational routines, analytics, reporting, content workflows and team productivity.
AI-native operations
Practical AI where it saves time or improves decisions.
I use AI tools as part of day-to-day business work, not as a separate buzzword project. The goal is simple: reduce manual work, make information easier to use, and help teams move faster with better context.
- Marketing workflows: research, content, campaign analysis and landing page iteration.
- Operations workflows: documentation, handovers, reporting and recurring process support.
- Analytics workflows: GA4, CRM exports, KPI reviews, anomaly checks and management summaries.
- Productivity systems: faster preparation, better follow-up and clearer decision records.
Deepest operating experience
STEM, robotics and education are where the proof is strongest.
The approach is useful across founder-led and team-led businesses. The strongest evidence, however, is in robotics, coding, STEM/MINT, kids education, camps, local classes and learning networks. This is where I have direct operating experience in Russia and Germany.
I co-built League Robots in Saint Petersburg and Liga der Roboter in Germany, working across acquisition, locations, teachers, curriculum formats, camps, school partnerships, CRM, analytics and day-to-day operations.
10,000+
children reached in Germany through robotics and STEM programs since 2022.
1,000+
children annually in holiday programs, camps and intensive formats.
30+ DE / 1 US
robotics locations in Germany plus one Liga der Roboter franchise location in the US.
B2B
partnership and consulting experience with GoStudent, Studienkreis and larger education organizations.
Multiple formats
weekly classes, camps, school programs, franchise operations, partnerships and product launches.
Track record
Specific operating experience behind the advice.
The strongest direct transfer is in STEM and education, but the background also includes e-commerce, fundraising, partnerships, franchising, sourcing and international business development.
8+ years in STEM education
Built and operated robotics education across 15 clubs in Saint Petersburg and 30+ clubs across Germany and the US, including a California franchise launch, company setup in Germany and experience as a robotics competition judge.
Education partnerships
Partnership and consulting experience with GoStudent, Studienkreis and larger education organizations.
Corporate education products
Experience helping larger companies think through new learning products, education initiatives, partnerships and go-to-market execution.
China to EU STEM brand entry
Helped bring Chinese STEM education brands into Europe, including supporting WhalesBot in securing major first contracts in Germany. Previous experience includes helping Aptech Education from India enter the European market.
Common problems
Useful when the opportunity is real, but execution is not yet clean.
The market is not clear enough
The offer or product exists, but the right customer, channel, partner or local market entry path is still uncertain.
Leads do not become revenue
There are inquiries, but weak follow-up, unclear sales logic or poor fit between traffic, offer and price.
Execution depends on one person
Too much still depends on one person connecting customers, team, delivery, scheduling and problem solving.
Revenue is below potential
The business has demand, but product mix, capacity, pricing or utilization limit the actual result.
A new venture needs ownership
A product, partnership or internal initiative is strategically interesting, but nobody fully owns the operating path.
Scale creates new friction
New people, locations, partners or products add complexity faster than the business adds structure.
Ways of working
Calm, practical support. No hype, no revenue promises.
Business / Market Entry Diagnostic
A focused review of the current model, funnel, operations and numbers to find the most useful next moves.
Leadership sessions
Regular conversations around decisions, priorities, bottlenecks and execution.
Launch or Market Entry Sprint
Support for shaping a new offer, market entry, location, product line or early sales motion.
Ongoing partnership
Deeper involvement across growth, operations, economics and weekly decision making.
Fit
Best fit when the work needs business judgment, operating experience and clear next steps.
Good fit
- You are a founder, owner or team lead making real decisions.
- You are launching a new product, market, partnership or venture.
- You need someone who can connect strategy with execution.
- You want practical help across growth, operations, AI workflows and economics.
Especially strong fit
- Robotics, coding, STEM/MINT, education products or learning initiatives.
- Local classes, camps, courses, centers, academies or small networks.
- Product companies entering Europe through distributors or partners.
- Enterprise teams that need external operating support.
Start
Tell me what you are building, launching or trying to grow.
The first conversation is about understanding the business: customers, offer, funnel, operations, economics and the decisions currently sitting with the founder, owner, product team or leadership team.