What IBG Global does

IBG Global LLC, established in 2002 and headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, is a privately held consortium of 21 independently owned international trade consultancies delivering market entry, export development, and foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction services across more than 100 countries. The network is positioned by the company as 'the world's largest international trade consultancy' by in-country office count, with direct staff presence in 53-70+ markets spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Service delivery is project-based and conducted by member-firm consultants — there is no proprietary technology platform; the company's 'product' is its human-expertise network plus accumulated project data.

The portfolio centers on six service pillars: Market Research & Intelligence, Trade Missions and Trade Shows, FDI Attraction, Partner and Distributor Search, Trade Agency Representation, and Corporate Support (legal, tax, HR, employer-of-record). Revenue is generated through separately scoped consulting engagements at fees determined per contract; between 2020 and 2025 the network conducted 200+ trade missions and 3,000+ market entry projects for government economic development organizations and private exporters. The customer base is heavily weighted toward U.S. state economic development agencies, national trade promotion bodies (Enterprise Ireland, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, ApexBrasil, ProChile, Business Finland, etc.), and SMEs/larger corporates seeking international expansion.

Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: IBG markets via its website, LinkedIn, industry conferences (notably SIDO), trade missions themselves, and direct outreach. Strategic alliances extend the offering — Capstone Strategic (M&A advisory), Prime Target (export market selection software), reesmarxGLOBAL (global talent acquisition), and channel partners Foley, Sesam Connect, and Grow Trade Consulting for Australia/New Zealand, UAE/GCC, and Canada respectively. The organization is privately held with no external institutional investors and no disclosed funding rounds; leadership includes Executive Director Paul H. Grossman Jr. (former Virginia VP of International Trade; Thunderbird-trained) and Founder Sarath Menon, with ownership distributed among independent member-firm principals.

Name

IBG Global

Legal name

IBG Global, LLC

Website

https://ibgglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IBG Global is a consortium of 21 independently owned international trade consultancies delivering market entry, trade mission, FDI, and partner-search services to government economic development agencies and private exporters across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Trade Consulting

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) & Trade Finance Institutions (BPADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Structured Trade & Export Credit (ECA-backed, Structured Solutions) (FSABAHAJ), International Agent Network Management & Channel Partnerships (EDAIACAD)

Keywords

• International trade consulting
• Market entry services
• Export development consulting
• Foreign direct investment promotion
• Trade mission organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Trade Consulting Services: IBG Global provides professional consulting services including market entry strategy, export and trade consulting, partner and distributor search, and investment and business development support. Services are delivered through separate written agreements with defined scope, fees, and timelines.
2. Trade Agency Representation: IBG Global represents national and state government economic development organizations to conduct trade promotion and investment attraction activities. Engagements are typically contracted with government agencies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IBG Global is a consortium of 21 independently owned international trade consultancies delivering market entry strategy, export consulting, partner and distributor search, trade mission organization, foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, trade agency representation, and corporate support services. Services are delivered via direct consulting engagements to government economic development organizations and private sector companies across more than 100 countries.

Product overview

IBG Global operates as a global network of independently owned international trade consultancies providing a portfolio of interconnected consulting services. The core offering consists of six integrated service pillars: Market Research & Intelligence, Trade Missions & Trade Shows, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Attraction, Partner and Distributor Search, Trade Agency Representation, and Corporate Support. These services are delivered through a network of 21 member firms operating across more than 100 countries, enabling exporters to identify qualified partners, assess market opportunities, facilitate trade missions, and accelerate export growth. An ancillary offering, Leads2Business, provides LinkedIn-based sales acceleration as an add-on module available through select member firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Research & Intelligence Delivers international market entry reports, partner searches, market validation, competitor analyses, and regulatory reviews across virtually all industries and dozens of countries for government trade agencies and private exporters.
• Trade Missions & Trade Shows Provides end-to-end trade show support and soft-landing services including B2B matching, multi-day itinerary scheduling, booth staffing, logistics coordination, translators, and reception arrangements for senior government officials, delivered to government agencies and exporting companies.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Attraction Conducts comprehensive FDI recruitment and manages government investment attraction missions including targeted market sector assessment, sectoral FDI strategy development, and investor identification for economic development organizations.
• Partner and Distributor Search Delivers vetted lists of potential partners, conducts background research, schedules introductory discussions with short-listed candidates, and provides third-party assessment of candidate partners for exporting companies.
• Trade Agency Representation Provides export development advisory services, industry analyses for economic development organizations, doing-business webinars, and government trade mission hosting for national and state-level trade agencies.
• Corporate Support Coordinates corporate support services through in-country experts including legal advice, permit acquisition, tax planning, employment consultation, employer-of-record services, and office space identification for companies expanding internationally.
• Leads2Business LinkedIn-based approach to accelerate international sales using the client's own account, combining targeted outreach with direct engagement of decision-makers for qualified meetings and pipeline development.

Quantifiable outcome

• $125,000 in immediate sales and $908,000 in projected export sales over 18 months for Delaware companies from a single trade mission
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Capstone Strategic, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1995, Capstone Strategic is a leading M&A advisory firm focused on proactive strategic growth for the middle market. Capstone specializes in privately held, not-for-sale transactions and has completed over $1 billion in transactions. They bring deep experience in mergers and acquisitions to complement IBG Global's trade development services.
• Prime TargetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrime Target is IBG Global's partner for improving exporters' performance toward international success through optimal export market selection. Specializing in identifying key countries for growth and expansion, they offer personalized experiences through custom reports and data sets tailored to specific objectives, using cutting-edge market selection software.
• reesmarxGLOBALsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerreesmarxGLOBAL is a boutique global talent acquisition and expansion firm serving mid-market companies and agile enterprises for new market entry and worldwide recruiting needs. The firm guides business expansion in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, specializing in global expansion talent acquisition.
• FoleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoley is IBG Global's long-standing partner in Australia and New Zealand with over 20 years of experience supporting international companies. Foley has been at the forefront of AUKUS-related defense trade missions, coordinating B2B meetings, industry roundtables, and site visits with Australian defense stakeholders for U.S. companies.
• Sesam ConnectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSesam Connect has been operating for over 25 years in the UAE, specializing in inbound and outbound trade development with a focus on GCC countries. SESAM has worked with over 60 international clients across healthcare, food & beverage, ICT, construction, cleantech, and other sectors. They are now expanding services to North America.
• Grow Trade Consulting, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrow Trade Consulting has supported U.S., Canadian, European, and other international economic development organizations for 20 years, helping clients execute successful export strategies in the Canadian market. Team has worked within all industry sectors and participated in trade missions in all 10 Canadian provinces.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Largest dedicated international trade law and consulting firm in the U.S., providing trade compliance, customs, and market-entry advisory to companies and government agencies — directly comparable service mix and government-client orientation to IBG Global.
• Beacon Group International: U.S.-based international trade and business development consultancy serving both government agencies and private companies with market entry, partner search, and trade mission services — a comparable mid-sized pure-play trade consultancy.
• Tradewin (an e2open company): International trade management consultancy specializing in customs, trade compliance, and global trade advisory for enterprises; comparable service scope to IBG Global's market entry and trade compliance offerings but with a more enterprise-led focus.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Global Trade Advisory: Big-4 practice offering global trade, customs, and export advisory as part of a broader consulting portfolio; competes with IBG Global on enterprise and government trade mandates with greater brand recognition and bundled service offerings.
• KPMG Trade & Customs Services: Big-4 trade and customs advisory practice serving multinationals and government entities; overlaps with IBG Global in trade strategy, FDI advisory, and customs-related consulting for large enterprise and public-sector clients.
• EY Global Trade: EY's global trade practice provides trade strategy, customs, and export controls services; competes with IBG Global for trade-advisory mandates that benefit from Big-4 brand and integration with tax and consulting offerings.
• PwC Trade and Customs: PwC's global trade and customs practice delivers export controls, trade strategy, and customs compliance services; competes with IBG Global at the enterprise end of the trade consulting market with deeper technology investments.

Emerging players

• Velocity Global: Tech-enabled global expansion platform offering Employer of Record and international PEO services to companies expanding abroad; competes with the corporate-support element of IBG Global's offering via a software-led, asset-light model.
• Deel: Global payroll, HR, and entity-setup platform for companies hiring internationally; overlaps with IBG Global's corporate-support services (legal, tax, employment) through a scalable SaaS model targeting the same SME expansion buyer.
• Globalization Partners: Global Employer of Record platform enabling companies to hire in 180+ countries without local entities; directly comparable to IBG Global's corporate-support and market-entry services but delivered through proprietary technology rather than partner networks.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibgglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IBG Global