Bring your electric watercraft to Europe
I help manufacturers of electric water toys, from eFoils and jetboards to electric jet skis and boats, enter the European market. I have ridden these products since 2017 and have sold technology across Europe for more than 30 years.
Founded e-surfer.com, the first blog and YouTube channel about electric surfboards
years of international sales and business development for US and Asian technology companies
of DivX global revenue came from Europe while I ran sales there
manufacturers and suppliers have approached E-SURFER since 2019, most of them from China
Who I work with
Manufacturers from China and Asia
You have a finished product and want to sell it in Europe. You need to know what that takes: certification, realistic retail prices and the right partners in each country.
Brands from the US
You are planning your European launch and want someone who knows the dealers, the distributors and the water sports scene country by country.
Companies in Europe
You need senior sales leadership for a season, a product launch or a growth phase, without hiring a full-time executive.
Product categories
- eFoils
- Electric jetboards
- Electric jet skis and PWC
- Electric boats and outboards
- Sea scooters
- Pontoons and docks
- Water sports accessories
One client per category
In each product category I work for one manufacturer at a time. Your direct competitor will not get my advice while we work together. Ask me whether your category is open.
Services and prices
Every engagement starts small. You see how I work before you commit to more.
Market Entry Assessment
A 45-minute video call and a written assessment of four to six pages. Does your product have a realistic chance in Europe, at what price, through which channel, and what is still missing?
Europe Market Report
20 to 25 pages on your category: competitors and their actual street prices, certification and registration requirements, distribution routes and a shortlist of distributors and dealers.
Product Evaluation
You ship the product to Berlin. I ride it on the water and write a confidential evaluation of performance, build quality and market fit compared with the products already sold in Europe. Nothing is published. I keep the test unit for at least three months. After that you can collect it at your own cost. Units not collected within a further four weeks are disposed of at your cost.
Go-to-Market Partnership
Ongoing support for your European launch: pricing, distributor and dealer acquisition, launch content, visibility in Google and AI search, trade show preparation.
Europe Web Presence
Your brand and dealer website for Europe in up to eight languages: product pages, dealer finder, enquiry form, optimized for Google and AI search. We build it, host it and keep it up to date. You pay a monthly fee, invoiced quarterly. There is deliberately no online shop: in Europe, your dealers sell.
Interim Sales Leadership
One or two days a week as your head of sales or business development for Europe, for a defined period.
Prices plus VAT where applicable. All services are consulting services. I give you my professional assessment and my working time. Sales results depend on many factors outside my control and are not guaranteed.
How we start
Write to me
A few lines about your company, your product and your target markets are enough.
Category check
I reply within two working days and tell you whether your category is open and which service fits.
Assessment
After payment we schedule the call. You receive the written assessment within ten working days.
About me
I am Andreas Lakeberg, founder of Lakeberg Marine. In 2017 I started e-surfer.com, the first blog and YouTube channel about electric surfboards. Since 2019 E-SURFER has also been a dealer with its own showroom and test center in Berlin. I have tested the leading eFoils and jetboards myself, and I am a founding board member of the Global Foil Board Sports Association (GFA). In 2018 I was the European sales representative for Lift Foils. I know most of the founders and CEOs of the leading brands personally and have given feedback on the development of several products.
Before that I spent more than 20 years in international technology sales. I led the European business of Gracenote, DivX and Xperi, built dealer and partner networks from scratch and brought technology to companies such as Nokia, Samsung, BMW and Volkswagen.
I founded sport2, once Germany's largest action sports portal, and sold it. As an advisory board member I helped the Berlin start-up tweek.tv to its exit in 2017. Today I bring both sides together: I know the products from the water, and I know how to sell into Europe.
Career
- 2022 – today
- Lakeberg Marine (Lakeberg GmbH) · Founder
- 2017 – today
- E-SURFER · Founder
- 2018
- Lift Foils · Sales Representative Europe
- 2014 – 2020
- Xperi (DTS, IMAX Enhanced) · VP Sales Europe, later VP & Head of Global Business Development
- 2009 – 2013
- Gracenote (Sony) · VP & General Manager EMEA
- 2004 – 2009
- DivX · Director Sales & Business Development, acting Managing Director Europe
- 2002 – 2004
- Ulead (now Corel) · Senior Director Europe
- 1997 – 2002
- MGI Software · General Manager Central Europe
- 1997 – 2012
- sport2 · Founder, sold
Guides for manufacturers
How do you sell electric water toys in Europe?
Sales channels, dealer margins, realistic retail prices, rules and timing for eFoils, jetboards, electric jet skis and sea scooters.
Why do many Chinese eFoil and jetboard brands fail in Europe?
Five mistakes we see in almost every offer from Chinese manufacturers, based on 287 emails from 149 suppliers since 2019.
Get in touch
Tell me about your product and the markets you are aiming for. I answer personally, in English or German.
contact@lakeberg.comWrite an email
Lakeberg Marine · Lakeberg GmbH · Berlin, Germany