Clarifying or repositioning your brand
For companies that need sharper positioning, a clearer ideal customer profile, and a shared brand direction for their teams and partners.
How we help
Strategic marketing consultancy
Brand Building for Humans and AI
KVD helps companies define their positioning, focus on the right customers and markets, and develop go-to-market strategies across marketing, sales, and service. We create brand books and AI brand books, then work with specialist service companies to put the strategy into practice.
Based in Cambridge, MALed by two international marketers20+ years international expertise
Who we help
Strategic expertise for your next stage of growth
We work with companies clarifying their brand, preparing for AI-mediated discovery, or bringing an offer into a new market.
Preparing your brand for AI
For companies that want to define how their brand should be understood and assess gaps in how AI represents their business.
How we helpLaunching or entering a new market
For companies introducing an offer or expanding into a new market, we develop go-to-market strategies that align marketing, sales, and service.
How we helpWhat we do
Three connected areas of work.
Brand strategy, AI brand books, and go-to-market strategy share one foundation: a clear definition of the brand, its customers, and its market priorities. International market-entry expertise supports all three.
01
Brand Strategy and Brand Books
We define positioning, segmentation, ideal customer profile (ICP), value proposition, differentiation, messaging, and brand identity—creating a shared strategic foundation for your teams and partners.
Explore this service02
AI Brand Book
We define how your company should be understood by target customers and represented by AI. Your AI Brand Book documents the context, messaging, and evidence needed to assess gaps between intended positioning and observed AI representation.
Explore this service03
Go-to-Market Strategy
We connect brand strategy to marketing, sales, and service, defining market priorities, channels, sales approach, service experience, and execution responsibilities. Where relevant, we include beachhead selection and pilot validation.
Explore this serviceHow we work
Define the brand first. Then choose the tools and partners.
We start with the brand, customers, and market priorities. The brand book then informs execution and evolves as the market teaches us more.
- 01
Define
Establish positioning, segmentation, ideal customer profile (ICP), value proposition, and the intended brand understanding for humans and AI.
- 02
Focus and validate
Select a beachhead market—a focused initial customer segment and geography. Where relevant, define a pilot to test assumptions about the ICP, the minimum viable product (MVP), the value proposition, and buying process, distinguishing assumptions from validated findings.
- 03
Develop the go-to-market strategy
Define an initial go-to-market (GTM) strategy for marketing, sales, and service, then refine it with pilot evidence. Align acquisition, sales conversations, onboarding, support, and retention with the brand promise.
- 04
Work with specialist partners
Translate the strategy into actionable briefs, help identify appropriate service companies, and work alongside you and your partners to guide execution and assess progress.
Pilots and MVP validation apply where relevant. An established company with a proven offer may not need them.
Selected client work
International marketing and market-entry expertise.
Our work helping international companies enter the U.S. shows the marketing and market experience behind every brand and go-to-market engagement.
Byewaste
Supporting Byewaste's U.S. market entry
Circular economy and textile technology
KVD announced its engagement to support Byewaste's U.S. market entry and go-to-market strategy.
Read moreGradyent
Supporting Gradyent's expansion into the U.S.
Energy technology and software
KVD announced its engagement to support Gradyent's U.S. market entry and go-to-market strategy.
Read morebiotactical
A strategic marketing partnership for biotactical's U.S. expansion
Biotechnology and life sciences
biotactical announced a strategic marketing partnership with KVD to support bringing its rapid microbial detection technology to the U.S. market.
Read moreCore AI Brand Team
Brand strategy, technical understanding, and research in one team.
Our AI brand work brings together brand and market strategy, an understanding of how language models work, academic research insight, and disciplined program coordination. We work closely with your leadership, marketing, and sales teams, and with the specialist partners who carry out the execution.
Start the conversationTwo experienced international marketers
KVD’s founders lead brand, market, and go-to-market strategy, drawing on decades of international marketing experience.
Foundational language model expertise
Technical understanding of how language models process and represent information about companies.
A professor of marketing specializing in AI marketing
Research insight into how AI is changing marketing and the way customers form views of brands.
A chief of staff and program manager
Coordination that keeps engagements, partners, and deliverables on schedule.
About KVD
Based in Cambridge. International in outlook.
KVD is a strategic marketing consultancy led by two international marketers and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We help companies build brands for humans and AI, defining positioning and go-to-market strategies across marketing, sales, and service, then working with specialist service companies to translate that direction into execution.
Marketing strategy
Nathalie van Doorne
15+ years in strategic brand management, digital marketing and business development across global markets.
Market entry
Wilbert Kragten
20+ years in international marketing and business, and author of a practical playbook for U.S. market entry.
Our founding story
From Dutch bicycles to business strategy.
KVD began with a shared bicycle ride in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After moving from the Netherlands, Wilbert and Nathalie connected through cycling—and conversations about international marketing, business growth, and the challenges of entering new markets.
Those conversations became Kragten & Van Doorne Consultancy: a partnership combining their experience in brand strategy and market entry to help companies enter and grow in the U.S., and support American businesses expanding internationally.
Synfiny
International expertise. New England connections.
KVD is part of the Synfiny network, supporting its business development efforts in New England. From our base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, we help build regional relationships and identify opportunities to connect businesses with the network’s expertise.
This role brings together our international marketing perspective and our presence in the New England business community.
Insights & perspectives
The book, the thinking, and where you can meet us.
The marketing playbook
Mastering the Marketing Entry in the United States
A strategic blueprint for European firms, with ten market-entry steps, more than 25 case studies and practical tools.
Explore the book Strategic marketing insights
Perspectives on international marketing
Explore our latest observations on positioning, market entry, and international growth on LinkedIn.
Read our perspectives on LinkedIn Speaking & events
U.S. market entry at Invest in Resilience
Wilbert Kragten presented on U.S. market entry for medtech and digital health companies at Invest International's event.
Read the recap See events and updates CMOtalk USA
Transatlantic marketing conversations
Conversations with marketing leaders on both sides of the Atlantic about brands, markets, AI, and growth.
Explore CMOtalk USAYour next strategic step
Let’s discuss your brand and market strategy.
Clarifying your positioning, preparing an AI Brand Book, or developing a go-to-market strategy? Tell us what you want to achieve and where you need strategic support.
Talk to KVD