Kieran Galvin

Strategic Expansion Architecture for Multi-Site Service Brands

I advise founder-led, multi-location service companies on how to scale beyond domestic growth through structured expansion, licensing, and international rollout design.

I currently serve as Founder & Group CEO of Kipinä International, a multi-country education platform. I take on a small number of selective advisory mandates each year where expansion structure, not just execution, is the critical challenge.

About Me

I am a founder-operator who has spent the past decade structuring and executing multi-country expansion across complex regulatory and operating environments.

Through Kipinä International, I have worked on:

• multi-jurisdiction expansion across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East
• licensing and franchise-style rollout models in regulated child-focused services
• joint venture structures with local partners in new markets
• platform consolidation and international brand architecture decisions
• tech stacks including proprietary AI

My work sits at the intersection of operational reality and strategic structure: how a strong local multi-site service model becomes a scalable regional or global platform without losing its core quality or control.

The Problem I Solve

Most founder-led service chains scale successfully within one country, then encounter a structural ceiling.

Common inflection points include:

• expansion becoming increasingly capital-intensive through owned locations
• uncertainty about whether and how to franchise or license the model
• interest in entering new markets without a clear partner or JV framework
• preparing for investment while lacking a coherent multi-market growth architecture

These are not operational questions. They are structural expansion questions.

Poorly structured expansion can permanently damage brand integrity, margins, and control. Well-structured expansion creates a scalable platform rather than a collection of disconnected sites.

What I do

I work with a limited number of founder-CEOs of multi-site service businesses facing these exact structural decisions.

My role is not day-to-day consulting or operational execution.
I act as a strategic advisor on expansion architecture, helping founders think through:

• owned vs franchise vs licensing growth pathways
• sequencing of geographic expansion
• partner and joint venture structures for new markets
• maintaining quality and brand integrity during replication
• positioning the business as a scalable platform for future capital or strategic partnerships

This is typically relevant for businesses operating 5–30 locations within a single country that are beginning to confront the question: “How do we scale beyond our current market without losing control of what made us successful?”

I work best with

I am best suited to work with:

• founder-led pediatric service chains (therapy, healthcare, specialised child services)
• boutique tutoring and learning centre operators
• other premium multi-site service brands (fitness, health, wellbeing) with strong unit economics and domestic scale

The common characteristic is a proven local model that has not yet been fully structured for multi-market or international expansion.

I do not work with early-stage startups or purely franchised systems. My focus is on established operators at a strategic inflection point in their growth.

How Engagements Typically Work

I do not run open consulting projects.
I take on a small number of ongoing strategic advisor roles where my contribution is focused on high-level expansion and structuring decisions.

This may include:

• periodic strategic sessions with the founder/CEO
• input on licensing, franchising, or JV expansion pathways
• guidance during preparation for new market entry or investor discussions
• stress-testing expansion plans against real-world international rollout experience

Engagements are intentionally limited to preserve depth of involvement and ensure alignment with my primary role as an operating platform founder.

My Background

I am the Founder & Group CEO of Kipinä International, a global early childhood education platform operating across multiple countries through owned, partner, and licensing structures.

My career has focused on one central question: how to replicate high-quality, service models across jurisdictions while balancing growth, control, and brand integrity.

In parallel with leading Kipinä, I occasionally advise other founder-led multi-site service companies facing similar expansion architecture challenges outside the preschool sector.

Next steps

I only consider a small number of new advisory mandates each year.

If you lead a multi-location pediatric service or learning centre business and are actively considering franchising, licensing, or international expansion, request an initial strategic discussion.

Please include a brief overview of your current number of locations, geographic focus, and expansion ambitions. This helps ensure alignment before scheduling a conversation.