Map data: Portland, Oregon
Google Earth, Google Maxar Technologies
For many technology companies, expanding internationally is no longer a long-term ambition—it is becoming a strategic necessity. Successfully entering new markets, however, requires more than a strong product. It requires experienced professionals who understand how to bridge cultures, navigate unfamiliar business environments and build trusted relationships across borders.
That is precisely what Stephanie Hallford brings to BYG Advantage.
Stephanie joins BYG after a distinguished international career spanning global sales, business development and executive leadership in the technology sector. Having lived and worked internationally for much of her professional life, she has developed deep expertise helping companies expand beyond their home markets. Her experience across both North America and Asia makes her particularly well positioned to help small and medium-sized technology companies accelerate their international growth.
Stephanie’s career began in China, where she entered the technology industry through public relations before steadily advancing into increasingly senior leadership positions with Intel. Over the years she worked with multinational technology companies, collaborating with executives across the semiconductor, electronics and cybersecurity industries while building an extensive international network of partners, customers and industry leaders.
Her experience extends well beyond China. Stephanie also spent time in Silicon Valley during one of the most transformative periods in the technology industry’s history, gaining first-hand exposure to the rapid innovation and entrepreneurial culture that helped shape today’s global technology landscape. While she appreciated the energy of Silicon Valley, she found herself drawn back to the international challenges and opportunities that Asia presented.
Returning to China, Stephanie assumed senior leadership responsibilities with a major OEM, where she helped develop new business opportunities and supported the growth of international manufacturing and customer relationships. More recently, she has focused on advising and consulting technology companies, helping organizations navigate international expansion strategies and connect with new markets around the world.
So what attracted Stephanie to BYG?
“The opportunity to work internationally again,” she explains. “Large companies often have global operations, but your own work can become surprisingly local. BYG gives me the opportunity to work with companies that are ambitious, entrepreneurial and looking to grow internationally from the very beginning.”
That perspective aligns closely with BYG’s approach. Rather than offering advice from a distance, BYG maintains experienced professionals on the ground across Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa. Clients gain access to local market knowledge, trusted business networks and practical support delivered by professionals who understand both the local business environment and the realities of international expansion.
Stephanie is particularly excited about helping emerging technology companies that have strong products but limited international experience. Having spent decades evaluating technology businesses, she brings a practical understanding of which companies are well positioned for global growth and how to help them prepare for expansion.
Her expertise is especially valuable in semiconductors and cybersecurity—two sectors experiencing rapid transformation driven by artificial intelligence and increasing global demand. She has observed a significant resurgence of innovation throughout the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Oregon’s semiconductor ecosystem, where experienced technology leaders are launching new ventures focused on AI infrastructure, advanced electronics, robotics and other emerging technologies.
Based in Portland, Stephanie has a front-row seat to this evolving technology community. She believes the region offers something distinctive: an unusually collaborative environment for early-stage companies. Local technology alliances, accelerators, venture investors and industry organizations actively support entrepreneurs, helping connect promising startups with funding, expertise and strategic partnerships. That ecosystem creates an ideal environment for companies that are preparing to expand internationally.
For BYG, Oregon represents another important source of innovative companies seeking global opportunities. Stephanie’s local relationships, combined with her international experience, strengthen BYG’s ability to identify promising technology firms and help them build successful international businesses.
“Many emerging companies have world-class technology,” Stephanie says. “What they often need is practical guidance, trusted local relationships and people who understand how business is actually done in different parts of the world.”
That philosophy reflects BYG’s own mission. The company was founded on the belief that international business development succeeds through experienced local professionals working together as one global team. Whether helping a cybersecurity company enter Southeast Asia, supporting an AI startup’s expansion into Latin America, or assisting a semiconductor company in identifying strategic partners across multiple regions, BYG combines local execution with global coordination.
Stephanie’s combination of executive leadership, international business experience and deep understanding of the technology sector makes her an outstanding addition to the BYG Advantage team. As BYG continues to help innovative companies expand into new international markets, clients will benefit from the insight, perspective and practical experience she brings to every engagement.
We are delighted to welcome Stephanie to BYG and look forward to the expertise, energy and global perspective she brings to our clients and partners around the world.
We’re here to help! If you have any questions, comments, or inquiries, our friendly team at BYG is ready to assist you. Get in touch with us via our convenient contact form, phone, or email, and our dedicated team will respond promptly. We value your feedback, and we’re committed to providing exceptional customer service.
John Fargis is a senior executive with over twenty-five years of general management experience in the China market. He has run Asia for a range of US and European software companies. Google purchased three of these companies. John is the Co-founder and Principal for BYG Advantage, focused on market acceleration with international technology firms across APAC, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. John’s management experience includes bridging dozens of technology companies into new global market opportunities. Until recently he was also an adjunct professor at the Hult International Business School Shanghai campus where he taught courses on Emerging Markets, Leadership and Chinese History. He is an independent director on the NASDAQ listed technology company, Ispire. (ISPR) and a Board of Managers at the Oakwood Friends School.
John first went to China as a Henry Luce Scholar in 1993 when he worked in Shanghai. He was the first foreigner in the modern era, allowed permission to work in a Chinese reform school. Prior to this assignment he had worked for four years as a New York City, special education schoolteacher in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
John has a B.A. with Honors in Medieval Studies from Wesleyan University, a Masters of Special Education from Hunter College and a Masters of Law and Diplomacy with a focus on international business and Chinese history from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. After resideing for decades in China, John currently lives in New Paltz, New York, not far from where he grew up.