Expanding to the US – lessons learnt from Index Ventures and British Consulate panel

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On January 21, we hosted a panel on the US expansion with Index Ventures and the British Consulate in San Francisco. You can view the recording of the session here, passcode: qw3m#@uA

You can access invaluable resources on the subject on a dedicated Index Ventures’ website.

Here’s what we have learnt from our esteemed panelists on different approaches founders have taken to accessing the US market.

Our panelists:

Do you still need to have a physical presence in the US? If so, where to go in the US (SF, NY or what about other tech hubs?)
Go where your customers are!

Who, when and how did you make your first US hire?
Different approaches; founder led or first local hire. Advice was to hire early to help with local product market fit and marketing and sales strategies. “Get stuck in and see what works”, iterating fast.

What’s your advice on corporate structure: creating a US subsidiary or flip to US top co?
Both Codat and Peanut are UK companies, increasingly irrelevant to investors, reach out to advisors on tax or legal.

Check out the GBx Brits by the Bay guide – this three-day program covered various topics relating to US expansion. The resources cover advice on corporate structure, talent and tax in  GBx Resources.