Expanding to the US: What European Founders Must Prepare First

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-23

The question of expanding to the US often comes up early, while you're still raising seed capital and still arguing about product-market fit at home. What makes it expensive is rarely the answer. It's the order. Customers, founder presence, immigration, fundraising, structure, banking, and the evidence file—they all wait on each other. Get the sequence wrong, and you'll burn cash and time. So let's walk through what really matters before you commit. ### 1. Decide your timing before the market decides it for you The case for starting earlier is in the data. Index Ventures' research, published as "Winning in the US" and drawn from an analysis of over 500 VC-backed startups plus a survey of 140 companies, reports that 64% of companies now expand to the US at pre-seed or seed stage, against 33% across 2015–2019. The longer series is the more interesting number: close to 60% expanded before a Series A between 2008 and 2014, so the current figure is a return to older behavior rather than a straight line upwards. Either way, preparing earlier is not the same as committing earlier. International expansion is one of the few decisions where that difference costs real money. Both directions carry a cost: too early burns the runway and splits the founders' attention; too late hands the market to whoever moves first. The test to watch is repeatability. One enthusiastic buyer in Boston is a lead. Four buyers with the same problem, similar procurement patterns, and a clear willingness to pay are a much stronger signal of repeatable demand. Give the pilots a full quarter before hiring a sales leader. Two enterprise conversations in six weeks tell you very little about the sales cycle, and American enthusiasm in early meetings is easy to mistake for buying intent. A full quarter of pilot data gives a much better basis for separating what genuinely has to be local from what can stay in Europe. ### 2. Plan for founder presence: it matters more than most teams expect US expansion usually becomes founder-led before it becomes headcount-led. Enterprise buyers want the person who can change the roadmap. Investors want to read the founder rather than the deck. First hires need someone to sit next to. None of that amounts to relocation. What it amounts to is knowing which activities need a body in the room, how often, and for how long. So build the 90-day founder calendar before committing to a move to the US. Plot the customer meetings, the investor roadshow, and the hiring work, then hold that calendar against the founder's current immigration position. Some of it will fit. Some of it will need different authorization, and that's the part worth discovering in March rather than in September, if you plan your trip in September. ### 3. Treat immigration as a business dependency, not end-stage paperwork This is a work-stream that is often treated as paperwork and dealt with late, even though it can carry one of the longest lead times. It helps to know what the main founder route actually asks for. O-1A covers extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, or athletics, shown by sustained national or international acclaim. The petition needs either a major internationally recognized award or at least three of eight evidentiary criteria, among them recognized prizes, published material about the founder, judging the work of others, original contributions of major significance, a critical role for a distinguished organization, and high remuneration. Meeting three criteria is only the starting point, not the outcome. USCIS reads the record as a whole, so three well-documented criteria usually carry more weight than five weak ones. Depending on the facts, counsel may also raise L-1, E-2, EB-2 NIW (national interest waiver), or the International Entrepreneur Rule. They are not interchangeable, and two of them can be ruled out before anyone examines merit. E-2 requires the founder's nationality to be covered by a qualifying treaty, so it's not a universal founder option. The International Entrepreneur Rule is another possibility, but it's not a visa—it's parole, which comes with its own limits. ### 4. Get your legal and banking structure right early US expansion isn't just about visas and customers. You'll need a US entity, likely a Delaware C-corp, especially if you plan to raise from US investors. That means dealing with registered agents, EINs, and state filings. Banking is another bottleneck. Opening a US business bank account as a non-resident can take weeks, sometimes months. You'll need proof of address, tax IDs, and sometimes a physical presence. Start this early—it's a common delay. And don't forget the evidence file. For immigration and investor due diligence, you'll need a well-organized record of your company's achievements, press, and financials. Build it as you go, not in a panic. ### 5. Sequence your moves to save time and money The biggest mistake is doing things in the wrong order. For example, don't hire a US sales team before you have repeatable demand. Don't sign a office lease before you know your founder's visa situation. Don't raise a US round before your legal structure is ready. A simple rule: customers first, then founder presence, then immigration, then structure, then banking, then fundraising. The evidence file runs alongside everything. It's not glamorous, but getting the order right is what separates a smooth expansion from a costly mess. > "Expanding to the US is not a sprint; it's a relay. Hand off the baton in the right order, or you'll drop it." So take a breath. Map out your next 90 days. Talk to founders who've done it. And remember: preparing earlier doesn't mean committing earlier. It means being ready when the market says go.