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The Right Way For U.S. Startups To Expand Into Europe

For companies with global ambitions, especially those in the U.S. looking to expand internationally, Europe is a natural first choice given its maturity and large consumer market. Because of this maturity, many companies assume taking a ‘copy-and-paste’ approach to European expansion will suffice. However, as with any new market, there are nuances and keys to success that can make or break a company’s ability to survive and hopefully thrive in uncharted territory. The good news: there are tried and true methods to guide companies looking to make the leap.

On the heels of growth stage fund Frontline X’s European Expansion 2020 Report, which analyzed 175 venture-backed B2B Software companies that have expanded into Europe over the past 15 years, I spoke with Frontline Partner Stephen McIntyre about keys to success and mistakes to avoid for companies looking to enter the European market and internationalize operations. McIntyre has no shortage of insights on the topic, having previously run Google’s ad business in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) and set up Twitter’s first international office as their VP of EMEA.