US Expansion and Fundraising

Calling all founders that have expanded their business to the USA in the last 12 months, or who are planning to do so in the next 12 months! 

At Rocketmakers we’re big believers in paying things forward so when our friend Dan Glazer, London Office Managing Partner at Wilson Sonsini (aka the Silicon Valley Law Firm) offered to host a dinner with us to support local founders planning to expand to and/or fundraise in the USA, we jumped at the chance. Read on to find out more. 

Google would have you believe that opening an office and setting yourself up for fundraise in the USA is as simple as a five-step process:

• Step 1: Prepare a Business Plan. 
• Step 2: Set up the US Company. 
• Step 3: Set up a U.S. Business Checking Account.
• Step 4: Obtain a B-1 Business Visa to set up the physical office space. 
• Step 5: Apply for the L-1A Visa with USCIS.

But having seen a fair number of local founders go through the process, it’s abundantly clear that there is a lot more involved than a bit of paperwork and a bank account. Questions like ‘What are the unique U.S. expansion considerations for B2B companies?’ and ‘how is hiring employees different in the U.S.?’ spring to mind. Lucky for us, Dan has prepared a comprehensive FAQ for founders considering US expansion and fundraising, which you can find here.

If these questions resonate with you, and you are planning a USA office expansion in the next 12 months (or have started your move in the last 12 months), or you are looking to raise funds in the USA please get in touch to request a place at our invite-only dinner event on 20th September 2022 at Rocketmakers HQ. The evening will no doubt focus on the experiences and needs of our attendees, and likely on the practicalities of expansion and the opportunities of fundraising once you’re there. We will be joined by our co-conspirators and friends from Silicon Valley Bank and anticipate a delicious, informative, and solution-focussed evening. 

To express your interest, contact briony@rocketmakers.com  with details of your expansion plans and questions you’d like answers to.

For those interested in this topic, you might also find value in this article from Brett Pentz, Vice President of ECI North America, a growth-focused mid-market private equity firm via Business Leader.

And finally, in case you're wondering why Rocketmakers are hosting and facilitating this event, there are two key reasons - first, we have clients and friends who are planning global expansion and this seems like a useful thing to do, generosity is in our DNA. And second, we believe that helping the regional business ecosystem to grow will ultimately help us to do more great, impact-led work too.

Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash