menu
For many founders, breaking into the US is not just a growth opportunity, it’s a defining moment. The US is the world’s largest software market, and unlike Europe, it’s relatively homogenous. That means that once you’ve found product-market fit, scaling to $10M and $100M ARR can happen faster. The market is big, customers are easier to reach at scale, and it’s easier to build a repeatable playbook across one large market than across many fragmented ones.
At Scale Capital, we’ve spent years helping Nordic and German B2B startups make this jump. We’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and where the real inflection points lie. This is a practical guide for founders who want to scale beyond borders.
The big question is always what the right timing is for entering the US market. Many treat US expansion as a milestone tied to revenue targets. In practice, timing is more about operational maturity than ARR. The companies that succeed typically have:
We also like to see companies that have already expanded to one or more nearby markets in Europe. Entering markets like the UK, Germany, or the Nordics beyond their home country gives teams valuable experience in adapting their GTM strategy. Those lessons make a big difference when stepping into a much bigger and more competitive US market.
Expanding too early often stretches teams thin and forces expensive course corrections. The sweet spot is when the company has proven traction and is ready both organizationally and commercially.
The US is not one big market: it’s several smaller markets tied together. Landing in New York is not the same as landing in Austin or San Francisco. Startups that succeed usually take a focused approach rather than spreading themselves too thin. We often advise our companies to go where their customers or partners already are, if they have any.
Companies that win early tend to:
It’s also smart to think about where they can hire affordable and good commercial talent, and not least, consider the time zone relative to their home market.
Nordic or German startups often underestimate how different US go-to-market strategies are. What works in Copenhagen or Stockholm or Berlin rarely translates directly. A pricing model, sales process, or value proposition often needs rethinking.
A key point here is not to assume product-market fit too early. Even if your product has strong traction in Europe, you still need to test, learn, and adjust. Winning companies:
It’s not about abandoning your company and sales DNA. It’s about speaking the same language as the market you’re entering.
Trying to expand to the US by hiring a single salesperson or setting up a remote office rarely works. Early US expansion is founder-led by nature. Customers, investors, and partners want to meet the founders, not just see them on Zoom.
We often advise our companies to bring a co-founder or another senior commercial leader to the US to build up the commercial office. At the same time, we recommend keeping R&D and the HQ in the home market. That way, companies can scale commercially in the US without burning unnecessary capital or losing their engineering culture.
The Nordic ecosystem now has a growing group of companies that have successfully expanded to the US. Many are happy to share their experiences and advice. This peer network can help founders avoid common pitfalls; from hiring their first US AE, to setting up pricing, to navigating cultural differences in negotiations, etc.
We also believe it’s important to partner with someone who has done it before – whether it’s advisors, investors, or operators with hands-on US expansion experience. It can dramatically shorten the learning curve and reduce costly missteps.
US expansion isn’t right for every company, and it shouldn’t be rushed. But for the right startup at the right time, it can be transformative. The combination of Nordic product strength and US market scale has produced some of the region’s most successful outcomes.
The key is to treat the US not as a box to tick but as a long-term commitment. Enter deliberately, with the right timing, a focused landing strategy, and the right people on the ground. That’s when US expansion can become a real growth engine.
