In our Europe to US series, we speak with founders and advisors about the complex topic of breaking into the US market from Europe. We talk about everything from early scrappiness to hiring, culture, and go-to-market strategy. You can find the full conversation on Spotify and YouTube below.
Highlights from this conversation:
- Moving to Minneapolis as Siteimprove’s first US employee
- From $23K ARR to $50M+ and 200+ employees in North America
- The power of hyper-focused ICPs in US growth
Torben Rytt moved from Denmark to Minneapolis in 2007 as Siteimprove’s first US employee. At the time, the company had less than $1M ARR globally and just 10 staff. By the time of its eventual acquisition in 2020 by Nordic Capital, North America was the largest region with $50M+ ARR and more than 200 employees.
Torben shares lessons from being both a cultural carrier and sales leader in the early years, why focusing on niche verticals unlocked growth, and how Siteimprove maintained cohesion even as the US team grew larger than HQ.
More from the conversation:
- Why Minneapolis became a winning US hub for Siteimprove
- How hyper-focused industry verticals unlocked adoption
- Hiring 500+ go-to-market staff and the interview question Torben always asked
- Three tips for European founders: start early, start small, and get profitable