Hello from San Francisco

Hello from San Francisco, hope you've been well!

2025 is off to a powerful start here at USA Launching Pad — we've hit the ground running, helping ambitious companies expand and grow their sales in the U.S. market. In this edition, you'll find:

• Scottish Enterprise’s “MarketBooster” Scaleup Program – How we’re helping Scotland’s top tech companies break into the U.S. market.

• Best Practices for Entering the U.S. – What international founders need to know.

• Customer Spotlight: Success stories from our client Matom.ai from Lithuania – Lessons learned and outcomes from their Launching Pads.

Let’s dive in! 

Scotland to America: MarketBooster in Action

Helping Scotland’s Best Tech Companies Scale Up in the U.S.

The Scottish government selected us to work with five innovative Scottish tech companies in the brand-new “MarketBooster” Program, designed to boost company growth and sales traction in the U.S. market for high-potential scaleup companies. The program was created by Scottish Enterprise & Scottish Development International. The tech companies are in the AI, cybersecurity, financial services, and automation industries.

Key Takeaways from the Program:

• Customer Discovery at Scale and Speed – Engaging directly with U.S. buyers is the most direct way to tune a product offering and refine messaging. During a kick-off in Edinburgh, Scotland, we onboarded five companies in just 2.5 days. Within two weeks each company had a multi-person outreach running to potential US customers. By the end of week three, first interviews with potential US customers were booked and by week 8 we had reached out to 10,000 potential US customers and made 2,000 new connections for the companies.

• Executing Sales Operations – Methodically capturing data and insights from discovery interviews with potential US customers is key to learning how to adapt and customize the US go-to-market. Again and again, our customers find that blindly relying on a recipe that worked elsewhere is too risky for the US market: Too big, too costly, too competitive. Methodically testing is the way to go to maximize chances for success while minimizing expenses. This applies both to large decisions, such as target segments, and small but crucial ones, such as recreating sales collateral with the help of a US designer and writer for cultural fit. 

• Immersion in Silicon Valley:  The mindset in American (tech) businesses is very different. The way Americans sell to each other is also very different. Foreigners who want to attract customers and employees in the USA successfully need to learn these ways. This is why we ask all of our customers to come and spend at least two weeks with us in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. They all discover how to interact the US way in the ecosystem, how to actively promote themselves (modesty and understatement do not get you results in the USA), and how to interpret conversations. You simply can’t learn this from a book, a Zoom call or on a short business trip. 

Best Practices: What It Takes to Win in the U.S.

Top 3 lessons for startups entering the U.S. market

1. Americans buy on value, not features.
In Europe, buyers focus on technical details and product features. In the U.S., storytelling, value creation and ROI matter more. Founders must shift their pitch from “Look at our amazing features” to “Here’s the business impact we create.”

2. Follow-up is key.
American business culture moves fast – founders must follow up within 24 hours or risk losing momentum. Hustling is respected here!

3. Messaging must be direct.
In Europe, background context is expected. In the U.S., you must get straight to the point in sales conversations. If a potential buyer doesn’t immediately see the value, they move on.

Case Study:

A UK-based AI-driven warehouse automation startup entered the U.S. market in early 2024. Despite early traction in Europe, they faced unexpected hurdles in their American expansion.

Here’s what they learned:

1. Americans buy on value, not features.
Initially, the startup pitched their advanced AI and proprietary computer vision algorithms. However, U.S. prospects were unmoved. The breakthrough came when they reframed their pitch: instead of “Our AI reduces picking errors by 25%,” they said, “We help warehouses save $2M annually in lost productivity and shipping errors.” This shift led to a 3x increase in engagement.

2. Follow-up is key.
In Europe, the startup was used to long sales cycles with infrequent touchpoints. In the U.S., prospects expected immediate responses. After missing a few key follow-ups, they revamped their approach—responding to inquiries within hours, not days—which kept deals moving forward and built credibility.

3. Messaging must be direct.
Early sales calls involved detailed explanations of AI models and automation processes, but U.S. buyers tuned out. They refined their pitch to “We cut warehouse costs by 30% in 90 days”—a clear, direct value proposition that got them in the door with major retailers.

Results:

After adapting their approach, the UK-based startup secured a major U.S. logistics client within six months, accelerating their market entry. This case shows that adapting to U.S. buyer expectations, focusing on value, speed, and clarity, is critical for startup success.

Customer Spotlight: Matom’s U.S. Expansion Journey

Matom, a Lithuanian startup specializing in 3D vision and embedded AI, spent three weeks in San Francisco with USA Launching Pad and InnoHub Lithuania.

"Before joining USA Launching Pad, we had some customers in the U.S., but we wanted to approach the market in a more structured way. Expanding to the U.S. was a big step. The program gave us a systematic approach to building a sales pipeline and market strategy. It was a challenging but rewarding experience, helping me dive deeper into the cultural differences in business networking, sales, and communication. As a startup founder, I can’t afford to waste time on theoretical consultations—I needed a practical, hands-on approach. If your company wants to enter the U.S. faster and with less risk, I highly recommend USA Launching Pad." – Paulius, CEO of Matom AI

Key Achievements:

• Started testing their U.S. market fit with real customer interviews.

• Refined their go-to-market strategy based on local insights.

“One of the biggest advantages was market research and customer discovery—testing messaging, learning how to position our product efficiently, and getting real feedback from potential clients. The program gave us a systematic approach to building a sales pipeline and market strategy.” – Paulius, CEO of Matom AI

Top 3 lessons learned:

• Americans are open but quick to say no – Interest doesn’t always mean intent to buy.

• Immediate follow-up is critical – U.S. customers expect quick action.

• Messaging must be U.S.-specific – Their marketing materials needed an overhaul to connect with American buyers.

TOPS & FLOPS: What Worked, What Didn’t?

TOP: The Best Decisions We Saw This Quarter

• Matom’s approach to customer discovery – They conducted targeted interviews with potential buyers before making major product adjustments. It saved them months of misalignment.

• Virtido’s rapid follow-ups – The Swiss startup applied a U.S.-style sales approach and invested in one team member staying in the USA for three months. They were rewarded with over 30 leads and several proposals outstanding even before their Launching Pad was over.

  

• Scottish commitment to immersion – Our Scottish MarketBooster cohort will spend eight weeks in Silicon Valley to build key relationships to fast-track their U.S. market entry.

FLOP: What Didn’t Work & What We Learned

• European sales messaging doesn’t translate – Some founders initially used a feature-heavy pitch, which didn’t resonate with U.S. buyers. The lesson? Focus on business impact and move it to the beginning of your pitch.

• Slow decision-making = missed opportunities – A few startups were too polite (shy?) to immediately respond to potential U.S. partners. In the U.S., a slow response is often interpreted as a lack of interest.

• Overcomplicating GTM strategy – Some founders build a complex go-to-market plan before even testing assumptions. In the U.S., you test and refine as you go - as long as you test methodically and capture data to make decisions. 

The takeaway?

Adapt quickly, follow up immediately, and always focus on value.

What’s Next?

We have more exciting programs launching this year, with new international cohorts preparing to enter the U.S. market.

• Stay tuned for updates on:

• New client partnerships

• Thought leadership insights

• More client success stories

Follow us on LinkedIn for real-time updates!

Thank you, and see you next time.

Gert, Matt, and the entire USA Launching Pad team 🚀