One year in the USA – the Munich startup Proglove dared as part of the German Accelerator Tech Program made the leap across the pond over 12 months ago. We spoke with COO Jonas Girardet to find out what experiences the young company has had on its American journey and how it's been doing since the end of the German Accelerator Tech Program in September.
Please give us an update — how has your US expansion progressed since we last spoke?
We are proud to have achieved almost all of our goals for the first twelve months in the US. In particular, our brand awareness has increased significantly in our core regions. We have also begun a major rollout at the US site of a European customer. We also wanted to establish the first series applications for several leading US brands. We have accomplished all of this, and we are very pleased with it. This, along with the commitment of Charlie Grieco as our new Vice President of Sales North America, makes us very optimistic about the future of our US business.
Looking back on your time in the USA so far, is there anything you would do differently?
To be honest, there are many things we could have done differently. We would probably approach the development of our sales team differently. That is, instead of training Americans in Germany and then sending them to the US, we would probably simply transfer a few experienced salespeople from Germany to the US.
Cultural differences and different expectations
Do you feel like you've adapted to the US market? What was the most important change for you?
We're on the right track, but we still have a few adjustments to make. Some of these have to do with how our German headquarters interacts with our US office. This mainly involves cultural differences and different expectations that we couldn't have foreseen. The expectation that we could simply bring existing European customers into the American market hasn't panned out.
You recently relocated your US office from New York to Chicago. Why did you choose this city?
In the US, we initially focused on the automotive industry. Chicago was almost a logical choice. It was definitely also a strategic decision, because it makes sense to be closer to our customers.
What are the next steps for Proglove?
We will need to continue expanding in the North American market and definitely grow beyond our current customer base of automotive and European companies. Specifically, we are looking more closely at industries such as logistics, warehousing, retail, and e-commerce.
No fundamental change in strategy
You recently had a Financing round of 5.5 million euros completed. How does this affect your strategy?
We will continue to invest in our product and the structure we need to drive our expansion. But above all, we must approach the upcoming investments intelligently and be guided by our business acumen. In other words, there will be no fundamental change of course in terms of strategy.
You've spent a lot of time in the US in recent months. How has the company in Germany been doing without you?
I returned to Germany in the second half of last year to focus on product development. The biggest change was the arrival of our new CEO, Andreas König, who brings extensive experience with fast-growing companies like ours.
German Accelerator shows the fastest way through the labyrinth
What was it like for you to live in New York?
Living in one of the most exciting places in the world is undoubtedly an exhilarating experience—it's hard to escape the energy of the city that never sleeps.
What advice would you give to a startup that is about to start the German Accelerator program?
The program is designed to accelerate your business. However, that doesn't mean you don't have to do anything yourself. You'll be shown the fastest path through the labyrinth, but there's still a lot to do on the way to your goal. Prospective program participants should prepare well for this.
