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STEP USA Alumnus tenacio opens U.S. subsidiary in New York City

August 9, 2021

Digital cardiovascular care company tenacio expands to the US and establishes presence in New York City

Berlin/New York, 01 Aug 2021

  • The Berlin-based digital cardiovascular care company is now present in the United States
  • io, Inc. in New York City will work with partners and serve customers across the country
  • Its solution enables health care systems to reduce cost and to improve outcomes in cardiovascular care

 tenacio, whose mission is to improve outcomes for patients and reduce cost through getting research into practice, has expanded to the United States. The company addresses the #1 cause of death globally: cardiovascular disease. It is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and works with collaboration partners and investors from Germany, the UK, and the US. The formation of tenac.io, Inc., in Manhattan, New York allows for closer collaboration with partners and customers across the United States.

 

Cardiovascular disease is a major health problem globally with more than 17 million deaths and costs of $1 trillion annually. tenacio has developed a solution to address cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through precision medicine and curated treatment recommendations. Its validated and proprietary risk prediction algorithm calculates a patient’s individual risk for cardiovascular events and provides the physician with tailored treatment recommendations. In a retrospective study, tenacio’s solution could have reduced events such as stroke and death by up to 30% versus standard of care.

 

“We are excited about establishing our presence in the US so that we can work closely with our partners and customers on solutions that help physicians and patients and that can also reduce cost for health care systems”, says Georg van Husen, MD, co-founder and CEO of tenacio. “New York is the perfect place for us to build the bridge between our product development in Germany and our future US operations. We are looking forward to becoming part of the vibrant NYC digital health community!”

 

 

About tenacio

  • tenacio is digitizing cardiovascular care to improve outcomes and reduce cost by transforming cardiovascular disease management using state-of-the-art technology and leading-edge science to provide dynamic and individualized care for patients
  • tenacio has a proprietary, validated risk prediction algorithm for stroke, mortality and bleeding and provides curated treatment recommendations for cardiovascular patients
  • tenacio was founded in 2019 by Professor Ajay Lord Kakkar, Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute in London (UK) and Georg van Husen, MD

 

www.tenac.io

 

Press contact

 

Georg van Husen, co-founder & CEO georg.van_husen@tenac.io

p +49-151-260 74154

 

tenac.io GmbH

Oberwallstrasse 6

10117 Berlin Germany

 

tenac.io. Inc.

447 Broadway, 2nd floor New York, NY 10013 United States

P (212)-252-2168

Filed Under: In the Media, News, NYC Ecosystem, Success Stories Tagged With: alumni stories, business, GACC NY, internationalization, networking, startup, STEPUSA

STEP USA Alumnus MOTOURISMO raises 1 million Euros – US market expansion in progress

July 26, 2021

photo by Motourismo

STEP USA Alumnus MOTOURISMO raises 1 million Euros – US market expansion in progress

International round of business angels and strategic motorcycle partners investing in specialized travel for global audience

Hamburg/Oss/New York, July 26th 2021
Downloads: press release as a pdf, doc, fotos
Motorcycle travel platform MOTOURISMO.com has raised a total of more than €1M in a seed funding round. New investors are Dutch motorcycle apparel brand REV’IT!, business angels from the U.S., Israel and Europe, Austrian Danube Angels network, U.S. motorcycle community ADVrider and Hamburg-based IFB Innovationsstarter GmbH and its Corona Recovery Fund. Howzat Ennea Group advised the startup on the transaction and is also participating in the round.

MOTOURISMO will use the funding for further international expansion and technical development. “We can now intensify our preparations for the upcoming travel boom at the foreseeable end of the pandemic at full speed,” says co-founder and CEO Michael Carlin. “We are convinced to invest in tourism and in high-quality, specific services for a demanding, international target group right now, even more so in a previously completely underestimated market.”

“As a travel startup, being able to raise a seven-figure amount in the current situation is an impressive sign of the potential of our segment,” adds co-founder and CMO Christoph Kähler. “We are very much looking forward to continuing our successful path now with the support of our new, international shareholders.”

MOTOURISMO is running a combined concept of booking platform and online travel agency, joining forces with around 100 special travel partners from all over the world. In its beta phase, MOTOURISMO was initially launched in German-speaking countries and was awarded the Best Travel Technology Award of the German Travel Industry Club in 2019; and, since the beginning of 2020, it has also been serving a so far barely digitized mass market in English language.

For the first time on MOTOURISMO.com, the global target group of several hundred million motorcyclists will be able to search, find and book thousands of experiences quickly and easily, from small day trips to long-distance travel packages lasting several weeks. The portfolio is supplemented by motorcycle training courses and motorcycle shipping. In addition, further categories are planned.

The search engine on MOTOURISMO.com lists the services of its partners and provides motorcyclists with tools to find relevant trips, training and shipping with granular filters for targeted search by region, date and motorcycle-specific services and categories.

“We are very excited to be part of MOTOURISMO’s journey into the future”, says Ivan Vos, managing director of REV’IT! Sport International. “As a leading apparel brand in the motorcycle industry, our mission is to inspire people to ride. We do this not only by developing high-performance, well-designed and certified motorcycle apparel, but now also by offering specialized services and unique customer experiences. Bringing the benefits of the MOTOURISMO platform to the attention of our global customer base, we provide access to a unique service and the opportunity for great riding experiences. At the same time, MOTOURISMO benefits from our reach through a variety of marketing-communication channels and may expect new platform users coming from the global REV’IT! riding community.”

MOTOURISMO will also keep up its existing cooperation with Louis, Europe’s number one retailer of motorcycle apparel and accessories. Further cooperations with partners from the international motorcycle and travel industry are in motion – now with REV’IT! in particular. Special REV’IT! MOTOURISMO experiences will be coming soon.

Michael Buller, Chairman of the German Association of Online Travel Distributors VIR, sees the seed financing round as a “very successful signal to young founders, especially in Corona times”. Since 2019, MOTOURISMO has been a member of VIR which includes more than 80 companies operating in digital tourism.
Contacts:

MOTOURISMO by tripsntracks UG
www.motourismo.com
Gluckstraße 57 | 22081 Hamburg | Germany

Michael Carlin | Co-Founder
m +49 171 2703537 | e mc@motourismo.com
Christoph Kähler | Co-Founder
m +49 163 2505851 | e ck@motourismo.com

REV’IT! Sport International B.V.
www.revitsport.com
Egbert Egbers | Global Marketing Director
Vorstengrafdonk 20 | 5342 LT Oss | The Netherlands
t +31 412 696 787 | e eegbers@revit.eu

Danube Angels GmbH
www.danubeangels.com
Paul G. Putz, MBA | Managing Director
Otto-Bauer-Gasse 4/4 | 1060 Vienna | Austria
t +43 1 382 00 23 | e paul.putz@danubeangels.com

ADVrider
www.advrider.com
New York | USA
e contact@advrider.com

Howzat Ennea GmbH
www.howzat-ennea.com
Jan-Frederik Valentin | Partner
Schönhauser Allee 44 | 10435 Berlin | Germany
t +49 151 5362 3952 | e jan@ennea.vc

Filed Under: News, Success Stories Tagged With: alumni stories, GACC NY, innovation, internationalization, startup, STEPUSA, success

STEP USA University Program – in cooperation with DWIH New York

June 22, 2021

STEP USA Virtual: 4-day boot camp on how to enter the U.S. Market 

Get a head-start on your future U.S. market expansion!

Register here: http://www.stepusa.io/registration

The German American Chamber of Commerce New York introduced the STEP USA program in 2014. Since then, more than 300 companies participated in the program and are now part of our Alumni Network. Following the proven track-record of STEP USA, we created STEP USA  virtual, a 4-day immersion program for startups and entrepreneurs uniquely designed and adapted in direct response to the current needs of startups to enable companies to join and work from anywhere.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Your package includes:

Participation in the basic 4-day virtual program (up to 2 people from one startup) from Dec 6 – 9, 2021

STEP USA VIRTUAL program participation fee: EUR 750,- per company

*******************************************************************************************************************

STEP USA VIRTUAL Agenda at a Glance:

Dec 6 – 9,  2021

Monday
15:00 – 16:00 Welcome & Founder Introductions 
16:00 – 16:30 U.S. Economic Update
This session will provide insights and a snapshot of changes in the current U.S. economy.
16:30 – 17:30 Legal, Employment & U.S. Incorporation
A holistic view of the fundamentals of doing business in the U.S. and important factors to consider.
17:45 – 18:45 Insights into U.S. Tech Ecosystems: Boston, New York & Silicon Valley
Regional experts will discuss top innovation outposts in the U.S. and share insights on how these world-class startups thrive.
Tuesday
14:45 – 15:00 Daily Check-in
15:00 – 16:30 Power of Messaging & Storytelling
Learn to develop a clear and direct message and achieve a well-crafted sales, marketing and fundraising pitch.
16:30 – 18:00 IP Law: How to protect your product / service in the U.S.
17:45 – 18:45 Founder Networking & Best Practices Exchange
Wednesday
14:45 – 15:00 Daily Check-in
15:00 – 16:30 Sales & Productivity Market Fit
Get expert advice on your product and if it’s delivering the needs of your target customers.
16:45 – 18:00 Why Startups need PR?
Thursday
14:45 – 15:00  Daily Check-in
15:00 – 16:15 Investor Insight and Current State of Funding & Raising Capital
Deep dive into how international companies raise money from U.S. investors and current investment landscape from expert investors.
16:30 – 18:00 Networking with U.S. based founders & industry experts 
18:00 – 19:00 Wrap-up & Evaluation

Please note that the agenda is subject to change and will be adapted to the needs of the participants. All times are in German time zone. 

Filed Under: NYC Ecosystem, STEP USA Week, Welcome Tagged With: GACC NY, innovation, internationalization, investment, New York, STEPUSA, VC, webinar

STEP USA Alumnus MyPostcard ranks 28th in the Technology Fast 50 – Germany’s fastest growing technology company.

January 7, 2021

With 267,48 percent growth, STEP USA alumnus MyPostcard ranks 28th in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 in 2020, making it one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in Germany.

Berlin, December 2nd, 2020 – MyPostcard receives the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award. Rankings are based on the percentage of sales growth over the last four financial years (2016-2019). MyPostcard achieved growth of 267,48 percent in this period. The self-developed technology of the Berlin company contributed significantly to this sales growth.

The MyPostcard app allows its users to design and send personalized greetings featuring their own photos as real printed postcards. MyPostcard takes care of printing and international delivery. With three million downloads, the Berlin-based company is now the most successful and, with a rating of 4.6 stars, the most popular postcard app, making it the German market leader in the postcard app sector. MyPostcard brings the good old postcard into the digital age.

Marco Hülsmann, COO and CTO of MyPostcard, considers the turnover growth rate of 267,48 percent over the last four years to be particularly positive. “One of our particular strengths has always been our clear focus on technology. However, the last year in particular has shown us that innovation and flexibility are important attributes for scalability. That and our first-class team are the reason why we were able to further expand our market leadership, ”says Hülsmann.

“The winners of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 show how innovation and entrepreneurial success can be combined through their products and services”, explains Dr. Andreas Gentner, Partner and Head of Technology, Media & Telecommunications EMEA at Deloitte. “I wish our participants and award winners all the best for their entrepreneurial future. Their success makes the future look bright for Germany as a tech location. “

About STEP USA

STEP USA is a 5-day startup boot camp launched and organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce New York (GACC NY). A highly successful program, it focuses on facilitating U.S. market access for young innovative companies and takes place four times a year. It also exists in a virtual format. STEP USA prides itself on having created a network of more than 300 STEP USA alumni, more than 60 U.S. incorporations, and 35 investment rounds. It is tailored to the needs of startups who intent to scale their business internationally.

About MyPostcard

The postcard of tomorrow: MyPostcard is Germany’s most successful postcard app, letting customers send their own photos as real printed postcards. The app is currently available in ten languages and is home to the world’s largest collection of postcards for sale with more than 50,000 designs available. With the help of an international network of printing houses, MyPostcard takes care of printing and delivering the personalized postcards. Founder and CEO is Oliver Kray, a designer and serial entrepreneur. The company is headquartered in Berlin with an additional office in New York and currently employs 30 staff. It is ranked among the top 1000 fastest growing companies in Europe according to the Financial Times, even achieving place 19 in the ecommerce sector.

 

Filed Under: In the Media, News, STEP USA Ambassador, Success Stories Tagged With: alumni stories, business, GACC NY, internationalization, networking, startup, STEPUSA

The STEP USA program has opened many doors for us!

January 5, 2021

STEP USA is a 5-day startup boot camp launched and organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce New York (GACC NY). A highly successful program, it focuses on facilitating U.S. market access for young innovative companies and takes place four times a year in New York. It also exists in a virtual format. STEP USA prides itself on having created a network of more than 360 STEP USA alumni, around 65 U.S. incorporations, and 35 investment rounds. It is tailored to the needs of startups who intent to scale their business internationally. 

The GACC NY is featuring selected STEP USA Alumni, calling these founders “STEP USA Ambassadors”.

“The STEP USA program has opened many doors for us!”

Located in the heart of Hamburg, Nitrobox GmbH was founded in August 2012 and currently employs 40 people. In February 2020, the successful fintech company won Porsche Ventures and NeueCapital Partners as investors, raising a first institutional investment. Nitrobox is growing rapidly and has just won the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award – being one of the Top 10 growing software companies in Germany. In March 2019, CEO Henner Heistermann joined us for our STEP USA program in New York. Today he talks with us about their U.S. market plans and their most valuable take-aways from the STEP USA program in New York.

GACC NY: Henner – congrats on your investment! Tell us about what Nitrobox does and what makes you so successful?

Henner Heistermann: Good seeing you again – it’s been a while since we were in New York. Generally speaking, we are a fintech company located in Hamburg. We develop a SaaS solution that enables our enterprise customers to monetize digital business models such as subscriptions or pay-per-use very quickly. Nitrobox is a smart technology that combines all the necessary functions in a central platform and thus enables companies to handle their digital revenue and accounting processes from anywhere in the world – almost in real-time and very cost-effectively. Customers love about our product that they can integrate our software into their existing systems. We use state-of-the-art API interfaces that make it possible to quickly extract and process the necessary data from existing financial systems and providers.

GACC NY: How are things working out for Nitrobox in the current economic crisis?

Henner Heistermann: The Corona pandemic is taking its toll on all of us, both in our private and business lives – no doubt about that. In the beginning, our greatest concern was what impact the crisis would have on our customers. Because if they were affected, so would we. Some of our most important customers are well-known automobile manufacturers and mobility providers. And as we all know – the crisis had a massive impact on this industry. On the other hand, however, the crisis has boosted many digital projects in the automotive world.

GACC NY: Are there things going better for you than you expected?

Henner Heistermann: Oh yes, this also surprised us at first. Our customers’ digital projects, in which we had already been involved in the planning and expansion, all of a sudden experienced a real boost. Even additional projects such as online car sales were brought forward so that the crisis did by no means have a negative impact on our business. We are of course very pleased about this.

GACC NY: That’s really wonderful to hear. What do you consider the greatest success in your company’s history?

Henner Heistermann: About two years ago, we won Porsche as a new customer. Porsche recognized the importance of digital business models early on and saw our solution as a strategic building block for their company. During the initial talks, it very quickly became clear that we share the same ideas and visions. The implementation of various projects went very smoothly. It’s a great feeling that such a renowned company has chosen our product, believes in our vision and continuously handles further digital business models via our platform. In early 2020, Porsche together with a US venture capital fund invested in our company This is, of course, a fantastic success for the Nitrobox and a tremendous vote of confidence.

GACC NY: Looking back, is there ‘a lesson learned’ that you can share with us?

Henner Heistermann: Sure! For our product, we initially had a completely different target group in mind. At first, we didn’t offer our solution to the large enterprise companies that we count among our customers today. We were very active in the midmarket segment. But that was not as successful as we had hoped, because our solution suits large companies much better. Our product-market fit was simply not ideal. When we realized that, we had to completely realign our marketing and sales processes. That was a tremendous challenge, which we, fortunately, managed to master in a short time. In retrospect, we should have focused on large enterprises right from the start. That was an important learning experience for us.

GACC NY: Thanks for sharing this! Can you please tell us why the U.S. market is important for you?

Henner Heistermann: Well, in Germany, many companies are very reluctant to adopt new business models – although they should do so particularly right now. They still tend to rely more on so-called “good old German engineering”.

Companies in the U.S., however, are generally more open to new ideas. This is probably due to the fact that they recognized early on that new business models will establish themselves very quickly because customers are increasingly demanding flexible digital services. The most important thing on the US market is 100% customer happiness, a unique selling proposition that every company strives for: returning, happy customers who are then also willing to buy more.

Companies like Uber, Netflix, and Amazon are excellent examples of what the subscription economy has produced and made successful. We at Nitrobox are going a step further. We are enabling “pay by use” business models. Conventional American software products in that segment tend to usually be cumbersome, often too expensive, not very flexible, and designed for only one use case. Nitrobox, however, can be used worldwide in any language, in any currency, and with high flexibility to adapt – for any new business model. The best part is that there is no need for lengthy and cost-intensive adaptations to the client’s existing software systems.

As a result, we help our clients save up to 75% of their costs in the order-to-cash process – money they can invest in new digital business models. Many American companies are quick at starting innovative projects. In my estimation, Germany still needs about one to two years in this process.

GACC NY: Is that why you joined our STEP USA program in March 2019?

Henner Heistermann: Yes, absolutely. When we heard about the STEP USA program, my co-founder Sven and I were immediately thrilled. Within that one week I spent in New York, we got an excellent overview of the U.S. market. In the course of the STEP USA program, we got important introductions to potential partners and investors. When we came to New York, we already had the first customers using our product in the U.S. and it was clear to us that we wanted to enter the world’s largest market for business software in the medium term.

GACC NY: What is your most valuable takeaway from the STEP USA program as an entrepreneur?

Henner Heistermann: The STEP USA program was a great experience for us as entrepreneurs. We had the chance to learn firsthand what is important when establishing a subsidiary in the States, where the special challenges lie, and where to get support. A real highlight was the STEP USA Pitch Night at the “Deutsche Bank Labs” directly on Broadway in New York. As a comparatively young start-up from Germany, we had the unique opportunity to put all the experience and input we gained from participating in the STEP USA program directly into practice in order to convince potential partners and investors at the pitch. And, this much I can say, exciting discussions and contacts have developed, which now need to be intensified. We are therefore very confident about our business activities in the U.S. market.

GACC NY: In your opinion, what do startups generally underestimate when coming to the U.S.?

Henner Heistermann: I am convinced that the best way to be successful as a German company in the U.S. is by having a sustainable network with good local partners. I think that is underestimated by many entrepreneurs at the beginning of their U.S. business start. In all industries, the companies there are very well connected and form alliances to benefit from each other. As a German company, it is often not easy to find the right “door opener”. In addition, as a non-American, you first have to learn and understand the market, the culture, and the way of doing business. The U.S. market has many rules of its own and many unwritten laws that you have to know and understand. A local business partner can be very helpful and save you from unnecessary harm.

GACC NY: Is there a success story that has its roots in the STEP USA Program?

Henner Heistermann: Whenever we talk to potential customers from the U.S. today, the knowledge from the STEP USA program is of great benefit to us. In the course of the program, we have learned a lot of practical tools that work very well, such as: How do you pitch your company to an American investor? How does a conversation with an interested American business partner work? What legal hurdles could there be? This knowledge in the back of our minds helps us a lot in business conversations today and has already opened the door for more projects. I believe that without this important experience from the STEP USA program, we would have learned things the hard way much more. We are very grateful for this.

GACC NY: Wow, that’s wonderful to hear! So, what are your next steps?

Henner Heistermann: We have many plans for the upcoming year. Among other things, we will focus more strongly on the U.S. market. To this end, we are planning on opening an office in New York City. This is of course a big step for Nitrobox. Besides Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Cracow, New York would be our fourth location. That’s a big deal for us, and one in which we could certainly use some know-how and support. We also looking into strategically expanding our network in the United States, creating awareness for our company and our smart solution. We appreciate very much having the opportunity of being part of the STEP USA Ambassador Club. Thank you – that makes us very proud.

GACC NY: Henner, thanks so much for taking the time for this interview and all the best for Nitrobox!

Filed Under: Blog, Interview, NYC Ecosystem, STEP USA Ambassador, Success Stories Tagged With: alumni stories, business, GACC NY, innovation, internationalization, Interview, networking, startup, STEPUSA, VC

“Change – it’s a chance, not a threat!”

November 11, 2020

STEP USA is a 5-day startup boot camp launched and organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce New York (GACC NY). A highly successful program, it focuses on facilitating U.S. market access for young innovative companies and takes place four times a year. It also exists in a virtual format. STEP USA prides itself on having created a network of more than 300 STEP USA alumni, more than 60 U.S. incorporations, and 35 investment rounds. It is tailored to the needs of startups who intent to scale their business internationally. 

The GACC NY is featuring selected STEP USA Alumni, calling these founders “STEP USA Ambassadors”.

“Change – it’s a chance, not a threat!”

STEP USA Ambassadors Claas Blume and Thomas Vorsatz, both co-founders of Berlin-based Clous GmbH, join us for this interview on their current business situation. Being a Fraunhofer spin-off, Clous GmbH was founded in November 2019 and currently employs 6 people. In December 2019, Claas and Thomas joined us for our STEP USA program in New York. Today they talk with us about their U.S. market plans and their most valuable take-aways from the STEP USA program.

GACC NY: Claas and Thomas – it’s great talking to you! How are things working out for Clous in the current economic crisis?

Claas Blume: Nice being in touch again! It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we joined the STEP USA program in New York. So much has changed in the mean-time. The mechanical engineering industry around the globe is suffering enormously from the COVID crisis. For us, as a newly founded company, it is already difficult as such to win new clients. But the fact that many of our potential customers have empty order books themselves makes our situation even more challenging. However, to end on a positive note, we expected raising venture capital for our growth phase to be more difficult at this time, but our investor relations work very well – even during this lockdown. This is definitively a good sign.

GACC NY: Thomas, what does Clous exactly do?

Thomas Vorsatz: The core of Clous is our technology, which automatically fragments complex CAD designs into smaller and independently solvable tasks and reassembles them after successful processing. This way, we open up completely new perspectives, especially for medium-sized companies in mechanical and plant engineering. A new type of collaboration makes it possible to optimize internal processes, to seamlessly integrate service providers from all over the world, and also to meet the new requirements for remote work.

GACC NY: What do you consider the greatest success in your company’s history?

Claas Blume: The sum of the many small successes is certainly our greatest success. We were able to create a great product and convince investors of our idea despite tough circumstances. We are particularly pleased that we were able to win APX, one of the leading accelerators, for our company.

GACC NY: Looking back, is there ‘a lesson learned’ that you can share with us?

Claas Blume: Absolutely! At the beginning of Clous, we trusted every spoken commitment given by investors or clients. Meanwhile, we have learned it the hard way that a commitment is only a commitment when the ink on the contract is dry.

GACC NY: Thanks for sharing this! Can you please tell us why the U.S. market is important for you?

Thomas Vorsatz: There are several reasons for that. First of all, the mechanical engineering industry in the U.S. is very strong and the market size is immense. And the industry is facing the need to digitize business as well. It is not a secret that the mechanical engineering industry is quite conservative, especially here in Germany. Even though the industry understands that something has to change, many companies refuse to see the need to adapt their business models. We feel that companies in the U.S. are much more open to new technologies and are seeing change as a chance, not as a threat.

GACC NY: Is that why you joined our STEP USA program in December 2019?

Claas Blume: Yes, absolutely! It was the perfect opportunity to get to know the U.S. market in a compact way, to make first contacts, and to develop a strategy for a future market entry.

GACC NY: What is your most valuable takeaway from the STEP USA program as an entrepreneur?

Claas Blume: Our biggest takeaway from the STEP USA program is the number of valuable contacts we gathered. We now know where to turn to if we want to found a U.S. subsidiary or if we have tax-related questions. We also met with investors, enjoyed U.S. pitch training, and learned a lot on how to shape our U.S. product-market fit.

GACC NY: In your opinion, what do startups generally underestimate when coming to the U.S.?

Claas Blume: It depends on many factors, but in general I would say that the sheer size of the market and its competitiveness can be overwhelming in the beginning. It’s hard to get enough visibility if you only have a limited budget.

GACC NY: So, what are your next steps?

Claas Blume:  Our next big milestone is to expand business within Germany and get through the COVID crisis in good shape. We are also continuing to implement our market entry strategy. This means we are entering a specific market segment – the tool and die makers in Germany – providing them with great added value. If we have a certain relevance there and also get a 5/5-star rating, we will grow into broader markets. In addition, we are planning to get another business angel on board in March 2021 in order to leverage great financing from Landesbank Berlin (IBB).

GACC NY: Last question: On Nov. 7, 2020, Joe Biden won the election as the 46th U.S. President. Does that have any implications for your business?

Claas Blume: I hope that the election of Biden will improve the transatlantic relationship and above all that the U.S. as a deeply divided country will be able to overcome their current challenges. Stability, a reliable legal framework, and intact business relations are important factors for us once we are ready to take the step into the U.S. market.

GACC NY: Claas, and Thomas, thanks so much for taking the time for this interview and all the best for Clous!

Filed Under: Interview, STEP USA Ambassador, Success Stories Tagged With: alumni stories, business, GACC NY, innovation, Interview, networking, STEPUSA, STEPUSAAmbassador, VC

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  • STEP USA Alumnus tenacio opens U.S. subsidiary in New York City
  • STEP USA Alumnus MOTOURISMO raises 1 million Euros – US market expansion in progress
  • STEP USA University Program – in cooperation with DWIH New York
  • NautilusLog Closes a €1 million Seed Financing Round
  • STEP USA Alumnus Wealthpilot raises 8 mio EUR

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