Framework · Interactive Diagnostic
US Expansion Compass.
Ten questions map how you should cross the Atlantic — one of five archetypes (Long-Range, Homebase, Dual-Hub, Westbound, US-Native), a GTM domain × stage lens, and a stage-aware action plan you can share, print, or take into your next board meeting.
Not meant to replace the excellent public work it draws on — just a way to start the discussion. Nothing you enter is collected or stored; answers stay in your browser and are used only to render your result.
Too long; did read
- • Five archetypes — not a spectrum. Most European companies fit one of them cleanly once you're honest about US TAM, relocation, and GTM motion.
- • Two lenses, one picture — the archetype tells you where to land; the GTM domain × stage lens (B2C, B2B, deep tech, open source × survival vs scaling) tells you how to play once there.
- • Stage-aware — the same archetype looks very different at Seed vs Series B. The plan surfaces what's now, next, and later.
- • A conversation-starter, not a strategy. Meant to help you frame the decision — not to replace the publicly available writing it stands on.
- • Nothing stored. Answers stay in your browser and are only used to render your result — nothing hits our servers.
The diagnostic
Find your US expansion archetype.
Ten questions. One honest read on how your company should cross the Atlantic — your archetype, a GTM domain × stage lens, and a tailored action plan to start the discussion with your team and board.
A conversation-starter, not a replacement for the publicly available writing it draws on. Nothing is collected or stored — answers stay in your browser and are used only to render your result.
Does this resonate?
Would love to hear why — what landed, what didn't, what it stirred up in your own work.
Share your storySource & credit
A conversation-starter, standing on the shoulders of others' writing.
This diagnostic was informed by publicly available thinking on European-to-US expansion — most notably Index Ventures' Winning in the US, and further shaped by Frontline Ventures' The US Playbook, Maki.vc's global-first writing, and Business Finland's Gateway to US.
The company-type lens on the result page — how B2C, B2B, deep tech, and open source reshape the US move across survival and scaling — is drawn from A Founder's Friend's own GTM Master Framework.
Why we built it: not to repackage or replace the work above — the originals are excellent, copyrighted, and worth reading in full. This is a way to help founders start the discussion with themselves, their team, and their board, using a shared vocabulary drawn from that publicly available writing.
Your data: nothing is collected or stored. Everything runs in your browser; your answers are used only to render your result. If you copy the shareable link, the state is encoded in the URL itself — still nothing on our servers.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Index Ventures, Frontline Ventures, Maki.vc, or Business Finland. All referenced trademarks belong to their owners.
FAQ
Who is this diagnostic for?
European and Israeli founders weighing US expansion — from pre-seed teams sketching a launch plan to Series B companies who already have US customers and need to decide what shape to build.
Is this a replacement for real GTM strategy work?
No. It's a heuristic. The questions map you to one of five patterns that recur across the last two decades of European companies crossing the Atlantic. Use it to start the conversation, not to end it.
How does my GTM type change the US move?
A lot. The archetype tells you where to land (Long-Range, Homebase, Dual-Hub, Westbound, US-Native); your GTM shape — B2C, B2B, deep tech, open source — tells you how to play once there. B2C lives or dies on the creative pipeline; B2B needs a codified playbook; deep tech needs a translation layer; open source is community-first. The result page surfaces the domain × stage lens on top of your archetype, borrowed from A Founder's Friend's GTM Master Framework.
Whose research is this based on?
This diagnostic was informed by publicly available writing on European-to-US expansion — most notably Index Ventures' Winning in the US, and further shaped by Frontline Ventures' The US Playbook, Maki.vc's global-first writing, and Business Finland's Gateway to US. The GTM domain × stage lens is drawn from A Founder's Friend's own GTM Master Framework. The questions, scoring, action plans, hub notes, and editorial voice are ours. The originals are copyrighted and worth reading in full. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Do you store my answers?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your result lives in the URL hash so you can copy the link, save it, or share it — nothing hits our servers.