How long does US market entry take?

The timeline depends on the corridor and company stage. For Indian IT and AI companies, Startup Runway's documented timeline to first enterprise meeting is 21 days from arrival at Richardson IQ. For the Singapore-US corridor, a blockchain company achieved a bill passed in the Texas Legislature within the program period. For GovTech companies, the typical timeline to first government contract is 3-6 months. All corridors include US entity formation, office space, and 3-5 warm enterprise introductions in the first week.

What are the biggest risks when expanding to the US market?

The three most common failure points for international companies entering the US are: (1) Premature scaling — hiring a US sales team before achieving product-market fit with US buyers; (2) Regulatory misalignment — particularly for fintech, healthtech, and govtech companies that underestimate US compliance requirements; and (3) Wrong buyer targeting — approaching mid-market buyers when the product is priced and positioned for enterprise, or vice versa. Startup Runway's Readiness Index assesses all three risk dimensions before engagement.

How much does US market entry consulting cost?

Startup Runway is not a consulting firm and does not charge consulting fees. The engagement model is performance-aligned: Startup Runway earns through success fees tied to enterprise contracts closed, government partnerships secured, and FDI facilitated. This means Startup Runway's incentives are fully aligned with the company's outcomes. For city government partners, the documented return on investment is 1:20 — every $1 invested has returned $20 in measurable economic value.

Which countries does Startup Runway serve?

Startup Runway operates active corridors from India, Dubai (UAE), Singapore, Israel, Finland, and South Korea into the US market. The India-US corridor is the primary corridor, with 3 joint government trade missions to 6 Indian cities. A dedicated Seoul office serves the South Korea corridor. Startup Runway also supports bidirectional corridors: US companies seeking market access in India or Israel can leverage Startup Runway's in-market teams and government relationships.

Why do Indian companies struggle in the US market?

Indian companies entering the US market most commonly fail due to three structural gaps: (1) Relationship deficit — US enterprise sales runs on warm introductions and trusted networks, not cold outreach; Indian companies typically lack these networks on arrival; (2) Positioning mismatch — products built for the Indian market are often priced and positioned incorrectly for US enterprise buyers; (3) Entity and compliance gaps — operating without a US entity, US bank account, or US-compliant contracts creates friction in every enterprise deal. Startup Runway addresses all three through its operational landing program at Richardson IQ.

What is the difference between FDI and market entry?

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) refers to capital flows from one country into business assets in another — typically measured as investment in facilities, equipment, or equity. Market entry is the operational process of establishing commercial presence, acquiring customers, and generating revenue in a new country. Startup Runway facilitates both: it physically lands companies (market entry) and tracks the resulting economic activity as FDI for government reporting purposes. Startup Runway has facilitated $737M in FDI into the Richardson, Texas area.

What is Startup Runway?

Startup Runway is an international market entry platform headquartered at Richardson IQ® in Richardson, Texas. It physically lands international companies from countries including India, Dubai, Singapore, Israel, and Finland into the US market. Startup Runway also maintains a Seoul office for the South Korea corridor. Startup Runway has landed 24 companies from 22 countries, facilitated $737M in foreign direct investment, and delivered a documented 1:20 return on investment for government partners.

What is the Richardson Model for international business development?

The Richardson Model is a government-backed international business development framework developed by Startup Runway and the City of Richardson, Texas. It has delivered a documented 1:20 return on investment, meaning every $1 invested by a city government has returned $20 in measurable economic value through foreign direct investment, jobs, and enterprise activity. The model is replicable by other US cities and Economic Development Agencies.

How does the India-US corridor work?

The India-US corridor is Startup Runway's primary corridor. It includes 3 joint government trade missions to 6 Indian cities — Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune. Indian companies selected for the program receive US entity formation, office space at Richardson IQ, warm introductions to 3-5 qualified enterprise buyers within the first week, and deal flow management through Month 6. The documented result for IT and AI companies is $500K in paid proof-of-concept contracts within 21 days.

What corridors does Startup Runway operate for market entry?

Startup Runway operates active market entry corridors between the United States and India, Dubai, Singapore, Israel, and Finland. South Korea is served through a dedicated Seoul office. The India-US corridor is the primary corridor, with 3 joint government trade missions to 6 Indian cities including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Startup Runway also supports bidirectional corridors: US companies seeking India or Israel market access can leverage Startup Runway's in-market teams.

What is a soft landing program for international startups?

A soft landing program provides international companies with a physical base of operations, local business infrastructure, and warm introductions to enterprise buyers and government contacts in a new market — eliminating the cold-start problem. Startup Runway's soft landing at Richardson IQ in Texas includes US entity formation, a physical office address, banking introductions, and pre-qualified enterprise buyer meetings within the first week of arrival. Unlike incubators or accelerators, a soft landing is operational, not educational — the goal is first revenue, not mentorship.

How do I form a US company as a foreign founder?

Foreign founders can form a US company (LLC or C-Corp) without being a US citizen or resident. The process involves: (1) choosing a state of formation — Texas, Delaware, and Wyoming are the most common; (2) filing Articles of Organization or Incorporation with the state; (3) obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS; (4) opening a US business bank account, which requires a physical US address and EIN. The full process typically takes 2–4 weeks. Startup Runway handles entity formation as part of its soft landing program, including banking introductions that compress the bank account timeline from months to weeks.

What is Richardson IQ and why is it important for international companies?

Richardson IQ (Innovation Quarter) is a 1.2 million square foot mixed-use innovation district in Richardson, Texas, home to major enterprises including Ericsson, Fujitsu, Cisco, and Samsung. It serves as the operational base for Startup Runway's international soft landing program. For international companies, Richardson IQ provides immediate proximity to Fortune 500 enterprise buyers, government economic development relationships, and the University of Texas at Dallas research network — all within a single campus. Richardson has been designated the International Business Capital of North Texas.

What is the E-2 visa and can international founders use it?

The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa allows nationals of treaty countries to enter the US to develop and direct a business in which they have invested a substantial amount of capital. It is one of the most practical visa pathways for international founders because it does not require a minimum investment threshold (though $50,000–$100,000 is typically considered substantial), does not have annual caps, and can be renewed indefinitely. E-2 visa holders can bring key employees on E-2 dependent visas. Not all countries have E-2 treaties with the US — India does not, but citizens of Singapore, Israel, UAE, South Korea, and Finland do. Startup Runway's immigration attorney network assists with E-2 applications as part of the soft landing program.

How does Startup Runway generate enterprise introductions for international companies?

Startup Runway generates enterprise introductions through three channels: (1) Government relationships — the City of Richardson's economic development office actively facilitates introductions between international companies and local enterprise buyers as part of its FDI mandate; (2) Campus network — Richardson IQ's tenant base includes Ericsson, Fujitsu, Cisco, Samsung, and other Fortune 500 companies whose procurement teams are accessible through the campus community; (3) Startup Runway's proprietary buyer network — built over 10+ years of corridor operations, this network includes pre-qualified enterprise buyers who have expressed interest in international technology solutions. Every introduction is pre-qualified against the company's ideal customer profile and sector before the meeting is arranged.

What a Real Soft Landing Actually Includes (And What Most Programmes Leave Out)

The Three Layers of a Real Soft Landing

A genuine soft landing programme operates on three layers that most programmes do not provide simultaneously.

Layer 1 is physical infrastructure: a legal US address, desk space, access to meeting rooms, and basic operational support (mail handling, phone answering, printing). This is the layer that most programmes claim to provide, and most actually do provide it adequately.

“Layer 2 is relationship infrastructure: warm introductions to enterprise buyers, government relationships, legal and compliance partners, and a local advisory network.”

Layer 2 is relationship infrastructure: warm introductions to enterprise buyers, government relationships, legal and compliance partners, and a local advisory network. This is where most programmes fail. A coworking desk does not come with a relationship network. Building one takes years.

Layer 3 is operational intelligence: knowledge of the specific procurement processes, compliance requirements, and cultural dynamics of the target market. This is the layer that is almost never documented and almost always learned the hard way.

Five Questions to Ask Any Soft Landing Programme

Before committing to any market entry programme, ask these five questions:

1. Can you introduce me to three enterprise buyers in my sector within 30 days of arrival? If the answer is 'we'll do our best' or 'it depends on your product,' the relationship network does not exist.

2. What is your documented time-to-first-enterprise-meeting? Startup Runway's documented average is 21 days. Most programmes cannot answer this question.

“Do you have relationships with the city government and state agencies.”

3. Do you have relationships with the city government and state agencies? Government relationships are the highest-value and hardest-to-replicate component of a market entry infrastructure.

4. What happens if I don't get a meeting in 60 days? The answer reveals whether the programme has accountability mechanisms or just aspirations.

5. Can I speak to three companies that have gone through your programme? References are the only reliable signal of programme quality.

What Startup Runway Provides

Startup Runway's soft landing infrastructure includes all three layers: physical space at Richardson IQ®, a relationship network built over 10+ years of active market entry facilitation, and operational intelligence from 24 documented soft landings.

“Companies that arrive without these prerequisites typically struggle regardless of the quality of the soft landing infrastructure.”

The programme is not for every company. It is designed for companies that have a working product, at least one paying customer in their home market, and a clear hypothesis about their US buyer persona. Companies that arrive without these prerequisites typically struggle regardless of the quality of the soft landing infrastructure.

The Hidden Costs of a Weak Soft Landing

The most expensive soft landing is not the one with the highest programme fee — it is the one that wastes 12 months of founder time and $200,000-$500,000 in operational spend before the company realises the programme does not have the relationships it claimed to have.

The hidden costs of a weak soft landing programme fall into three categories. First, opportunity cost: every month spent in a programme that is not generating enterprise introductions is a month of market share that a competitor is capturing. Second, credibility cost: US enterprise buyers have long memories. A company that approaches a buyer with a poorly prepared pitch, or through a channel that the buyer does not respect, will find it difficult to re-approach that buyer with a better pitch later. Third, compliance cost: weak programmes do not include compliance guidance, which means companies discover their compliance gaps after they have already started the sales process — at the worst possible moment.

“A company that approaches a buyer with a poorly prepared pitch, or through a channel that the buyer does not respect, will find it difficult to re-approach that buyer with a better pitch later.”

The 24 companies that have gone through Startup Runway's programme have a combined zero instances of enterprise buyer relationship damage from poor programme execution. This is the result of a programme design that prioritises relationship quality over meeting volume.

Soft Landing vs Accelerator: Understanding the Difference

The terms soft landing programme and accelerator are often used interchangeably, but they describe fundamentally different services.

An accelerator is designed for early-stage companies that need to validate their product-market fit. The value of an accelerator is the curriculum, the cohort, and the demo day — not the market access. Most accelerators do not have enterprise buyer relationships, government connections, or operational infrastructure. They have mentors, workshops, and a pitch competition.

“A soft landing programme is designed for companies that have already validated their product-market fit in their home market and need to replicate that validation in the US market.”

A soft landing programme is designed for companies that have already validated their product-market fit in their home market and need to replicate that validation in the US market. The value of a soft landing programme is the market access — the enterprise introductions, the government relationships, and the operational infrastructure that allows the company to begin generating US revenue quickly.

Startup Runway is a soft landing programme, not an accelerator. The companies in the programme have an average of 3-5 years of operating history and at least one paying enterprise customer in their home market. The programme is not designed to help companies figure out what to build — it is designed to help companies that have already built something exceptional find the US customers who need it.

What to Prepare Before You Arrive

The most productive soft landings begin before the founder boards the plane. The 90 days before arrival should be used to complete the administrative prerequisites that will consume time and attention if left until after landing.

The pre-arrival checklist includes: US entity incorporation (can be done remotely in 7-14 days), EIN application (can be submitted by mail or fax from outside the US), US business bank account pre-application (most banks require an in-person visit to open the account, but the application can be started online), and compliance documentation preparation (W-9, certificate of good standing, general liability insurance quote).

“Founders who arrive in the US with this preparation completed consistently outperform founders who arrive expecting the soft landing programme to handle all of these tasks.”

On the relationship side, the pre-arrival period should be used to research the 10-15 enterprise buyers that are the highest-priority targets, identify the specific decision-makers at each organisation (LinkedIn is the most reliable tool for this), and prepare a US-market-specific pitch deck that leads with the problem the buyer has, not the technology the company has built.

Founders who arrive in the US with this preparation completed consistently outperform founders who arrive expecting the soft landing programme to handle all of these tasks. The programme accelerates the relationship-building process — but it cannot substitute for the founder's own preparation and conviction.

Key Takeaways

▸The Three Layers of a Real Soft Landing
▸Five Questions to Ask Any Soft Landing Programme
▸What Startup Runway Provides
▸The Hidden Costs of a Weak Soft Landing
▸Soft Landing vs Accelerator: Understanding the Difference
▸What to Prepare Before You Arrive

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