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Maeve Kneafsey of CloudKPI: A Female Tech Founder in the US

Moving to the United States

Release Date: 02/17/2020

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On today’s episode we are joined by Maeve Kneafsey, owner of CloudKPI. Running a company that has teams in both Dublin and America, she knows a lot about what it’s like to be moving your business. 

From the very start of CloudKPI’s conception Maeve decided to focus on the American market and have a base set up in the States. 

She had a lot of people help her make the transition from Ireland to America, and now she’s looking to help others who want to do a similar move. 

We talk about her whole experience moving across, from the different ways she’s treated for being a foreigner and a woman, to how America changes depending on where you are within it. 

“Don’t go out there, trying to spend any money on lawyers or advisors.” - Maeve Kneafsey

Time Stamps:

00:41 - Who Cloud KPI are, and what they do.
3:02 - Why they decided to focus on the American market.
4:42 - The logistics involved with moving their company to the US.
8:42 - What kind of product they had when going into the market.
9:11 - The network of people that helped them, and why they moved to Connecticut.
11:25 - Where their team is based.
12:31 - The logistics involved with moving your operations to America.
15:25 - The importance of having a physical presence where your market is.
17:09 - The differences with running a business in America compared to Ireland.
18:15 - The differences between the East and West Coast in America.
19:59 - Tips for companies that are looking to make the move across the pond.
21:50 - How you’re treated differently as a foreigner in America.
23:09 - The different things that helped them get into the market and understand the culture.
24:19 - Unexpected reactions she got being a female tech founder.
27:22 - Do’s and don'ts for startups moving to the US.
29:54 - The usefulness of having a base, and the hardships of running a business remotely.
31:55 - When you need to meet people face to face and when virtual meet-ups are adequate.
33:00 - What makes Enterprise Ireland uniquely useful.
34:46 - The main pieces of advice for someone wanting to move their business to America.
36:43 - How to contact CloudKPI.

Send us questions you want answered to [email protected]

Resources:

Cloud KPI
Connecticut Innovations 
Enterprise Ireland
www.mtbonnell.com

Episode Transcript

Connect with Maeve Kneafsey:
Email
LinkedIn

Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn:
Website

Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far:
LinkedIn