Why We Opened Our US Office in Minneapolis.

Recently something very exciting happened at SwipeGuide: we opened our first-ever physical office in the USA.

Most European tech companies with the ambition to grow in North America tend to choose cities like New York, Seattle, Toronto, and the Bay Area. However, these places have become so popular in the past few years that the markets are overcrowded and costs are really high. 

Luckily, there are loads of other excellent startup-friendly cities in the US.
One of them is our personal favorite: Minneapolis.

In the words of SwipeGuide’s founder and CEO, Willemijn Schneyder: 

“Minneapolis has everything one could wish for from a city. The startup ecosystem is very supportive and focused on building lasting relationships.”

Here are 3 reasons we chose the Minnesotan city as our American home base.  

1. Proximity to our customers. 

Minneapolis has a great location in terms of proximity to our customer base.

A growing number of our customers are based in the US, spread around the country, and we want to make sure we provide them the best service at all times.

Minneapolis is in Central Standard/Daylight Time, which makes it convenient for us to connect with our customers on both coasts - and across states. Traveling is also convenient thanks to the well-connected airport and highways. 

2. Access to talent & network. 

The University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, is among the top public research universities in the country. As a scale-up, attracting talent is key for growth. In the past few years, Minneapolis has been growing in popularity especially amongst industrial, food, and health tech companies. Networking possibilities are solid in the emerging tech hub, although not too overwhelming, which makes it easier to build meaningful connections with the right people and companies.

In terms of support, Minnesota offers startups and scale-ups a lot. For example, the “Grow North” initiative aims at creating an accessible ecosystem for Minnesota's entrepreneurs and innovators.

Greater MSP is another excellent resource for companies looking to open an office in Minnesota.  We’ve also been lucky to work with the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration when opening our Minneapolis office.

3. Liveability. 

Compared to other metropolitan areas in the US, Minneapolis provides excellent living conditions. It’s a lively city, but nature is never far away either. Minnesota is known for its lakes and forests - great for work-life balance. Office space is in general easily accessible, affordable, and of very high quality. Our office space is in WeWork North Loop.

Of course, as a company founded in The Netherlands, we’re obligated to mention the strong bike culture in Minneapolis as a plus as well. Last but not least: we like the Minnesotan adventurous mindset. 

We are continuing to hire and expect to double our business in the US this year.

Get in touch with us to hear more!