Twice a year we jump on a plane with a dozen of our startups and head to the US to introduce them to some of the world’s most prestigious companies and investors. During the 2 weeks that we’re there we travel to New York, Boston, San Francisco and the Valley. 
But as with all things, there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye – it’s not a sight-seeing tour! So lets take a look at what really goes on during Seedcamp’s US Trip and why so many of our startups find the experience invaluable.
Why visit the US?
Simply put, the US market is huge and presents an attractive next step for many European startups. In addition to its 300 million consumers the US is home to many of the world’s largest companies and investors. Within our network we’re proud to name companies such as Dropbox, Google, Square and Stripe in addition to tier-1 investors such as Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Greylock Partners. Our US Trip is an opportunity for our startups to visit all of these companies (and many more) to hear from experts and pitch their startups. Because all the stops are with people at the top of their game, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from the best. 
What do the startups get out of this?
Some of our startups may be raising rounds and for them it’s a great opportunity to pitch and extend their investor network. But for others its about networking and learning from the best in the industry.
What else goes on?
Breakfast meetings, networking events and dinners are all part of the experience. We give our startups maximum exposure to our network, so it’s a great time to connect, discuss and form relationships outside of an office environment. It’s a pretty intense week so there isn’t a lot of room for sight-seeing, but we try to grab the occasional visit to a famous landmark! 
Who gets to go?
We invite Seedcamp startups who are at the right stage to consider expanding into the US or who are looking to raise a new round of funding. These startups will most likely have joined us through one of our quarterly Seedcamp Week events in London or Berlin. 
What happens once the trip’s over?
It’s time to follow up those leads! We encourage startups to follow up with companies and investors as soon as possible, preferably immediately after a meeting; but in any case, once the trip has ended the dialogue continues and we do our best to facilitate those discussions when appropriate. We cover the US Trip live on Twitter so follow the action. You can also view photos from previous US Trips on our Flickr page.