Large early rounds do not require a US address. Everlab's record shows a $65M Series A from Melbourne with a US-based growth fund participating. What travels is consumer demand evidence, not location.
Key takeaways
- US funds will invest outside the US when the demand evidence is unambiguous and legible without local context.
- Company structure and jurisdiction questions should be resolved before the round, not during it.
- Do not relocate for fundraising alone — relocate only when customers or talent require it.
Every founder outside the United States eventually hears the advice: to raise real money, move. The records show it is not a requirement.
Consider the documented case of Marc Hermann, founder of Everlab (Melbourne, Australia).
| | | |---|---| | Founder | Marc Hermann | | Company | Everlab (Melbourne, Australia) | | Total raised | $80M | | Latest round | Series A — $65M | | Round date | June 2026 | | Named participants on record | Left Lane Capital, Airtree Ventures |
An internationally active consumer-growth investor alongside a domestic fund, at a round size usually associated with the major US hubs.
Waitlists and conversion rates a reader can interpret without knowing your market.
Pricing that reads as reasonable to someone who does not live there.
What does not travel: regulatory nuance, local brand recognition, and any metric that needs a paragraph of context before it makes sense.
A local fund that knows the market and an international fund that knows the category is a durable combination. The local investor de-risks the market for the foreigner; the international investor brings a network for the next round. Approach them in that order.
Cross-border rounds stall on mechanics, not conviction: holding company jurisdiction, tax residency, share classes, option-plan compatibility. Resolve them with counsel before the first partner meeting. Founders who leave this to diligence add four to six weeks and negotiate from a weaker position.
Move when your customers or the talent you need are somewhere else. Moving purely to be nearer investors solves a problem that a clear data room mostly solves already.
1. Present every metric so it is interpretable without local context. 2. Secure a credible domestic investor first. 3. Resolve structure, jurisdiction and option-plan issues before the round opens. 4. Approach international funds in the category with the domestic name attached. 5. Judge relocation on customers and talent, not on fundraising convenience.
Amounts, stages, dates and named participants are documented. Valuation, terms and board composition are not.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to move to the US to raise a large round?
- No. Records show large early rounds completed by companies headquartered elsewhere. What matters is whether your demand evidence reads clearly without local context.
- What slows down cross-border rounds?
- Corporate structure, tax residency and share-class mechanics. Resolve them with counsel before the round opens or they become the critical path.
- Where do these figures come from?
- Structured founder funding records: total raised, round stage, round amount, round date and named participants.
