Starting a company in Europe with global ambitions isn’t easy. But we wanted to build something security teams around the world would use every day, and that meant thinking global from the start. If you’re an engineer who wants to work on problems that span continents, here’s how we made Konvu global from day one, and what it means for how you’ll work here.

Incorporate in the US early

We launched Konvu from Paris but chose to incorporate in the US. Honestly, it was surprisingly straightforward. We used Stripe Atlas to incorporate quickly and without friction. Incorporating in Delaware right away helped us avoid some major complications down the line, especially the dreaded process of flipping the company later.

A couple of key reasons why incorporating in the US early helped us:

• Raising money from US angel investors gets a lot simpler if your company is already US based. And to build a world-class security company, you need to be surrounded by world-class angels. The ones we brought on board didn’t just write checks. They opened doors to the right customers, gave sharp product feedback as domain experts, and pushed us to make better strategic calls. That network helps us land customers faster, focus on the right problems, and give engineers the resources, insights, and connections that come from building alongside some of the best minds in security.
• Setting up our corporate structure right from the beginning saved us significant headaches. It also meant putting in place a stock option plan that’s competitive and fair for both U.S. and European hires, ensuring meaningful upside regardless of location.

Building a global company starts with Culture

Getting serious about English as our internal language felt awkward at first. Picture three French founders crammed into a tiny Paris office, trying to talk about vulnerability management in English instead of our native language. It felt unnatural, but it was the foundation for making sure every engineer we hire, anywhere, could be part of the conversation from day one.

Early hiring was where this really mattered. You meet incredible candidates when you're small, and it's painful to turn someone down just because their English isn't quite there. We had one person who checked every single box except that, and it sucked to say no. But we knew that every exception would chip away at the kind of team we were trying to build.

What made the difference? Hiring people who were not native French speakers. That immediately forced English to become the default, and from there, it stuck. It wasn't easy, but it worked, and those early tradeoffs are the reason our team operates globally today without friction.

Why we prioritized the US market early

If your startup has global ambitions, succeeding in the US market is non-negotiable. The big question is: when do you make the move?

Our experience at Sqreen gave us a clear answer. When we moved to the US in 2018, we saw a step-change in ambition, mindset, and customer reach. That shift crystallized our thinking for Konvu: go all-in on the US early. For engineers, that means building for customers who expect enterprise-grade scale from day one. US teams are typically more mature in their security practices, while many European teams are still catching up. Working with the former pushes us to build in the right direction from the start.

From the beginning, we made regular trips to the US, attending key security conferences like RSA and BSides, and meeting customers face-to-face. That helped us build trust, refine our narrative, and better shape our product direction. The quality of feedback you get in person is just different, 10x better than what you get over Zoom. You can feel when someone is genuinely excited about what you’re building. And just as importantly, you can tell when they’re just being polite with a “yeah, this is interesting.” Those subtle signals only show up when you’re in the room.

Our engineers don’t just attend these events, they take the stage. They give technical talks, share hard-earned lessons with the community, and build their personal brand while representing Konvu. It’s a chance to have your work seen, tested, and discussed by some of the best minds in security.

Ultimately, founders need to commit by being there

Frequent visits help, but at some point you need to commit for real. In early 2025, we moved to New York, strategically, but also personally.

That move wasn’t just a founder milestone; it was about planting ourselves where many of our customers and partners are. For engineers, having a team on the ground in the US means direct access to customer insights, real-world usage patterns, and opportunities you can’t get from behind a screen. It lets us build real relationships, move faster, and stay tightly looped into our customers, so you see firsthand how features perform in high-pressure environments and can ship improvements in days, not weeks.

The long-term game of going global

Every early decision shapes the company you're building, and not everything will go smoothly. That's normal. Plenty of these steps were messy, uncertain, and full of tradeoffs. But staying intentional is what helped us turn those tough calls into lasting foundations.

If you’re an engineer in Paris who wants to build for a global stage, you’ll ship to some of the most demanding security teams in the world, work alongside sharp, driven teammates, and see your ideas tested by customers within days. We're hiring, come help us shape how AI agents transform security worldwide, set the standard for what "world-class" means in our industry, and see your work protecting software teams across continents.