London’s status as Europe’s go-to hub for startups with global ambitions has been tested in recent years. With Brexit redrawing political and economic lines, and other European cities — like Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam — ramping up their startup credentials, the question of whether London can still serve as the continent’s launchpad for international scaleups has become more relevant than ever.
Yet many founders are proving that London’s global pull hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply changed shape. The city remains home to a dense network of investors, trade specialists and international connections that can still open doors abroad, albeit through new routes and programmes.
One such initiative is Grow London Global, a London & Partners programme helping high-growth companies navigate the complexities of scaling overseas.
Delivered in collaboration with regional partners including the West Midlands Growth Company and Essex County Council — and supported by organisations such as HSBC Innovation Banking, Oury Clark, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Deel, GrantTree, CLA, TwentyAI, KPMG and Bridgehead — the programme connects founders to expert guidance and international networks.
“Entering a new market requires more than just ambition,” says Ed Maslaveckas, CEO at fintech Bud, previously part of a Grow London Global cohort. “You need connections, local know-how and a clear path to building credibility.”
He says the programme helped Bud in three critical areas: “Raising brand awareness, landing those all-important first customers and navigating the nitty-gritty of localisation – everything from regulatory and legal considerations to adapting our product for a different market.”
For example, Bud went on a sales mission to New York and Toronto with the programme. Over four days, Maslaveckas and his team were introduced to senior decision-makers across more than ten major banks.
“Not only did we get the opportunity to present and pitch to different teams, but we also gained insight into what matters to them on the ground,” he says. “Access like that would’ve taken us six months, at least, to replicate on our own.”
Building relationships
Dr Zhanet Zaharieva, CEO at Quantum Dice, also participated in the Grow London Global programme. She says it provided her business with direct access to market experts, trade advisors and global networks that would have been challenging to reach on their own.
The Grow London Global team connected us with in-market specialists who helped us refine our approach.
“One of our key challenges was understanding how to effectively position our quantum product offerings for international markets in the context of regulatory and operational differences,” says Zaharieva.
“The Grow London Global team connected us with in-market specialists who helped us refine our approach, from messaging to international hiring and compliance. As a result, we avoided costly trial-and-error expansion efforts, which was invaluable in building a clear strategy.”
Zaharieva credits the programme with playing an essential role in helping Quantum Dice build a roadmap for scaling overseas.
Through targeted fintech trade missions and introductions with senior stakeholders across various sectors, she says the startup established valuable relationships with international partners and potential clients, significantly accelerating its go-to-market process.
Invaluable trade missions
Overseas trade missions are an essential part of Grow London Global’s offering, giving startups the opportunities to travel overseas and connect with essential personnel that can enable them to scale. Trade missions in the next year include a creative trade mission to LA in February, a fintech trade mission to Paris and Amsterdam also in February, and a life sciences trade mission to Barcelona in March.
[The trip] allowed me to not only experience cities I had never visited, but also understand how to do business in these countries, including navigating complex regulated environments.
Dr Emilia Molimpakis, CEO and cofounder at Thymia, was part of the programme’s 2024 cohort and went on a trade mission to South East Asia covering China, Hong Kong and Japan.
“The trip included visiting multiple innovation hubs, conferences, expos, local government meetings and so much more. This enabled Thymia to then go on to do a lot more business in the region,” says Molimpakis.
“[The trip] allowed me to not only experience cities I had never visited, but also understand how to do business in these countries, including navigating complex regulated environments such as the healthcare space across China, Hong Kong and Japan.”
Molimpakis says the programme provided the cohort with a thorough grounding in the local business culture and allowed them to explore whether expanding to South East Asia was worth it. For Thymia, it was a resounding yes — and now, Japan is one of its fastest growing markets.
Trade missions to APAC also helped Luis Valente, CEO and cofounder at iLoF, to scale his business in the region. Through a trip to Japan in 2024 with the programme, Valente and his team went to BioJapan, a key trade fair for the healthtech sector.
At the event, Valente had one-on-one meetings with key players, and went on to spend a few weeks in Japan meeting people in the ecosystem.
“One of the people that we met was part of a large Japanese corporate and eventually went on to become one of our main shareholders and partners,” says Valente. “Through the hands of this multi-billion corporate, not only did we get investment and a product development partnership, but we're now negotiating a data acquisition deal too.”
Unlock your global business expansion goals with expert advice on the free Grow London Global programme, tailored to your business aims. Find out more about the Grow London programme or apply to the programme here.
