Instead of expanding at its New Jersey headquarters, Legend Biotech opened its new R&D center in Philadelphia. This strategic move aims to attract specialized scientific talent by deliberately locating in a key innovation hub for cell therapy, demonstrating a "go to the talent" growth strategy.

Rather than lamenting the distance from Silicon Valley, top European founders frame their location as an advantage. They become the undisputed top company for ambitious, loyal, and less-expensive talent in cities like Stockholm or Warsaw, attracting engineers eager for a generational opportunity.

When scaling, the firm chose Europe as its first growth vector because it allowed them to replicate their exact strategy in the same industries and check sizes. This approach minimizes strategic variables, viewing geography as the most "close in adjacent" move before tackling different deal sizes or verticals, ensuring operational consistency.

To ensure cultural consistency during its European expansion, the firm implements a structured program, including mid-level staff rotations, US leadership actively supporting the new team, and mandatory in-person meetings every other month. This treats culture as a tangible asset that must be actively managed and transferred.

Despite YC's push to stay in San Francisco, Hera's founders are returning to Berlin. They believe they can hire top AI talent more affordably and with less competition than in the Bay Area. Since their product is global and consumer-facing, an SF presence isn't critical for customer acquisition.

The company leverages its remote structure by hiring strategically. A Spanish team is located near suppliers for better sourcing and relationships, while a British team focuses on the consumer market. This intentional geographic distribution optimizes both supply chain and marketing efforts.

The shift to remote work unlocked a global talent pool. For specialized roles, the advantage of hiring the best possible person, regardless of location, is far greater than the benefits of in-person collaboration. The leadership challenge shifts from managing location to enabling distributed top-tier talent.

To make a split US/UK leadership team work, Enara Bio's CEO focuses on creating a deep "sense of belonging" for remote executives. This goes beyond logistics and time zones. The core challenge is making geographically distant leaders feel fully integrated, empowered, and part of the company's fabric from day one.

European firm Permira successfully entered the US not by just opening an office, but by relocating its top talent, empowering local decision-making, and accepting years of minimal activity to build relationships and market knowledge before scaling.