belgium and the us: a mutual introduction

© 2015, iText Group NV, iText Software Corp., iText Software BVBA

Belgium and the USA, a mutual introduction1 Las Vegas, Welcome sign, NV


Belgium and the USA, a mutual introduction2

Who is Bruno Lowagie?

Original developer of iText

Author: “iText in Action” (Manning Publications)

CEO iText Group

Castle Rock State Park, CA


Company Structure


Shareholders:- Ingeborg Willaert (50%)- Bruno Lowagie (50%)

°2008 Belgium: ISG

iText Group NVIP, TM, Development

Marketing

°2015 Singapore: ISA

iText Software Asia Pte. Ltd.

Sales Asia/Pacific

°2011 Belgium: ISB

iText Software BVBA

Sales EMEA

°2009 USA: ISC

iText Software Corp.

Sales US/Americas

Board of Directors:- Peter Camps (chairman)- Ingeborg Willaert- Bruno LowagieAdvisory board:- Bernard Slede- Mark De Visser



BelCham: Most promising company 2014

Tribeca Rooftop, New York, NY



Fastest growing Technology company 2014

Brussels, Belgium



Finalist Stevies 2015Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium


Why did UCLL ask me as a speaker?


To the US or not to the US, that’s

not the question!


#1: Where is your market?



#1 Where is your market?


Site sessions 2014

Downloads 2014 (SourceForge Java version only)



#2 Where do you want to start?

Westrozebeke, Belgium



#3 Where do startups get advantages?

Kinepolis Ghent, Belgium




Don’t say hashtag!Say waffle!



#4 Where do you get funding?

Sandhill Road, Menlo Park, CA



#5 Where do you plan your exit?

Plug and Play Tech Center, Sunnyvale, CA



iText: How it all started…

Java One, San Francisco, CA



First Open Source Release: 2000

Adobe Headquarters, San Jose, CA



First book: 2006

Digital Guru Technical Bookshop, Sunnyvale, CA



First IP Review: 2007

JRA Law, San Francisco, CA



First substantial revenue: 2009

Golden Gate Park Aquarium, San Francisco, CA



First visit to the US: 2010

Union Square, San Francisco, CA



WARNING: Stereotyping ahead

Toll booths, Bay Area, CA



Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae

iText Summit 2012, Ghent, Belgium



Who has the best beer?

Blue Smoke on the road, JFK airport New York, NY



Americans brew beer too!

Devil’s Canyon Brewery, San Carlos, CA



And they have excellent wine

Europeans tend to emphasize achievements from the past: they have a whole lot of history.

Americans live very much in the present, some even in the future. Belgium, what did you achieve lately?

Revana Winery, Saint-Helena (Napa Valley), CA



Belgium – USA: 2 - 1

World Cup, Brazil



Starting a business

The Wall Street Bull, New York, NY

Connecting like-minded professionals and help promising Belgian

startups scale up faster and more successfully in the USA.



Belgian American Chamber of Commerce- Independent, not-for-profit organization- Founded in 1918- Headquarters in New York City (USA)- Provides services to individuals, startups and corporations- For and by entrepreneurs- Founded ATELIER incubator and co-working space in 2014- Offices in New York and Bay Area

What does BelCham offer?- Career service- J-1 Visa Program- Referrals & Introductions- Business workshops- Events- ATELIER co-working space



Differences USA - Belgium

Americans have less rules and it’s OK to think big

Europe has plenty of rules and prevents thinking big

As for Singapore…

Googleplex, Mountain View, CA



The idea is not the execution of the ideaOracle, Redwood Shores, CA

Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA

SAP, Palo Alto, CA



Feeling business

Guerneville, CA



Empoyees in the US and Belgium

Plug and Play, Sunnyvale, CA



Things need to be convenient

5 of the 11 federal holidays were moved to a Monday by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act (1968)

To ensure uniformity throughout the world…

Fish without fish bones…

Times Square, New York, NY



The US: one nation…

Every American is an American: most of the Americans I know have lived in at least two different states.

Not every European is a European: They’re French, German, Dutch, Irish, Italian, Belgian,…

Grand Canyon, AZ



Pledge of Allegiance

Redwood City, CA



What amazes Europeans

Americans: it is hard to understand that there are whole countries as small as New York.

Belgians: it is hard to understand that there’s a country as big as the US.

Manhattan seen from the Empire State Building, NY



Years versus house numbers

Boston Massacre site, Boston, MA



All those different time zones…

Europe: everything is so close by, and yet countries are after so far apart… (e.g. Flanders - Wallonia)

The US: distances are huge. Everything is so far away and yet so close…

Bay Area, CA



Deep down, Americans love Europe

Castello di Amorosa, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA



But they give it their own twist

Safeway, Redwood City, CA



And Europe follows

Java One, San Francisco, CA



Cum Romano Romanus eris

Trevi Fountains, Rome, Italy



When in America, be AmericanFirewood Grill SFO, San Bruno, CA



The food in the US is great!

Fish Market, Palo Alto, CA



Food culture: some dinner stories

Europe: Let’s see if we can trust each other before we start doing business.

US: Let’s start doing business to see if we can trust each other.

Sam’s Chowder House, Halfmoon Bay, CA



Guns are good…

Iron Door Saloon, Groveland, CA



…subsidies are evil!

Bennet Lane Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA



You. Your. Thou. Thy.

Digital Detox Social Hike, Los Gatos, CA



Go to events and…

Community Leadership Summit West, Santa Clara, CA



Pitch! Pitch! Pitch!

Digital Detox Social Hike, Los Gatos, CA



Be a member



What’s beneath the surface?

Film set “Third person”, Cinecittà, Rome, Italy



Friendly versus Blunt

Wente’s, Livermore, CA



Talking about politics?

White House, Washington DC



Talking about religion?

Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC



Talking about sex?

Film set “Third person”, Cinecittà, Rome, Italy


Belgium and the USA, a mutual introduction60 Montaña de Oro State Park, CA