Market Entry
North America entry for Indian and Asian companies - credibility is the product
The US buys from companies that sound local, price with confidence and prove references. We build vertical-prioritised, interview-backed entries for Indian and Asian firms taking products and services West.
Fit
Who this is for
Indian IT and engineering services moving up-value
Body-shop economics are ending; vertical authority and outcome pricing are the next decade.
Asian product companies going West
Product parity exists; trust architecture does not - yet.
Funded startups told to go US by the board
The board is right, and the burn rate math punishes unfocused entries.
Context
What is driving decisions now
Services flow West
Indian technology and engineering firms are moving up-value into US enterprise accounts - positioning, not capability, is the binding constraint.
Procurement scrutiny
US enterprise buying now runs security, compliance and viability gates that under-prepared entrants fail before pricing is discussed.
Nearshore pressure
Canada and Mexico compete for the same delivery-plus-market play - the North America map is a three-country decision.
Track record
Proof from our mandates - anonymised
Enterprise SaaS — USD 50M segment identified, GTM executed without US hire
Twelve enterprise buyer interviews across three verticals revealed a USD 50M reachable segment the client had underpriced by 40%. Full US sales playbook — ICP definition, outreach approach, objection library and pricing rationale — was handed to the founding team. They executed it without a US-based sales hire in year one.
Healthcare operator — Canada entry, regulatory reality mapped first
A hospital chain operator wanted to expand into Canada assuming regulatory similarity with the US. Assessment revealed three structural differences in provincial payer models that would have required a full operating model redesign post-commitment. Entry was reshaped around a single-province pilot before national rollout — saving an estimated 18 months of rework.
Industrial manufacturer — US ICP built from 0 to commercial pipeline in 6 months
An Indian manufacturer had zero US customer relationships. We ran structured buyer development across 40 prospects, identified the 8 accounts with active procurement windows and handed a prioritised pipeline. First US purchase order received within 6 months of engagement.
30 minutes with a partner beats 30 tabs of research.
Get a free expert assessmentProcess
The GreyRadius entry process - eight phases, each with a named deliverable
For North America, phase 2 inverts: buyer interviews test YOUR credibility gaps - security posture, references, pricing confidence - against each candidate vertical.
- 1
Business assessment workshop
We start inside your business: portfolio, pricing, capacity, ambitions and constraints - aligned in working sessions so the entry plan fits the company you actually are.
- 2
Opportunity assessment and validation
Four lenses, primary-research led: target market sizing and price tiers; competitive landscape, trade margins and whitespace; consumer and trade adoption readiness - including distributor and retailer appetite; product and commercial readiness including regulatory alignment. Output: a Go / No-Go you can defend.
- 3
Opportunity heat-map and prioritisation
Every candidate segment, channel and geography scored on revenue upside, contribution margin impact, distribution scalability, trade complexity and working capital intensity - so the first move is the highest-return move.
- 4
Entry roadmap and commercial architecture
Price-pack architecture, channel entry sequencing across GT, MT and e-commerce equivalents for your sector, revenue projection framework and working capital visibility.
- 5
Partner and channel search
Longlist from field networks, capability audit - infrastructure, category depth, financial capacity, principal references - and a shortlist you meet with evidence in hand.
- 6
Negotiation and appointment
Term negotiation with cross-mandate benchmarks: performance gates, data rights, pricing control, exit mechanics. We run the process to signature - 2-3 appointed partners is a typical mandate outcome.
- 7
Regulatory and compliance workstream
Certification, labelling and import pathways run in parallel with commercial work - including component-origin and standards questions that stall unprepared entrants at customs.
- 8
Launch execution and governance
First-90-days motion: launch calendar, sales cadence, partner scorecards and review governance - expansion gated on milestones, not optimism.
Output
What you walk away with
- Vertical winnability screen from enterprise buyer interviews
- Credibility gap audit: compliance, references, presence signals
- US-confident pricing architecture
- ICP and named-account map with entry paths
- Outbound engine design with message testing
- Pursuit support through first reference wins
Timeline
How the engagement runs
Weeks 1-3
Vertical prioritisation
Buyer interviews across candidate verticals; TAM by segment; winnability screen.
Weeks 4-6
Positioning and pricing
US-credible narrative, reference strategy, pricing architecture with confidence.
Weeks 7-10
GTM build
ICP and account maps, outbound engine, partner and channel options.
Weeks 11+
Pursuit execution
Pipeline generation and first-account pursuit support until the motion repeats.
Risk
Mistakes this engagement exists to prevent
Entering every vertical evenly
References compound within verticals; spreading thin compounds nothing.
Pricing with apology
Discounted entry pricing reads as risk, not value, to US procurement.
Under-investing in compliance posture
SOC2-class table stakes gate the conversation before capability is discussed.
Pricing
What it costs and how long it takes
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What do Indian companies most underestimate about US entry?
The credibility bar: security and compliance posture, reference depth, local presence signals and pricing confidence. Capability parity is assumed; trust is the purchase decision.
Should we enter via the US directly or start in Canada?
Canada offers gentler procurement and healthcare-system entry points but a tenth of the market. It works as a wedge for regulated categories; for most software and services, focused US verticals beat geographic caution.
How many verticals should a US entry target?
One to three, chosen on buyer evidence. Every additional vertical divides your reference-building velocity - and references, not features, are what compound in the US market.
How much does US market entry cost for an Indian company?
The consulting is the small line; the real budget is 12-18 months of focused GTM - presence signals, compliance certifications, US-facing talent and pipeline patience. Focused single-vertical entries run at a fraction of spray-and-pray budgets and convert faster; we size the honest number in the assessment.
Do we need a US entity and local team to sell there?
An entity, yes - Delaware C-corp or LLC depending on structure - early. A large local team, no: founder-led sales plus US-hours coverage and the right references outperform premature hiring. The credibility signals matter more than the headcount.