Case Study - European AI Scale-Up: Unlocking U.S. Growth Potential with Targeted Incentive Strategy in New York
Navigating U.S. expansion can be complex—especially for fast-growing AI companies. Upsite equips teams with the data, incentives, and connections needed to accelerate decisions, reduce costs, and enter new markets with confidence.
A mid-sized European AI company specializing in enterprise software and healthcare applications reached a pivotal growth milestone. With a rapidly advancing AI platform gaining traction across Europe, the leadership team identified the U.S. as the next major opportunity. Yet, identifying where and how to expand presented a significant challenge—marked by fragmented state-by-state data, limited visibility into incentive programs, and uncertainty around federal and local tax dynamics.
With a lean expansion budget and a need for engineering talent, access to innovation ecosystems, and proximity to healthcare partners, the company anticipated a long and costly site selection process—projecting at least nine months to finalize their U.S. strategy.
This is precisely the type of challenge Upsite is designed to solve. Using Upsite’s platform, companies in similar situations can:
- Map out and compare financial incentive programs across multiple U.S. locations
- Identify key tax credits—like the Federal R&D Credit and Excelsior Jobs Program in New York
- Evaluate potential benefits from START-UP NY and Startup R&D Payroll Offset
- Streamline applications and connect directly with economic development agencies
- Understand regional salary benchmarks and tax structures for engineers and commercial staff
By leveraging Upsite’s guidance, a European AI company like this could unlock $120,000–$135,000 in annual tax advantages—reducing projected costs by up to 40%. In this case, New York City emerged as the ideal location, combining top-tier AI talent, robust infrastructure, and access to meaningful federal and state incentives.
