US-Expansion: How a German Certification-Tech Company successfully established its product in the US
“If you want to be truly global in information security, you need a footprint in North America” – when Alex Fuerst started to think about expanding to the US back in 2022, he already had a product-market fit and clear path in mind. We asked him about his journey, how he started and about his best piece of advice.
This article is based on an interview with Alex Fuerst, CEO and Founder of IX.
Entering the US market is a key milestone – no matter what line of business you are in. That being said, from the initial idea until the final step, it won’t always be an easy journey. The light at the end of the tunnel is clear: massive growth potential in the world’s largest economy, a strong investor base, endless networking opportunities, and a rapid pace of funding and dealmaking.
Taking the first step
As people like to say here in Silicon Valley: Just do it. When you enter a completely new market, you have a range of options to consider. One important factor will be cost efficiency and risk management. Hardly anyone wants to be locked into long-term office leases before knowing how the market will respond to their product.
A Virtual Office will be your go-to solution if you want to test your product-market-fit. “A GACC West Virtual Office is a low-risk, cost-effective first step”, explains Alex Fuerst, CEO and Founder of IX. “Being in the U.S. also offers major innovation advantages: AI regulation and data protection laws are generally less restrictive, enabling faster development, testing, and market deployment.”
Virtual Office: low in risk, high in efficiency
GACC West’s Virtual Office service provides a cost-effective and convenient way to take the first step in the US market – with a special focus on the California and the Bay Area. With his company IX, Alex Fuerst has been a long-time customer of GACC West’s Virtual Office service. IX offers an AI-powered TISAX® Compliance Engine, IX Flash, that cuts the workload by 80 percent through intelligent automation and streamlined collaboration.
Niching & Integrating
The US – and Silicon Valley in particular – can be a tough market to enter for an outsider, especially for a more mature company – you need a very strong product–market fit that stands on its own while integrating smoothly into existing systems at the same time: “Our advantage is deep specialization. We offer the only AI-powered and purpose-built TISAX® Compliance Engine containing more than 4,000 pages of ready-to-deploy policies, procedures, evidence, and implementation guidelines”, says Alex Fuerst, who’s company entered the US market in 2022.
In Alex’s experience, an adaptable product helps win even more customers: “When clients already use US solutions such as Vanta or Drata for other information security standards like SOC 2, we integrate seamlessly. This allows our clients to achieve the TISAX® label without duplicating effort or tools”.
First Success Within 4 Weeks
After setting up its Virtual Office with GACC West, IX was ready to launch TISAX® in the US market: “Within just four weeks, we were able to win a customer for his TISAX® compliance projects in the US and in Mexico”, remembers Alex.
After screening incoming inquires for IX, GACC West reached out to IX: “We followed up and had productive discussions – it was a great example of how valuable GACC West’s network and support can be.”
Perspectives and Mission
After several years of operating in the US market, IX has developed a clear perspective on how global trends will shape the future of technology:
- AI is accelerating both cyber-attacks and cyber defenses, creating an arms race in information security.
- Regulatory momentum for AI and compliance is building worldwide, with the EU currently setting the pace.
- Static compliance models will give way to dynamic, AI-driven compliance, enabling real-time governance, adaptability, and resilience.
For their own business model, IX is “poised to scale its North American operations over the next 12 months through a phased approach. During this expansion, IX Flash will evolve beyond our industry-leading TISAX® engine to include integrated ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 capabilities. These will be powered by AI-driven compliance mapping to deliver our vision of dynamic, real-time governance.”
To sum it up, Alex has a distinct mission on the future: “Our goal is clear: to position IX as the essential TISAX® solution for OEMs, suppliers, auditors, and compliance professionals across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Why Setting Up a Virtual Office is the Best First Step
Through the GACC West Virtual Office, IX saw the opportunity to establish a credible San Francisco presence that boosted trust with US prospects while keeping overhead low.
In addition, the virtual office enabled IX to validate demand for its TISAX® solutions, refine pricing and positioning, and connect with key partners in automotive and compliance. “The early market intelligence we gained accelerated our entry in North America, saved significant setup costs, and delivered a 11x ROI to date. Thus, we will keep our virtual office at the GACC West for the time being”, concludes Alex.
About IX and TISAX®
IX was founded on a simple but critical insight: while TISAX® compliance is an essential information security standard in the automotive industry, it was trapped in outdated processes that slowed everyone down.
IX streamlines TISAX® compliance for the automotive industry, delivering faster, more accurate certification while fostering better collaboration across OEMs, suppliers, auditors, and compliance experts.
The AI-powered TISAX® Compliance Engine, IX Flash, cuts the workload by 80% through intelligent automation and streamlined collaboration. IX Flash is backed by a rich TISAX® knowledge base of more than 4,000 pages of templates and step-by-step implementation guides. IX Connect, the trusted expert network, grants access to the right TISAX® specialists on demand, on budget, on time, whether working remotely or onsite.