April 30, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
VSW HQ Futurpreneur Stage, One Bentall Centre, #950, 505 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Fundraising & Finance | Growth & Scaling | Leadership & Talent

About the Session

For Vancouver founders, the first foreign market is usually the U.S., and the decisions you make early determine what you keep later. Whether you’re preparing to scale south or already operating there, early choices around structure, hiring, and incentives quietly shape how risk and upside show up at fundraising and exit.

In this session, Namir Hallak (dual Canada–U.S. CPA) explores what Canadian founders commonly miss when expanding into or operating in the U.S.

Who is this for?

Canadian-based founders and operators who are planning to expand into the U.S. or are already operating there: selling to U.S. customers, hiring U.S. employees, or managing a cross-border structure that’s starting to feel complex.

What attendees walked away with:

• A simple decision framework for expanding to the U.S.
• Clarity on which early choices actually matter
• Practical questions to reassess an existing U.S. footprint
• A clearer link between structure, scale, and founder outcomes

A clear framework for aligning how you build, scale, and capture value.

Speakers

Namir Hallak
Managing Director, Andersen