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Born Global: Building from Abroad

At the recent CZ/SK Founder Meetup hosted at the Czech Embassy in London, ZAKA VC convened a panel titled “Born Global: Building from Abroad.” The discussion brought together three perspectives on international company building.

The panel consisted of:

While the biotech elite still hold onto the belief that there are only two places where you can build a company—Boston and San Francisco—two European founders – building their business in the biotech and AI space – are proving otherwise. In a candid conversation, Miro and Tomas share how they’ve scaled globally competitive companies from London, Oxford, and Central Europe. Their progress is pretty impressive: $30M+ in funding, international teams and strong business validation.

From Skepticism to Scaling: A Biotech Revolution from Inside the Cell

“We are the first company in the world not making RNA synthetically, but designing it and making it in living cells—just like our bodies would.” — Miro

Three years ago, Miro launched a unique solution in the RNA manufacturing space. Today, the company spans the US, UK, and Slovakia with more than 25 employees and millions in funding. One of the challenges they decided to face was rethinking where and how biotech can be built.

The problem? Traditional biotech setups in Boston or SF are prohibitively expensive.
The solution? Start the lab in Bratislava, scale R&D in Oxford, and structure globally from day one.

London: Still the Best ROI on Talent?

“The UK gives you fantastic talent—not the cheapest, but way cheaper than Silicon Valley.” — Tomas

Both founders agree: London (and the broader Oxford–Cambridge–London triangle) still offers the best return on investment in talent, especially for early-stage companies. From top-tier PhDs to semi-senior engineers with industry experience, the UK delivers quality without the sticker shock of Silicon Valley.

But there’s a caveat. Tomas, now based in Dubai, left after 13 years in London:

“I was wet with rain and drowning in tax. Now I live in the sun, pay 0% tax, and the mood is upbeat.”

Why Delaware Still Wins

“Just start a Delaware C-Corp. It will make your life 10x easier.” — Miro

Whether you’re based in Bratislava or Berlin, if you want to raise money from American VCs, having a Delaware C-Corp is the default. It removes legal friction, accelerates fundraising, and gives US investors a structure they’re familiar with.

Even though both founders operate across geographies, they structured their topco in the US and ran hybrid or remote-first setups to access the best of each location.

Operating Across Three Continents: Why It Works

For Miro, the global spread isn’t a weakness—it’s a strength:

  • Bratislava: The first low-cost lab for non-core R&D.
  • Oxford: Mid-level talent and cutting-edge biotech expertise.
  • US: Executive talent and investor access.

For Tomas, operating across London, Switzerland, and Dubai enables access to talent, capital, and lifestyle optimization without being tied to any one market.

Is London Losing Its Edge?

“There’s a bad mood in the air. Founders are leaving, funding is down, and it’s getting harder to justify the cost.” — Tomas

While both founders remain bullish on UK universities and talent, they express concerns about policy, taxation, and the broader economic mood. Miro points out that the UK’s life sciences sector is under-supported, especially compared to the US and even parts of Europe.

“I think Britain is amazing. It’s a liberal democracy, and a lot of great things here are working well. But I’ll be honest – if there is one thing that Britain is not doing well, it’s supporting the life science sector.” — Miro

Still, Miro remains optimistic, citing the MHRA’s recent pro-innovation stance and the opportunity to build globally distributed companies that aren’t dependent on a single ecosystem.

Advice for CEE Founders: Go Global from Day One

“If you’re building a scalable product, just think US-first. That’s where the money is.” — Tomas
“If you run an infrastructure heavy company, go where you can hire the best people you can afford.” — Miro

For founders from Slovakia, Czech Republic, and the broader CEE region, the advice is clear: don’t wait to go global. Build in ecosystems that give you cost efficiency, but structure for growth from day one.

Y Combinator? A Delaware C-Corp? A top-tier university network? Those are tools—not badges—for scaling globally.

Conclusion: It’s Not Where You Start—It’s How You Scale

Both founders agree that effective scaling takes into account the ROI of specific team roles – while some can be based in affordable CEE countries, some of them reach the best ROI when set directly in the epicentre of the startup ecosystem – US.

The key principle for team scaling is to optimize talent placement based on creativity, cost-effectiveness, and market knowledge, allowing companies to build globally competitive teams while managing expenses.

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