U.S. venture capitalists once insisted that international startups move stateside before they would write a check. The three 28-year-old Furo founders are convinced that their decision to leave Silicon Valley and move back to their home country of Germany has paid off in both VC dollars and business growth.
The startup, which developed software for industrial battery storage systems, has secured $4 million in funding from mostly U.S. backers. And just a year after its founding, Furo has locked in enterprise clients such as German rail company Deutsche Bahn.
“We’re currently moving faster in Europe than if we’d have stayed in the U.S.,” Furo co-founder Lena Sophia Voß said.
A Delaware C Corp With a German Heart
On paper, Furo is a Delaware C Corp. that raised a funding round led by U.S.-based TQ Ventures with participation from Neo and Sheryl Sandberg’s fund, Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners. But its journey is also representative of an observation recently shared by VC firm a16z that “there is now an advantage to having one foot in your home country, and one foot in Silicon Valley.”
Furo’s bridge to Silicon Valley was Munich’s Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM), which also participated in its round. It was through this program, which is tied to their alma mater TU Munich, that Voß and her co-founders Leonie Wagner and Simon Wittner made it to the Bay Area, where they studied at Stanford and UC Berkeley.
Why Europe Made More Sense for Furo
When they decided to start Furo with the ambition of helping industrial companies reduce their electricity costs, they determined that the problem was more pressing in Europe. Voß said it was especially critical in Germany, where over the last five years the country went from one energy crisis to another.
Furo could have addressed this market from the U.S. — and briefly did so when it joined Neo’s accelerator program under its former name, Lumera Energy. But Voß said being far from Germany made their work more difficult.
“If you are an early-stage company, very often it’s mostly about your network, and also about being close to your customers,” Voß said.
Amid concerns over immigration restrictions that are also affecting tech employees, the German entrepreneur insisted that in the trio’s case, going home after their respective stints at Apple, Google X, and AI startups was a deliberate move. She said they all had full-time offers from the companies they’d worked at, and all of them could have stayed with visas.
“So it was a decision to go back to Europe not because we needed to, but because we see that right now, it’s a better time to build an energy startup in Europe instead of the U.S.,” Voß said.
The Network Advantage of Building in Munich
According to Voß, starting Furo out of Munich was “highly beneficial” for its growth, “because a lot of people in our network recommended us to our first customers,” as well as for “operational expertise” and mentorship. “Every time we have a challenge, we know exactly whom to call,” she said, adding that being close to technical universities is also helpful for hiring.
It doesn’t hurt, either, that “if you compare the salary of an engineer in the U.S. versus Germany, it is just way cheaper,” Voß said. She recalled that Furo’s U.S. investors wondered whether it would be able to source talent for the amount it had budgeted, which was actually at the top end for salaries in Germany. “So it’s definitely better that you can do more with the money,” she added.
Salary is just one aspect, though. Voß said the quality of talent is also on par, while workers are more accessible because there is less competition with Big Tech and also thanks to Furo’s CDTM ties. “It’s such a great network in Germany and in Europe that people somehow start to know you.”
Keeping One Foot in Silicon Valley
The startup is also maintaining its U.S. network.
“We’re back in the U.S. three or four times a year for admin stuff, but also to catch up with our investors and maybe see new investors,” Voß said.
It’s a reminder that, even for startups that are now happy at home, getting the best of both worlds may still mean fundraising from the United States.
Pictured from left to right: Furo co-founders Lena Sophia Voß, Simon Wittner, and Leonie Wagner.
What Other Founders Can Learn From Furo
The Furo founders’ story challenges the long-held assumption that building a successful startup requires relocating to Silicon Valley. Their experience suggests that for certain industries — particularly those tied to regional challenges like Europe’s energy crisis — staying close to customers and local networks can accelerate growth more effectively than being physically present in the U.S.
For founders weighing a similar decision, Voß’s experience points to several practical considerations:
Proximity to customers matters early on. Being close to the companies you serve can speed up feedback loops and build trust.
Local networks drive early traction. Recommendations from a strong professional network helped Furo land its first customers.
Cost efficiency stretches runway. Engineer salaries in Germany are significantly lower than in the U.S., allowing the team to do more with its funding.
You can still access U.S. capital. Furo raised from American investors without being headquartered in the U.S.
Periodic visits can maintain relationships. Returning to the U.S. a few times a year keeps investor ties strong.
The Furo founders have shown that leaving Silicon Valley does not mean leaving behind the funding, ambition, or growth opportunities that the region is known for. By building from Munich, the team gained proximity to customers, access to a deep talent pool, and a cost structure that lets their $4 million stretch further.
At the same time, they kept their U.S. connections alive through regular visits and a funding round led by American investors. For a growing number of founders, that balance — one foot at home, one foot in Silicon Valley — may be the most practical path forward.
