In the past years, many European companies have selected Boston as their North America HQ—Most recently, London-based cybersecurity company Egress Software.
Now, the opposite is also true, as many Boston companies pursue growth plans by adding European branches.
Three months after corporate catering marketplace ezCater made an international foray following the acquisition of Paris, France-based GoCater, another Boston-based company set foot into the Old Continent.
Salsify, a product experience management platform headquartered on Federal Street, announced on Monday the opening of its second office in Lisbon, Portugal. The company's first international location will serve as headquarters for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Salsify explained that establishing a European presence was necessary to ensure that customer success and technical development needs could be met more locally.
As for picking Portugal, a lot of factors were considered in the process, including business climate, weather, startup ecosystem, access to talent, convenient airport and breadth of language skills, according to Jeremy Redburn, head of the Lisbon office, co-founder and executive vice president of product at Salsify.
In an email to BostInno, Redburn wrote that the final decision to pick Lisbon came down to one thing: the people.
"Everyone we met here in Lisbon had a deep desire to be impactful at work alongside real passions outside the office, a combination perfectly aligned to who we are and representative of the culture that’s won us eight best place to work awards in Boston," Redburn wrote.
The Lisbon team will be focused on customer success and experience, as well as handling any local technical needs. The Lisbon team will grow over time, with the goal of an initial group of ten people "as soon as possible," Redburn said, and over 25 by this time next year.
"We’re looking to build the foundation of a large team that will help transform e-commerce in EMEA and around the world," Redburn added. "We're looking for people who are excited to bring their own passions and ambition to help create a new part of the Salsify story here in Portugal."
Total headcount at Salsify is 250 employees. To date, the company has raised a total of $98.1 million in funding, led by Greenspring Associates, Underscore VC, Venrock, Matrix Partners and North Bridge.
