Smart Start USA Program: 25 Romanian companies face to face in New York with American entrepreneurs

By Constantin Radut
The former Romanian Minister for Business Environment Ilan Laufer respects his commitments to encourage Romanian companies’ businesses in the US market. After launching his Smart Start USA initiative in Bucharest and several cities in Romania, Ilan Laufer started a new phase of the project.
As a press release informs us, Ilan Laufer continues the project of supporting the Romanian business community and creating a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem by promoting and concretely helping the domestic companies to internationalize, increase their volume of exported products and services, actions meant to bring additional revenues to the state budget plus value in the Romanian economy. On November 27 a new session was held in New York to promote the Smart Start USA program and platform, attended by the largest delegation of Romanian companies brought to the USA through a 100% private program. 25 Romanian companies, participating through the Smart Start USA program, met with American entrepreneurs and had the opportunity to learn directly from the representatives of the local American administration and business environment in New York State the real economic and legislative realities of the market US. With a particularly ambitious agenda, the event offered Romanian businessmen the opportunity to explore the legislative and regulatory issues applied at city, US and federal level in a direct dialogue with Jan Fuerestadt and Kritian Stiles, both Mercury executives , LLC, one of the best-known public-sector strategy firms at the level.
Also, from the representatives of the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce, Arthur Rosenfield, Liviu Goldenberg, Mark A. Meyer, Andre Cappon and Elias Wexler have learned how US companies manage to compete effectively in New York City and the United States, showing them the dynamics and possibilities offered by the US market, how they can make profitable sales under US lending conditions and customs and logistical conditions, basic legal issues in doing business in the United States, which additional funding can be given to start-ups and SMEs in the United States, which are the safety standards quality, performance, acceptance and testing to be respected in a US production activity.
At the same time, from Ivan Gilbert, principal ImmLex Law Group, Romanian entrepreneurs obtained information on the conditions for obtaining visas and work permits for US territory, and Mark D. Cowan, CEO of Potomac Intl Partners, learned how to maximize the chances of entering the US market through partnerships and government support. “The US market has a tremendous potential for increasing trade and bilateral investment volumes, supported by the two business environments, but also by the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA. The Smart Start USA program has earned over 10,000 followers in Romania and the United States only in the first year of implementation, and we also have applications for other markets in Europe and the Middle East. I remain consistent and dedicated to my project of support, together with the Smart Start USA implementation partners, of Romanian entrepreneurship to internationalize, “said Ilan Laufer.
The event was organized by Smart Start USA and the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York with the support of local authorities in New York, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest and First Bank Implementing Partners , Banca Transilvania, Banca Comercială Română, Mastercard, certSign, the National Loan Guarantee Fund for SMEs and the Romanian Counter-Guarantee Fund.
The program contributes to the development of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States by supporting the development of the priority economic sectors for Romanian exports and the consolidation of the Romanian-American trade relations. Smart Start USA addresses entrepreneurs wishing to expand their businesses in international markets, especially in the US market, facilitating access to finance, guidance and entrepreneurial education for over 10,000 bank branches of implementing partners involved Romanian companies, annually.