US Expand 2026: A home run in Prague

Hydra Consulting

Oct 23, 2026

6 mins read

US Expand 2026 brought together companies from a range of industries that have successfully expanded into the US or are about to start that journey.

Josef Scharfen, CEO of Hydra Consulting, hosted and moderated the event for the third time. He invited clients who have successfully expanded into the US, along with representatives from the state of South Carolina who support companies making the move and it was a home run!

Speakers at US Expand 2026

Zdeněk Bínek, CEO, ZEBR.AI

Zdeněk founded ZEBR.AI as a family business, first expanding within Europe and now into the US. Speaking about a partnership that continues to grow, he said:

“When our US client GFI Software hired us, they told us we couldn’t be any worse than the distributors they’d had before. We turned out to be the best one.”

Ernest Cory, Sales Manager, eWay System

Ernest is a true salesman. He knows when to push and when to let go – the kind of nuance only natives tend to sense. On the value of sports analogies in business, he said:

“Sports are big in the US. Knowing what’s happening and working it into the conversation makes a bigger difference than you might think, something my predecessors in this role didn’t understand.”

Sergio Domingues, Managing Director, South Carolina Department of Commerce

Sergio spoke about the importance of community:

“America is 50 states, but also more than 3,000 counties. When you do business here, you don’t just pick a state, you have to pick your community.”

David Ginn, President & CEO, Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA)

David took the idea of community further, focusing on the Charleston metro area:

“We’re here to support European companies, who are often surprised that we’re not trying to sell them anything. We want to help them thrive in the US.”

US Expand 2026

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Hydra Consulting offers a full-service representation to European businesses coming to America. We handle company setup, taxes, visas and business development.