I reflected on a 2010 Canadian startup that later became Shopify to illustrate why I back international founders at Hustle Fund. The story shows how a modest $50 million exit ceiling was ignored, leading to a company now valued around $100 billion.
Original shareholder‑desired exit ceiling: $50 million.
Current Shopify valuation: around $100 billion.
Decision: Hustle Fund treats international opportunities with the same diligence framework as domestic deals, adding only the “why am I seeing this deal?” filter.
I also noted the extra friction of cross‑border investing – capital controls, currency risk, higher legal costs, and U.S. PFIC filing requirements – but kept evaluation criteria identical: team quality, market size, and willingness to pay. linkedin profile