Bridging the Atlantic for Tech Startups

UK–USA trade was worth over £279 billion in 2022, reflecting deep economic ties. Today, the opportunity for tech startups to grow across borders has never been greater. The United Kingdom’s tech sector, home to 171 unicorns and a £1.1 trillion ecosystem (the largest in Europe), has become a launchpad for innovation – and many of these innovators are now looking west. In fact, British startups are increasingly expanding into the United States to tap into new markets and investors. Last year, UK startups raised £16.2 billion in funding (a four-year low), whereas U.S. startups raised over £65 billion during the same period​. This funding dynamic is driving UK founders to establish a presence in the U.S., often incorporating their companies in America to attract capital​. Meanwhile, the policy climate is encouraging transatlantic business: initiatives like the Atlantic Declaration are strengthening UK–US cooperation in areas from AI to supply chains​, and a new UK–US “data bridge” agreement will make it easier for British businesses to transfer data to the U.S. without cumbersome red tape.

For startups and scaling companies, these trends spell opportunity – access to a larger customer base, deeper pools of investment, and collaborative innovation across the Atlantic. But they also surface a key challenge: how to efficiently manage your business operations – especially your contracts – across different jurisdictions. Expanding into the U.S. means navigating a complex legal and commercial landscape. As one legal expert put it, “Expanding your startup from the UK to the US is an exciting growth opportunity, but navigating the legal landscape can be complex”​. Nowhere is this complexity more evident than in contract management. From differing legal terms and regulations to simply keeping track of agreements in two (or more) countries, contract management can quickly become a headache for a growing company. And the stakes are high: research shows that poor contract management can cost companies around 9% of their annual revenue​ – a loss no startup can afford. In the UK alone, small and mid-sized businesses are estimated to lose £13.6 billion each year by neglecting contractual obligations and opportunities.

This is the environment into which Cloud Contracts 365 arrives in the United States – and the timing couldn’t be better. Cloud Contracts 365 is a platform that was born out of the UK’s dynamic tech scene and is now launching in the U.S. to help businesses modernize and streamline their contract management. What exactly is it? In short, Cloud Contracts 365 is an AI-powered, end-to-end contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution that puts all the tools you need to handle contracts under one roof​. Unlike traditional contract management (think scattered Word documents, email chains, and costly lawyer reviews), Cloud Contracts 365 offers a unified, cloud-based hub for every stage of a contract’s life. It was built by lawyers specifically for tech companies, meaning it understands the typical contracts and pain points of startups and SaaS businesses. After years of development and refinement, the platform launched in the UK in 2024 and quickly gained recognition, winning “Best Innovation in Legal Services” at the Legal Technology Awards in London​. Now, as it enters the U.S. market, American tech firms have a new, proven ally in contract management.

Why Modern Contract Management Matters (Across Borders)

For a startup entering a new market, contracts are the backbone of every critical relationship – from customer agreements and vendor contracts to partnership deals and investor term sheets. However, managing those contracts often falls to the back burner when teams are small and resources are stretched. It’s common to see ad-hoc approaches: using a patchwork of templates, saving files in multiple locations, or rushing through reviews due to time pressure. Unfortunately, this can lead to serious issues. A missed auto-renewal clause in a software contract, for instance, could lock you into an unfavorable agreement. An overlooked compliance requirement could result in fines. Or perhaps a deal is delayed (or lost) because manual contract edits and negotiations took too long. These scenarios become more likely – and more complex – when dealing with cross-border contracts, where differences in legal systems (UK vs. US law, state regulations, etc.) come into play.

Let’s consider a scenario: A UK-based SaaS startup is expanding to the U.S. and signing up its first American clients. They need to adapt their standard contract to comply with U.S. law, ensure it covers state-specific provisions, and get it signed quickly to begin the project. Simultaneously, they’re managing ongoing agreements back in the UK. Keeping track of all these moving parts via email and spreadsheets is a recipe for things slipping through the cracks. This is a prime example of why a modern, centralised contract management solution is so important. In fact, a study by WorldCC (formerly IACCM) found that improving contract management could increase profitability by the equivalent of 9% of annual revenue, by preventing value leakage such as revenue delays, scope creep, or disputes. For startups, effectively managing contracts isn’t just “nice to have” – it can be the difference in accelerating growth and building trust with global partners.

Meet Cloud Contracts 365: A Trusted Solution for Modern Contract Management

Cloud Contracts 365 was built to address exactly these challenges. What makes this platform stand out in a sea of productivity tools is its comprehensive, AI-driven approach paired with deep legal expertise. Here’s what a tech startup can expect when adopting Cloud Contracts 365:

All-in-One Contract Hub: No more juggling multiple apps and storage locations. Cloud Contracts 365 provides a single repository where you can draft, review, approve, sign, and store all your contracts digitally​. This central hub is accessible from anywhere, which is ideal for distributed teams and cross-border operations. Need to find a specific clause or check a contract’s status? Powerful search and filtering let you locate information in seconds, so nothing gets lost in email inboxes again. (Think of the time saved when your team can instantly pull up “that NDA from last October” or see all upcoming renewal dates at a glance.) 

Built-in Compliance and Updates: Laws change, and what’s acceptable in one jurisdiction might not be in another. Cloud Contracts 365 tackles this by keeping its content up-to-date. All contract templates in the platform are continuously updated to reflect the latest legislation and regulatory requirements​. For a user, this offers peace of mind – when you generate a contract, you’re using text that is current and compliant. This is particularly valuable for cross-border context. For instance, data protection clauses can differ between the UK and US; with Cloud Contracts 365’s guidance, you can ensure you include the right terms for each region. Moreover, the platform includes specialised clauses for those in the Microsoft Partner network (as Cloud Contracts 365 initially focused on Microsoft Partners’ needs in the UK)​. While that’s a bonus for companies in that ecosystem, the core benefit for any startup is knowing your contracts aren’t falling behind legal standards as you grow. 

Electronic Signing and Workflow Automation: In today’s remote and fast-paced work environment, waiting for a physical signature is impractical. Cloud Contracts 365 integrates electronic signature capability, so agreements can be reviewed and signed by all parties within the platform itself. Once signed, the contract is automatically stored and indexed. The system also automates reminders for key dates and milestones – for example, alerting you a month before a contract’s renewal or expiration date. This kind of workflow automation ensures you never inadvertently let an important agreement lapse or auto-renew without review. It’s like having a diligent project manager for your contracts, keeping everyone on schedule. 

Cost Savings and Scalability: Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects, especially for budget-conscious startups, is the cost benefit. By leveraging standardised templates and AI reviews, Cloud Contracts 365 drastically reduces the need for external legal review on routine contracts, which is where companies often rack up big legal bills. The platform’s own figures suggest savings up to £120,000 per year in legal fees for a typical small tech business​ – resources that can be redirected to product development, hiring, or market expansion. And as your company scales, the platform scales with you: it’s built to handle increasing volumes of contracts and more complex workflows, so you won’t outgrow it when you move from 5 contracts a month to 50 or 500.


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Empowering Startups for Cross-Border Success

What does all this mean for a startup or scaling tech company entering the U.S. market (or expanding from it)? In essence, Cloud Contracts 365 is about empowerment and peace of mind. By introducing this platform to the U.S. tech and SaaS community, we’re aiming to empower founders, CEOs, and operations teams to handle their contractual affairs with the same agility and confidence that they handle software development or sales. Consider some of the scenarios where Cloud Contracts 365 can make a tangible difference:

A UK-based fintech startup opening an office in New York can use Cloud Contracts 365 to quickly adapt its employee contracts and sales agreements to comply with local laws, while keeping the tone and terms consistent with its UK documents. The result? Employees, clients, and partners get professional contracts that instil trust, and the startup avoids legal missteps in a new country.


A U.S. SaaS company that often contracts with European clients (and now, post-launch, UK clients through Cloud Contracts 365’s presence) can streamline its process by generating GDPR-compliant data protection agreements and standardising its Service Level Agreements (SLAs) across regions. Instead of involving lawyers for each new client deal, the U.S. team can self-serve many contract needs and only seek legal counsel for truly unique situations, saving time and money.


Any fast-growing tech scale-up managing dozens of deals at once gains a clear overview of its contractual landscape. For instance, the platform’s dashboard can show that you have 5 contracts awaiting signature, 3 in negotiation (with AI flags on what to fix), and 2 renewing next month that need attention. This level of visibility is often missing in young companies; Cloud Contracts 365 provides it out of the box, which means fewer surprises. After all, as the tagline on our UK site says: “Surprises should be for birthdays, not for business deals.” Keeping everything transparent and on track is key to maintaining momentum in a scaling business.

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Perhaps just as importantly, Cloud Contracts 365 brings a level of trust and professionalism that can boost a startup’s credibility. When interacting with enterprise customers or sophisticated investors, being able to turn around a clean, well-structured contract quickly is a competitive advantage. It shows that despite being a startup, your company has mature processes and respects the value of a good contract. In the long run, this can strengthen relationships and even become a selling point – clients and partners will know you’re easy to do business with, contract-wise.

A Timely Launch for a New Era

The launch of Cloud Contracts 365 in the U.S. comes at a time when transatlantic tech relationships are in the spotlight. The UK and US governments are actively discussing ways to encourage tech trade and reduce barriers, from easier data flows​ to exploring mutual recognition of regulations. Tech investors on both sides are collaborating more than ever, and even talent is flowing between the two ecosystems. Startups that position themselves to operate seamlessly in both the UK and the US will be best placed to capitalize on these trends. That’s why having infrastructure like contract management in place is so critical. It’s not the glamour of a new product feature or a big sales win, but it’s the foundation that supports all those things.

By introducing Cloud Contracts 365 to the U.S. market, we aim to provide that strong foundation for modern businesses – a foundation built on our experience with hundreds of UK tech companies, our team’s legal expertise, and the efficiencies of AI and cloud technology. We’re excited to become a part of the U.S. tech community and to help startups and scale-ups manage their contracts across borders with confidence and ease. In the spirit of stronger UK–US ties and shared innovation, consider this launch not just an expansion of a product, but an extension of partnership to all the forward-thinking companies that are writing the next chapter of transatlantic success.

Register your interest and be the first to hear: https://www.cloudcontracts365.com/us-launch

Welcome to Cloud Contracts 365 in the USA – a new era of contract management is here, and it’s built for the way startups work now: globally, digitally, and agilely. Here’s to closing deals faster, building trust across oceans, and never leaving your business success to chance.