I am a founder and am going to Silicon Valley for two months – this is how my startup will survive without me

AI startup founder Florian Scherl is heading to Silicon Valley for two months. He's preparing his startup for his absence.

Florian Scherl is the founder of Explaino.ai – an AI platform that transforms text into animated explainer videos. He is currently living and working in Silicon Valley for two months as part of the EWOR SF Residency – and reports on his time there for Gründerszene. Part 1 addresses the question: How do you prepare a startup when both founders move to the Valley at the same time?

"Why aren't you in the US yet?" – This was the question our EWOR partners asked us at the end of our first funding call. And although it came across casually, it hit us hard. Because somewhere along the line, we'd sensed it for a long time: If Explaino really wanted to become big, we needed to go to a place where technology isn't discussed, but created. To the US. To Silicon Valley.

Florian Scherl

When EWOR announced its San Francisco residency for 2025, it was clear: We were leaving. Both founders, in fact, were leaving for almost two months. What we didn't realize at the time was that the hardest part wasn't the flight or the rebranding for the US. It was preparing for everything that needed to remain stable in our absence.

A large part of the logistical organization was taken care of for us: EWOR rented two houses in San Francisco. What remained, and no one else could do for us, was the content preparation. Because Philipp (my co-founder) and I didn't just want to spend these seven weeks attending meetings – we wanted real progress. For us. For our product. For explaino.

When both co-founders leave at the same time, a natural escalation point is missing within the company. Our initial thoughts revolved around control: How do we ensure that nothing is left undone? But it quickly became clear: control wasn't the answer. Trust was.

So we involved our team early on. We openly explained what we were planning – and why. It wasn't a trip to the US for its own sake, but rather a clear plan and defined goals: understanding the American market, gaining partners, and refining our product. At the same time, we made it clear that there would come a time when they would have to take on more responsibility. And that we trusted them to do just that.

The weeks leading up to our departure were a mix of strategy calls, organizing, and many discussions. Who makes which decisions? Who is responsible for our office? How do we deal with time zones? It was less about solving problems and more about creating clarity.

One moment that particularly stuck with me: It was a Wednesday evening, late at the office, with a colleague from the sales team. He looked at me and said calmly, "Don't worry, Flo. When you get back, there'll be a second whiteboard on the wall." To put that into perspective: our whiteboard lists all the hot sales leads. This sentence touched me. Not just because he set a goal—but because I knew he meant it.

Two days before our departure, we had a barbecue with the entire team – on our small patio in the backyard. It wasn't a dramatic farewell, more of a deliberately chosen moment. To say thank you. To say out loud: "You're doing this." And: "We'll be back with the wind at our backs."

Florian Scherl

When we finally arrived at the airport at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the feeling was different than on previous business trips. Not nervous—more like, relaxed. Because we knew things were going well at home. And we had made the right decision, not just for our product—but for our team.