APMP BPC Nashville 2025: Moments That Stuck with Me (with my favorite frenemies) 😇

Kicking Off Our U.S. Expansion: A 4-Week Journey Begins

On May 18, Cliwant officially began a four-week business trip across the U.S., marking a major step in our expansion journey. At the heart of this trip is our goal to enter and grow in the U.S. market. We'll be documenting the experience as honestly and vividly as possible, sharing both the milestones and the behind-the-scenes moments.

1. APMP Annual Conference Booth at Nashville (May 17–20)

We started our journey at the annual conference of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP)—the world’s largest organization for bid and proposal professionals. Recently, Cliwant joined efforts with others to launch the Korean chapter of APMP. This year’s events were held in Dublin (EU) and Nashville (US).

To be honest, all I knew about Nashville beforehand was "hot chicken." But the moment we arrived, the lush greenery and southern charm hit us. Cowboy-styled streets, live music at every corner, and the vibe of "Music City" were unmistakable.

Of course, no adventure starts without a little hiccup. Junho had to book his flight later than the rest of us and ended up on a different route. During a layover in Dallas, long security lines caused him to miss his connection—and while he made it on the next flight, his luggage didn’t. It arrived a day late, leaving him with a good story and a few travel lessons learned.

The next day, I sat for the APMP certification exam. I had hesitated at first—it’s a test on bidding strategies in a completely foreign environment. But I knew that if we wanted to bring this certification program to Korea and speak the same language as U.S. procurement professionals, I had to take the leap.

I decided to register just five days before departure. The exam fee was no small commitment—around $700–$800—and the 250+ page textbook became my in-flight companion.

In the end, I passed.

It felt amazing to update my LinkedIn profile with “APMP Certified,” but what truly meant a lot were the messages I received—from professionals in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Germany, and Australia. 67 likes. 44 comments. A moment of personal encouragement I’ll never forget.

That evening, we celebrated at a small local bar near the hotel. Everything—from the wooden signs to the soft twang of country music—felt like we’d stepped into a movie. For the first time, it really sank in: we were in America.

The following day, we kicked off our booth at the APMP event. As we did during our Singapore debut, we once again ditched the suits and showed up as Mario. Yes, that Mario.

And once again—it worked.

In a sea of black suits, we stood out. Attendees stopped by, asked about our product, took photos with us, and most importantly, remembered us. The energy, curiosity, and conversations it sparked made the entire experience worthwhile.

Meeting Global Competitors, Face to Face

One of the most eye-opening experiences during the conference was seeing the companies we’ve long considered competitors—Loopio, Responsive, GovDash, GovSignals, Inventive, pWin, AutogenAI—all in one place.

We demoed each other’s tools, exchanged ideas, and even took group photos. Most of them had never heard of us before—and that’s okay. In the U.S., AI-powered RFP tools are exploding, and the category is gaining attention from major VCs.

So it meant a lot to be there with them—not as outsiders, but as peers sharing the same floor, speaking to the same customers, earning our spot in the same arena.

Being a Korean-founded startup gave us a certain neutrality. Surprisingly, we often became the ones introducing competitors to each other. And just like that, the conversations turned into beers, follows on LinkedIn, and even music show outings together.

A special moment was meeting Rick Harris, CEO of APMP for over 15 years—a legend in this space. We took a photo together, and I won’t lie, it was an honor I’ll always remember.

Exploring Downtown Nashville

On the last day, we finally carved out some time to explore downtown Nashville. Neon signs lit up the streets. Live performances filled the sidewalks. The city was electric—and yes, the famous hot chicken absolutely lived up to the hype (even if it was a little too spicy for me!).

2. Virginia: Where It All Gets Real (May 21–23)

After a whirlwind few days in Nashville, we headed straight to Virginia—a core region for public sector contracting in the U.S. With its concentration of federal agencies and major contractors, this is where our ideal customers are.

As soon as we arrived, we jumped into back-to-back meetings that had been carefully arranged in advance.

Of course, not all feedback was glowing. While the RFP process is global in nature, we quickly learned that go-to-market strategies must adapt to each region. For example, in the U.S., there are over 15,000 public procurement entities across federal, state, and local levels.

We also noticed that while AI bidding tools are popping up rapidly in the U.S., most are focused on automating proposal writing. In contrast, we see a bigger opportunity: helping companies at the very beginning of their journey—those wondering:

• “Should I enter this market at all?”
• “Is my business ready for this?”
• “Should I target federal or state agencies?”
• “Which buyers should I reach out to—and how?”

In Korea, our platform already answers these questions. But in the U.S., data is much messier and less centralized, which makes it harder to deliver the same depth of insights. Still, that’s where we believe we can stand out: by becoming the go-to research platform that helps businesses decide if, when, and how to compete in public procurement.

The Power of WeWork

This trip reaffirmed just how valuable WeWork can be for a team like ours. Wherever we went, we had a professional space to work, meet, and plan—no matter the city.

Among the locations we visited, the WeWork on the 26th floor in Arlington, Virginia, was unforgettable. With panoramic views of Washington, D.C.—from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials—we worked with the nation’s capital quite literally in our sights.

We stayed in a three-bedroom Airbnb, and after late nights at WeWork, we’d return, plug the laptop into the TV, and keep the planning going. It felt like we were living in an episode of Friends—crammed into a tiny shared space, building a startup together like it was our college dorm.

We wrapped up our first week with a quick burger by the river, then took a commemorative photo in front of the White House.

One week down. Three more to go. Let’s keep building.