Services For Businesses

Making The Connection: Providing Services To Businesses

The North Dakota / Northwest Minnesota EB-5 Regional Center works as a consultant to local businesses interested and able to participate in EB-5 projects. Some of our services include:

• Helping to target, evaluate and secure qualified private equity investment that is EB-5 eligible.

• Marketing the company to potential international investors.

• Identifying professional service providers such as translators, accountants and attorneys who can assist in making international investment into a reality.

Service Agreements

The North Dakota / Northwest Minnesota EB-5 Regional Center will provide client service agreements to both investors and local companies involved in this process. These documents will set expectations and define all services being provided during specific projects. The EB-5 investor will invest $1 million (or $500,000 if investing in a USCIC designated targeted employment area (TEA)). This investment is not a loan.

Here are a few EB-5 guidelines as they relate to the investor/business relationship.

• The investor will not be entitled to any guaranteed returns but may share in distributions of profits.

• The investor will not have a redemption right or any right to force the buy-out of his share at a particular price.

• The investor will be engaged in management of the company in some capacity.

• The company will provide evidence of job creation using the IMPLAN-based methodology that is provided by the Regional Center.

Angel Funds

The North Dakota / Northwest Minnesota EB-5 Regional Center will work directly with five angel investment funds in North Dakota and Minnesota in order to identify potential deals and promote side-by-side investments between American and foreign direct investors. The Center for Innovation has helped form these investment funds and is currently supporting their operations and promotions.

Minimum Requirements of Project Applicants

Not every business will meet the requirements of the North Dakota / Northwest Minnesota EB-5 Regional Center. The proposed business project must:

• Fall within the designated geographic region.

• Fall within the designated aggregate industry categories.

• Be able to prove that ten jobs will be created, either directly or indirectly, per investor (per $500,000 or $1,000,000 depending on geographic location of the business).

• Be able to return the principle investment amount within 10 years after the investment has been made.

Job Creation

Each foreign investor involved with the EB-5 Program must prove s that the investment has created 10 jobs, either directly or indirectly. In TEAs, the minimum investment per investor is $500,000, therefore for each $500,000 invested ten jobs need to be created. If not in a TEA area, the minimum investment is $1,000,000.

How To Apply

For further information, please contact the North Dakota / Northwest Minnesota EB-5 Regional Center at eb5@innovators.net or 701-777-3132.