How to List an Opportunity
Listing an opportunity couldn’t be easier.
Click on “Submit an Opportunity” at www.opportunitiesbc.ca. You must then login with your BCeID or register for one. You will probably already have one of these if you have registered your business through OneStop or any other of the government’s online services.
Once you have an account you will need to complete an OpportunitiesBC submission form. This form will be reviewed by an Economic Development Officer who will then either publish the opportunity on the site, or come back to you with any questions of clarification.
Once the opportunity is published on the site, it will be viewable by potential investors.
Should you want your opportunity to be viewed only by ministry staff and the Economic Development Officers to pass on to their contacts, you have the option to mark the opportunity ‘private’.
Should you want your opportunity to be viewed only by ministry staff and the Economic Development Officers to pass on to their contacts, you have the option to mark the opportunity ‘private’.
Information You Will Need to Provide
When listing your opportunity, you will be asked to provide:
- A list of the key features of the project, company or property
- The location of the business or property
- Photos, text and documentation to describe the opportunity
- Contact information
It is critical that you showcase your business in the best possible light to attract a potential investor. Do you have good photographs and a clear description of what you’re asking for? Is your company investor-ready? What problem does your business management team address, and, the bottom line – what’s in it for the investor? Each opportunity is also linked to a ‘Community Profile’. These profiles provide investors with information on the region where your business is located.
The Opportunities BC website also has a nifty feature which collects all the information you have provided and allows any interested investors to print a booklet of your opportunity.
Criteria for Opportunities
There are two types of investment available through OpportunitiesBC.
The first is a General Foreign Investment, where the investor resides either domestically or in a country outside Canada. For this type of investment, your ‘opportunity’ must:
- Be a minimum of $100,000 investment
- Provide economic benefit to your local community
The second is through the Provincial Nominee Program. This will mean that the investor is looking to immigrate to BC to invest and have some part in actively managing your business. For this type of investment, your opportunity must:
- Be a minimum of $400,000 investment
- Offer the investor at least 1/3 equity in your business
- Offer the investor an active role in the day-to-day management of your business
See criteria details for more information.