Key Takeaways
- Working capital to fund first employee hire — no green card required
- STEM OPT founders must be employed by an E-Verify employer — your own company qualifies
- Bankable funds payroll and operating costs for growing OPT businesses
- 48-hour decisions for businesses with $10K+ monthly revenue
Hiring your first employee is a critical business milestone — and for F-1 STEM OPT founders, it's also an immigration one. STEM OPT requires working for an E-Verify employer. When you own a corporation that is E-Verify enrolled, you can be an employee of your own company, satisfying the STEM OPT requirement while building your business. As your business grows, hiring additional employees expands your capacity without requiring your personal time for every deliverable.
The cash flow reality of hiring: payroll must be funded bi-weekly or semi-monthly regardless of when your clients pay. A first hire at $75K/year means $6,250/month in payroll obligations — potentially before additional revenue is generated. Bankable's working capital funds this gap.
STEM OPT Self-Employment Structure
Many STEM OPT founders don't realize that self-employment through a properly structured corporation is STEM OPT compliant. The key requirements:
- Business entity must be E-Verify enrolled
- Your employment must be in a qualifying STEM field related to your degree
- The role must provide training that develops knowledge and skills in STEM
- You must maintain the Form I-983 training plan
Consult an immigration attorney to ensure your specific structure qualifies — requirements have nuances that vary by situation.
Working Capital for First Hire
Bankable's working capital line provides revolving credit that you draw as needed for payroll, benefits, and employer taxes — repaying as client revenue flows in. This smooths the cash conversion cycle between employee costs and customer payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. F-1 STEM OPT founders can hire employees through their US-registered corporation. Hiring employees does not affect your OPT status — your status is based on your own employment relationship with your E-Verify enrolled company, not on how many others you employ.
Yes, if structured correctly. A STEM OPT founder who is an employee of their own E-Verify enrolled corporation, in a role related to their STEM degree, with a properly maintained I-983 training plan, satisfies STEM OPT requirements. Always verify with an immigration attorney.
Yes. Since March 2026, all SBA loans require 100% US citizen or national ownership. Bankable is non-SBA — F-1 OPT founders qualify based entirely on business revenue.
No. Bankable funds US-registered business entities based on revenue. Immigration status is not evaluated.
Calculate 3 months of salary + employer payroll taxes (7.65%) + benefits as your minimum working capital need. For a $75K/year hire, that's approximately $20K-$25K in 3-month working capital coverage.
Yes. Health insurance premiums, retirement contributions, and other employee benefits are operating expenses that can be funded through Bankable's working capital products.
Your business entity continues operating and servicing funding. The loan is with the business, not the individual. Immigration changes do not affect the business's funding obligations.
A general rule: your employee's total compensation (salary + benefits + taxes) should be covered by the incremental revenue they generate, ideally within 3-6 months. Bankable bridges the gap during the ramp period.