How German advisors can refer US subsidiaries and add-ons to SourceX

How can German advisers refer US companies?

German advisers can refer a US company by introducing its authorized sponsor to SourceX, usually through the German group that owns it or the sponsor that backs it. The US company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), several years of documented operations and the right to license its data. If it licenses through SourceX and the deal is paid, you earn a reward.

Three German relationships tend to produce these introductions: the Mittelstand owner whose group has a US subsidiary, the German sponsor or family office that bought a US add-on, and the advisory firm that structured either of them.

Where do German advisers meet eligible US companies?

The M&A advisor playbook covers the deal-side version in more detail.

Which US subsidiaries and add-ons fit?

Apply the 4R screen: Records, Rights, Reach, Readiness.

• Records: does the US company hold years of its own operational records across many systems, and can someone export them?
• Rights: did the US company create the records, and do its customer contracts, employee notices and policies allow licensing?
• Reach: can you get to an owner, CEO, CFO or authorized representative, ideally through the German parent?
• Readiness: would the sponsor consider a one-time payment for an exclusive AI-training license for an agreed term?

A US engineering, software, logistics or professional services business with a decade of ticketing, CRM and project history usually screens well. The company fit checker runs a preliminary, non-binding version with no contact details required.

Why do group approvals matter?

A US subsidiary is a separate legal entity, but the German parent often controls budgets, data policies and major contracts. A licensing decision touches all three.

Before you approach the US management, find out who in the group can approve it. In many groups the Geschaeftsfuehrer or the board of the German holding must agree to anything affecting group data, and the US CEO will say so quickly. Raise the topic with the parent first, or ask both at once. A sponsor on the US side who proceeds without the parent can stall a deal late.

What does GDPR mean for a US dataset?

Most US business records are not subject to German data protection rules, but datasets that include personal data of people in the EU can raise GDPR questions even for a US seller. The regulation applies to organizations outside the EU that offer goods or services to people in the EU or monitor their behavior; read the official GDPR text on EUR-Lex for the scope rules.

In practice, ask whether the shared Teams or Slack workspace, the CRM or the support desk contains German employee or customer data. If it does, raise it with the company's counsel before the inventory begins. SourceX agrees de-identification and redaction requirements with the company before any work starts, and you never see or handle the data. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel before acting.

How does the introduction work?

1. Register at /register and use your referral link, or send the company through the referral form.
2. SourceX speaks with the US sponsor and tests size, history, data breadth and rights.
3. The company inventories each system, the years it covers and what can be exported.
4. One all-in price and the licensing terms are negotiated; nothing binds the company until it signs.
5. Buyers review the offer. For a deal-ready company they typically respond within about two weeks.
6. On closing, data moves under the agreed redaction rules and the company receives a one-time payment, typically within about 60 days of invoicing once the buyer selects the data.
7. Your reward is paid after SourceX receives its fee.

What should you say?

Keep the first note factual. Do not state reward amounts, and do not describe or request any records.

What do German professional, VAT and trade questions look like?

Treat these as a checklist for your own advisers, not as answers.

• Professional rules. Steuerberater and Wirtschaftspruefer are bound by professional rules on commissions, independence and conflicts, and these can differ for attest clients. Read your chamber's current rules, and decline the referral if the company is an audit client.
• Trade and VAT status. Whether occasional referral income is a trade activity, and how VAT applies to a service supplied to a US payer, depends on your structure. Ask your own tax adviser.
• Forms. A non-US firm or individual may be asked for a Form W-8BEN-E or W-8BEN, which goes to the payer and not to the IRS. See how to fill out a W-8BEN-E for an advisory or consulting firm.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

How do partner rewards work?

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. The reward is paid only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; an introduction, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed. The reward is a share of SourceX's fee and is never deducted from what the company receives. The referral earnings calculator shows how the formula works, and the program terms govern the details. Compare approaches in the guides for the Nordics, Singapore, the UAE and Canada, or the overview for international partners.

When is it not worth the effort?

• The US entity is a sales office with fewer records than its headcount suggests, or has under the 50 full-time employee baseline at peak.
• The German parent has already committed the group's data elsewhere for AI training.
• The company is your audit client and your rules or independence policy bar a fee.
• The data is mainly personal data of consumers or employees with no licensing basis.

Next step

List the US subsidiaries and add-ons in your German client book, run the strongest one through the 4R screen and then register as a partner. The sponsor can also apply directly at sourcex.si/apply with your referral link.