Before signing a master franchise or area development partner, franchisors run candidates through a defined set of criteria. Here's how NorthStar Group measures up against each one, point by point.
Master franchise and area development agreements hand one partner exclusive control over an entire territory - so franchisors screen candidates against a defined checklist before signing anything: financial capacity, operating experience, local market knowledge, real estate access, team capability, regulatory standing, and long-term commitment.
Rather than asking you to take our word for it, this page walks through that exact checklist - the standard, and where NorthStar Group stands against it. For more on the underlying framework, see the 3C standard, explained.
The standard: Sufficient capital - personal or institutional - to fund real estate, buildout, and working capital without relying on the brand for financing.
NorthStar Group: A privately funded investment group that commits its own capital to every launch - real estate, buildout, licensing, and working capital - with no capital call on the brand.
The standard: A demonstrated track record building, scaling, and operating businesses - not just capital on paper.
NorthStar Group: Founders who built and scaled GameBit, a B2B iGaming platform, and theConsultancy Partners, Armenia's leading digital transformation consultancy for banks and fintech - hands-on operating experience, not advisory distance.
The standard: Deep, on-the-ground understanding of consumer behavior, real estate, and regulatory conditions in the target market.
NorthStar Group: Full-time, Yerevan-based operators who've raised capital and built institutional relationships locally for over a decade - not a fly-in advisory team.
The standard: Established relationships and capability to identify, negotiate, and secure the real estate a brand's format requires.
NorthStar Group: Site selection and real estate securement is a core service line, covering everything from flagship locations to multi-unit territory rollout.
The standard: The ability to recruit, train, and manage a local team capable of operating to brand standard.
NorthStar Group: A track record of hiring and managing teams in Armenia through GameBit and theConsultancy Partners, plus a dedicated in-market team for legal, licensing, and hiring on each new brand launch.
The standard: A clean legal and regulatory standing, with the ability to navigate local business registration, licensing, and compliance.
NorthStar Group: A privately owned, independently operated investment group with no government affiliation, coordinating regulatory and legal compliance directly with in-market partners for every launch.
The standard: A multi-year commitment to developing the full territory, not a single opportunistic unit.
NorthStar Group: Structured for exclusive, long-term master franchise or area development agreements - our incentives are tied to territory-wide performance, not a single location.
The standard: A partner whose incentives are structurally aligned with the brand's success, with one accountable point of contact.
NorthStar Group: We fund the launch ourselves, so our success is permanently tied to the brand's - and we're the single accountable partner for the life of the agreement.
Most franchisors evaluate candidates against financial capacity, operational experience, local market knowledge, real estate access, team capability, regulatory standing, and long-term territory commitment - the same criteria outlined on this page.
Self-funding is a core part of how NorthStar Group qualifies as a master franchise and area development partner - it removes fundraising risk from the brand and keeps our incentives aligned with the territory's long-term success.
Yes. NorthStar Group's founders built and scaled GameBit, a B2B iGaming platform, and theConsultancy Partners, a digital transformation consultancy for banks and fintech, both headquartered in Armenia.
Contact NorthStar Group directly - we're glad to walk any franchisor's due diligence team through our financials, team background, and territory plan in detail.
See where your brand stands with the Fit Assessment, or take this checklist to your leadership as the Partner Prospectus.