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In my experience, you need to prove that you spent enough money (say in the order of 100k$). Spent, not just invested -- but the investment can be "just" that 100k$.

See here for details on the amount: http://e2visalawyer.net/substantial_investment.htm

It starts at $50k.

A lot depends on the embassy. Some seem to have unofficial investment amounts that exceed this. IIRC, anecdotally, the London embassy has a minimum investment requirement of $200k for E-2 which may have risen since I last looked.

You're thinking of the EB-5 green card perhaps