Nursery World - Nursery investors seek chemistry

In business as in romance, the right 'chemistry' is all-important when a venture capitalist and a nursery provider get together, according to a presentation delivered to the Laing and Buisson childcare conference last week (see above). Paul Canning, an investment manager for Gresham Trust, which put 50m into backing the Busy Bees group in February 2000, said, 'There's nothing mysterious about the way we assess a business opportunity. The right chemistry is all-important - you have to be willing to let us in to your business. We see our investment as the start of a long-term partnership: we need openness, honesty, and trust.

Paul Canning, an investment manager for Gresham Trust, which put 50m into backing the Busy Bees group in February 2000, said, 'There's nothing mysterious about the way we assess a business opportunity. The right chemistry is all-important - you have to be willing to let us in to your business. We see our investment as the start of a long-term partnership: we need openness, honesty, and trust.

'There has to be a "no surprises" culture - we have to share good and bad news. And we have to have "goal alignment" - are we both looking for the same thing?'

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