DC Advisory advised N Family Club on its GBP 42.5M investment from Gresham House and Steyn Group

Background

• Headquartered in London, N Family Club (N) is a fast growing, premium early years platform, with 20 sites open across London, the Home Counties and the West Midlands
• Since being opened in 2017 by Philip Sunderland (Founder and CEO of N), N has grown significantly - both organically and through selective acquisitions
• N’s selling point is a unique approach to early years education, designing a bespoke and progressive curriculum to help each child reach their full potential
• Gresham House is a specialist alternative asset manager, committed to sustainable investing
• Steyn Group is a global single family office which focuses on private market investments, impact and philanthropy

Process

• DC Advisory (DC), led by James Pople and James Wanless, was engaged by N in September 2021 to identify a new investor to support the business' ambitious growth plans
• N demonstrated resilience through the pandemic, ultimately becoming the only 100% Ofsted Outstanding early years education platform in the UK
• Throughout the transaction, DC worked closely with the N management team to prepare the business for investment, including preparing marketing materials, identification and screening of potential new investors, valuation and negotiation support, and overall process management

Outcome

• Following a competitive process and a period of exclusivity, the transaction successfully completed in April 2022
• N raised GBP 42.5M in an investment led by Gresham House via its second sustainability flagship fund – the British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund II – alongside additional investment from an existing investor, Steyn Group
• Philip Sunderland, supported by his management team, will continue to drive N’s strategy as it aims to use this investment to accelerate growth plans, creating thousands of new nursery places and jobs
• This transaction demonstrates DC’s leading Education capabilities – with strong credentials internationally in the space

'It has been a pleasure working with DC Advisory. James and the team have brought a wealth of expertise, insight, and hard work to the transaction, helping us to achieve a fantastic outcome. We look forward to working closely with Gresham House over the coming years as we continue to build the UK’s leading, premium early years platform.'

‘We are delighted to have advised Phil and the team at N Family Club, helping them to continue to deliver on their exciting growth plans. The clear vision and ethos this management team has built, has successfully disrupted the market - helping establish the company as a leading player since launch in 2017. With this investment led by Gresham House, we only see them going from strength to strength.’