New Media Age 26th April 2001

START-UP - www.bestbear.co.uk

Launched: Nationwide launch in November 2000

Founders: Eve Tomlinson and Tania Fallon

Senior team: Sally Harrison (director), Teresa Wilson (childcare consultant), Yasmin Pasha (investigative journalist), Lara Williamson (marketing director), Mike Marcus (financial director), Isabelle Zeki (corporate projects manager), Helen Taggart (researcher)

Market: ABC1 working parents aged 22-44 who are cash rich but time poor, childcarers, childcare agencies

Business Proposition: A UK-wide online guide to recommended childcare, allowing parents to find quality childcarers and childcarers to find the best jobs.

Revenue streams: Commission-based remuneration from agencies, corporate intranet packages, white labelling database for leading Web sites (in negotiation), off-line publishing (guide and information packs).

Funding: Seed capital from private investors in September 2000.

Competitors: None

Marketing: Offline marketing in The Lady and Yellow Pages.

Contact: Tania Fallon, tania@bestbear.co.uk, (020) 8675 0773

NMA says: Childcare is a touchy subject, especially when conducted through the Internet. Best Bear has vetted the agencies and carers it lists in its database, but it'll be for users to judge if it's done so well. It has a number of revenue streams and at present operates on a charge-per-click-through model for the agencies listed, allowing users to access the site for free, so the more traffic it generates, the better off it should be. It's also currently free of competitors, so has the chance of first-mover advantage.

Greg Brooks