Oakley Capital Investments (LSE:OCI) said Oakley Capital Fund VI has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Graphwise, a semantic data technology firm the private equity investor calls a key enabler of enterprise artificial intelligence.
OCI's indirect contribution through Fund VI is expected to reach up to approximately £20 million, reflecting its share of the wider deal.
Graphwise structures enterprise data into knowledge graphs, a database format that adds context and connections to help large language models retrieve facts reliably rather than simply process language.
More than 200 blue-chip customers use the software, particularly in regulated sectors such as financial services, life sciences and the public sector, where auditability and data governance carry weight. The company formed in 2024 through the merger of Ontotext, founded in Sofia in 2000, and Vienna-based Semantic Web Company, founded in 2004.
It has delivered organic annual recurring revenue growth of more than 30% a year since the merger.
Oakley plans to work with Graphwise's founders to expand its commercial reach, deepen its presence in international markets, and pursue acquisitions in what it describes as a highly fragmented sector.
"AI is changing how every organisation operates, but it also makes trusted, well-governed data more important than ever," said Peter Dubens, founder and managing partner of Oakley Capital.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Oakley Capital Fund VI is acquiring a majority stake in Graphwise, a knowledge-graph platform formed in 2024 from the merger of two semantic-data firms, with OCI's indirect contribution capped at £20 million. The deal reflects Oakley's bet on enterprise AI infrastructure where data governance matters—Graphwise serves over 200 blue-chip customers in regulated sectors and has posted organic ARR growth exceeding 30% annually since the merger.
For OCI shareholders, this deployment of up to £20 million from Fund VI capital represents a venture into AI-infrastructure software at a time when the sector is consolidating (Graphwise itself is a 2024 merger). The company's growth rate and customer base in regulated verticals suggest defensible demand, but the investment case hinges on Oakley's ability to execute the stated expansion and M&A strategy in a fragmented market—outcomes not yet visible.
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