LONDON: Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. said that its Oakley Capital Fund VI has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Graphwise, a provider of knowledge graph and semantic data technology used to improve enterprise artificial intelligence systems.
The indirect contribution from OCI through the fund is expected to be about 20 million pounds, representing OCI’s share of Oakley’s investment in the company. Financial terms of the full transaction were not disclosed.
Graphwise’s software is used by more than 200 blue-chip customers to make AI applications more accurate, auditable and capable of handling large, diverse data sets. The company structures enterprise data in knowledge graphs — databases that add context, meaning and connections to form a “semantic layer.” That layer is designed to address limitations in large language models, including factual inconsistency and lack of transparency in reasoning.
The technology is particularly valuable in regulated, data-intensive sectors such as financial services, life sciences and the public sector, where compliance and data governance are critical.
Founders to Remain, Expansion Planned
Graphwise was formed in 2024 through the merger of two semantic technology pioneers: Bulgaria-based Ontotext, founded in 2000 by Atanas Kiryakov, and Vienna-based Semantic Web Company, founded in 2004 by Andreas Blumauer and Martin Kaltenböck.
The company has delivered annual organic recurring revenue growth of more than 30% and expects that pace to accelerate, driven by rising demand for AI infrastructure.
Oakley said it will work with Graphwise’s founders and management to expand commercial capabilities, strengthen the company’s presence in key international markets and pursue selective acquisitions in a fragmented market.
“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. “Graphwise has built an exceptional platform to solve that challenge and has already demonstrated impressive growth.”
Atanas Kiryakov, president and co-founder of Graphwise, said the partnership would help the company expand its platform and support more organizations in adopting AI with confidence.
Oakley Capital is a European mid-market private equity investor. OCI is a listed vehicle that provides investors with access to Oakley’s private equity funds.
