EBRD and partners exit Graphwise investment in Bulgaria

• EBRD, Integral Capital Group, PortfoLion Capital Partners and Carpathian Partners sell majority stake in Graphwise to Oakley Capital
• Sale represents successful exit from investment for EBRD
• Graphwise serves more than 200 business customers globally

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Integral Capital Group, PortfoLion Capital Partners and Carpathian Partners have signed a binding agreement to sell their stakes in Graphwise to Oakley Capital.

Oakley Capital will acquire a majority stake in Graphwise and partner with the company's founders and management team to support its continued expansion. This sale represents a successful exit for the EBRD following its investment in Ontotext in 2023 and reflects the company's strong growth and development over the investment period. It also demonstrates the role that EBRD equity investments can play in helping innovative companies to scale up, strengthen governance and attract new investors.

The EBRD invested in Ontotext in 2023, following Integral Capital Group's acquisition of a controlling stake in the company in 2022. Ontotext subsequently merged with Vienna-based Semantic Web Company to create Graphwise, a provider of knowledge graph and semantic technologies.

The Bank supported the merger and the subsequent integration process, contributing to the creation of Graphwise and helping to position the business for its next phase of growth. Integral Capital Group led the company’s development throughout the investment period, while the EBRD played an active role as an institutional shareholder through board-level representation and the strengthening of governance practices.

Today, Graphwise has established itself as a leading provider of software that helps enterprises to organise, connect and make better use of complex data, serving more than 200 business customers globally. By improving the way in which information is structured and accessed, its technology enables businesses to generate more accurate insights and deploy artificial intelligence solutions more effectively.

Founded in Sofia in 2000, Ontotext was an early pioneer in the field of knowledge graph technology, helping enterprises to manage and derive value from large volumes of data.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Bulgaria. It has deployed almost €5.2 billion in the country to date across 327 projects, through a combination of loans and equity investments.