Oakley Capital Acquires Majority Stake in Graphwise in Bulgaria’s Largest Software Exit

Private equity investor Oakley Capital has acquired a majority stake in Graphwise, a prominent enterprise AI data platform provider. The deal is one of Bulgaria’s largest software exits and a significant milestone in the regional enterprise AI sector.

## Graphwise’s Background and Growth

Graphwise was established in 2024 following the merger of two semantic technology pioneers: Ontotext, founded in Sofia in 2000 by Atanas Kiryakov, and Vienna-based Semantic Web Company, founded in 2004 by Andreas Blumauer and Martin Kaltenböck. The company has since become a leader in RDF (Resource Description Framework) knowledge graph and semantic layer technology, achieving over 30 percent annual organic ARR growth, driven by the AI boom.

Graphwise provides essential AI data infrastructure services to more than 200 international blue-chip clients, including those in financial services, pharmaceuticals, and the public sector.

## Transaction Details and Future Plans

Portfolion Capital Partners, which acquired a stake in Graphwise in 2022 as part of an investment consortium, has exited its position through this transaction. Jenő Nieder, Deputy CEO and Partner at Portfolion Capital Partners, stated:

> "This transaction is clear proof that domestic and regional private equity can achieve breakthrough successes in a globally competitive deep tech market."

He added that the international buy-and-build strategy, executed alongside Integral Capital Group and Carpathian Partners, successfully transformed two regional pioneers into an internationally dominant platform, focusing on long-term value rather than short-term AI trends.

Atanas Kiryakov, President and Co-founder of Graphwise, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Oakley Capital:

> "We are excited for this new partnership with Oakley, as their team understands both our technology and our ambition. Oakley has an outstanding track record of transforming founder-led software businesses into unicorns. Together, we look forward to expanding our platform and supporting more organisations to adopt AI with confidence."

Oakley Capital, in collaboration with Graphwise’s management, plans to accelerate international expansion and pursue further acquisitions. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.