A Northampton-based cybersecurity specialist has been acquired by Swedish investment group Systematic Growth as it looks to strengthen its presence in the security technology market.
Systematic Growth has completed the acquisition of 4Secure through its Elvirian business, bringing the software specialist into its portfolio.
4Secure develops cybersecurity software for organisations operating in highly regulated and security-sensitive environments, with customers across the defence, government and critical infrastructure sectors.
The business will retain its existing name following the deal, while its current management team will remain in place.
Jon Barlow, chief executive of 4Secure, said: “Joining Elvirian marks an exciting new chapter for 4Secure. We’ve built our reputation on delivering trusted, cybersecurity solutions to some of the UK’s most demanding organisations and becoming part of Elvirian gives us the opportunity to accelerate that journey.
“Together, we can combine complementary technologies, expand internationally, and continue investing in innovation, while remaining committed to the customers, people and values that have made 4Secure successful.”
Elvirian specialises in IT and operational technology security, protecting critical infrastructure, networks and industrial systems.
The acquisition adds 4Secure’s expertise in cross-domain solutions, which enable secure information sharing between environments operating at different security classifications.
Parsa Lalehzar, director at Elvirian, said: “4Secure is an outstanding addition to Elvirian. Their expertise in cross domain solutions addresses one of the most demanding challenges in cybersecurity: enabling secure information exchange across environments with different security classifications. It is a capability that is increasingly critical for defence, government, and operators of critical infrastructure.
“Beyond their technical capabilities, we have been equally impressed by the people behind 4Secure. We see a strong cultural fit and look forward to building on their success together.”
The transaction was advised by Gowling WLG Corporate, which acted for longstanding client Systematic Growth.
The legal team was led by corporate partner Ragi Singh, alongside associates Rory Chatterton and Raphaella Bojouri, defence sector lead Elizabeth Williams, tax partner Kate Featherstone, NSIA partner Sam Beighton and W&I partner Sam Holland.
Parsa Lalehzar, investment director and deal lead at Systematic Growth, said: “Ragi, Rory and Kate are our go to team as they are pragmatic, responsive and understand our deal structure inside out.
“On this transaction what really came to the fore was Gowling WLG’s understanding of the cyber and defence sectors including defence sector regulations, HM Government, NSIA considerations and its specialist warranty and indemnity insurance team.
“This allowed them to find a way to get the deal done regardless of the difficulty of the issue before them.”
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