Cybersecurity services business providing independent third-party penetration testing services (pentests).

Established in 2018 and based in Bristol, OnSecurity has built a technology platform to efficiently deliver pentests that identify and address vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and web applications. The business provides high quality human pentesting services via a platform technology that automates traditionally manual, cumbersome processes such as booking, scheduling and reporting. The business has grown rapidly since launch to become a trusted and well-known provider, having built up a customer base of almost 300 clients.

We invested £5.5mn in June 2024 which will enable OnSecurity to accelerate new customer acquisition and further develop and leverage its existing technology platform through R&D. This is OnSecurity’s first institutional investment round. As part of the investment, Grace Cassy will join the board as non-executive Chair, bringing significant experience of supporting some of the world’s leading cyber security businesses.

Investment rationale

The pentest market is significant, with global annual spend estimated at £4bn and growing, driven by the increasing adoption of cloud computing solutions, a proliferation of open-source code usage and significant regulatory drivers. One particular area of growth is within the financial services sector, where the Digital Operational Resilience Act will require businesses to contract annual threat-led penetration testing from January 2025.

Investment team

Francis Ireland

Investment Associate

Francis joined Gresham House in the Forestry division in February 2021 and moved to the Private Equity team in January 2024.

Francis obtained a 1st class degree from the University of Manchester reading International Business, Finance & Economics. Following this he completed a Master’s in Finance, also at the University of Manchester, for which he was awarded a Distinction and the Alliance Manchester Business School Academic Scholarship.

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Steve Carle

Operating Partner

Steve is an experienced private equity and development capital specialist having enjoyed a successful 30+ year career with the UK’s two leading mid-market private equity companies, and a specialist fund investing in the creative industries. He currently sits on the Boards of Metrion Biosciences and CitySwift on behalf of Gresham House Ventures.

After completing a law degree at Edinburgh University in 1991, Steve joined 3i where he worked in their Edinburgh and Cambridge offices.  In 1999 he left 3i to join LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group.  When Steve left LDC at the end of 2010, it had grown to become the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investor, and the deals which Steve led delivered near 100% gains on funds invested. After 5 years consulting and pursuing his own private investment activities, Steve joined Edge Investments, the UK’s leading creative industries investor where he served as both Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Performance Director.  Returning to his consulting activities in 2021, Steve has worked with a number of PE investors, primarily in roles involving management of portfolio companies.

 

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