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Kent 12 June, 2024: Foresight Group (“Foresight”), a leading listed private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has announced a growth investment into Lepide, a leading innovator in data security solutions (“Lepide” or the “Company”).

The investment marks a significant milestone for Lepide as it accelerates its mission to protect unstructured data from cyber attacks in an increasingly complex data environment.

With the investment from Foresight, Lepide aims to further strengthen its position in the market and expand its product offerings to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

As the corporate world becomes ever more digitised, the volume of unstructured data that organisations possess is growing exponentially over time. As a result, there's an increasing need for companies to identify sensitive data, understand who has access to it, and detect and respond to suspicious activities such as unauthorised file copying, which could indicate potential security breaches or insider threats.

Traditionally, the approach to security has been centered around perimeter defence, but the reality is that all organisations are susceptible to breaches. As such, there's a growing recognition that improving security measures and adopting proactive monitoring and detection strategies are essential components of an effective cybersecurity strategy. This is reflected by the fact that the role of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) has become increasingly prominent, with many now sitting on company boards.

Lepide’s products have grown in demand across all sectors but especially in industries subject to heavier regulation, such as financial services, healthcare, and government bodies, which tend to be more focused on data security. Notable clients include The Home Office, Deloitte, Moody’s, Investec and KPMG. The majority of Lepide's customers, over 60%, are based in the US.

With the backing of Foresight, Lepide is well-positioned to scale its operations, invest in research and development, and enhance its customer support capabilities. The Company remains committed to empowering organisations of all sizes and industries to effectively protect their data and mitigate security risks.

Lepide – headquartered in Flimwell, Kent – has over 80 employees located across the UK, US and India.

Aidan Simister, CEO of Lepide, said: "We are thrilled to partner with Foresight as we embark on the next phase of our journey to grow our market share in the Data Security Platform space. This investment underscores the confidence in our vision and technology, and will enable us to accelerate innovation, expand our reach, and deliver even greater value to our customers.”

Salim Chantler, Senior Investment Manager at Foresight Group, said: "Data is increasingly at the heart of what drives value in any organisation. With this opportunity, however, comes significant risk as data is proliferating at an exponential rate. Lepide’s industry-leading services counter this serious threat to help protect what matters. This is an increasingly important field in which Lepide has demonstrated strong leadership, a clear vision, and a track record of delivering innovative solutions that address critical challenges faced by organisations today.

“Foresight's investment is about continuing to improve the product functionality and also to invest in additional sales resources and address an unmet need across a wide variety of sectors. We look forward to partnering with the Lepide team to drive continued growth and success."

ENDS

Advisers to the Company:

Corporate Finance: Noor Advisory

Legal Advice: Ali Legal

 

Advisers to Foresight:

Financial DD: Crowe

Legal Advice: RW Blears

Management DD: Confidas People

Technical DD: CloudOrigin

Insurance DD: Vista Insurance Brokers

Commercial DD: Whitecap Consulting

 

Notes to Editors

For more information contact:

Lucy Sherwood: marketing@foresightgroup.eu / +44 (0)20 3667 8100

Tom Carlin: carlin@thisisinfluential.com / +44 7827957740   

 

About Foresight

Founded in 1984, Foresight is a leading investment manager in real assets and capital for growth, operating across UK, Europe, and Australia.

With decades of experience, Foresight offers investors access to attractive investment opportunities at the forefront of change.  Foresight actively builds and grows investment solutions to support the energy transition, decarbonise industry, enhance nature recovery and realise the economic potential of ambitious companies.

A constituent of the FTSE 250 index, Foresight’s diversified investment strategies combine financial and operational skillsets to maximise asset value and provide attractive returns to its investors. Its wide range of private and public funds is complemented with a variety of investment solutions designed for the retail market.

Foresight is united by a shared commitment to build a sustainable future and grow thriving companies and economies.

Visit https://foresight.group for more information.

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About Lepide

Lepide is a leading provider of data security solutions, helping organisations worldwide protect their sensitive data and mitigate security risks. Lepide's comprehensive Data Security Platform empowers organisations to proactively detect and respond to threats, ensure compliance with regulations, and safeguard sensitive data across their IT infrastructure.