A Lancashire business backed by BGF is to take turnover past £50m and staff members to 94 with its latest acquisition.
Celerity, an IT services provider headquartered in Kirkham, Lancashire with a base in Manchester’s Spinningfields financial district, is to buy Silverstring.
Founded in 2002, Celerity’s services are focused on cybersecurity and hybrid-cloud systems.
Silverstring, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is a specialist in data protection and cyber recovery assurance.
The agreement also cements a long-term relationship between Celerity and Predatar, developer of an innovative recovery assurance technology platform. As part of the deal, Celerity will become a preferred Predatar Apex partner for the UK market.
Predatar Ltd will become a separate entity under the continued leadership of Silverstring founder and former CEO, Alistair Mackenzie. The deal will enable Predatar to accelerate innovation and growth – strengthening its position as an innovation leader in the market.
Mackenzie explained: “The purpose of this deal is clear. Together we are creating a cyber resiliency powerhouse with the skills, expertise and technology to close the gap that currently exists between cyber security and data storage infrastructure.”
In 2021, Celerity attracted a £15m investment from BGF. It acquired Chilli IT in May 2024.
Celerity CEO Craig Aston said: “Silverstring is an important acquisition for us as we’re aiming to boost our capabilities in cyber-secure data protection.
“Our customers look to us to realise their data’s potential and protect them in an ever-changing environment. We’re looking forward to bringing additional expertise and technology so we can continue to provide genuinely market-leading expertise and underpin our growth strategy.”
Harry Jones, partner at BGF, said: “Celerity has demonstrated impressive growth since our investment and this deal represents an important milestone for the business, adding both depth and expertise to the company’s proposition. Moving forward we’ll continue to look for complementary acquisitions that will drive more innovation and value for both clients and partners.”