Northstar Ventures has backed OneClickComply® (formerly FAT32), an innovative leader in cyber security and regulatory compliance, with £275,000 of follow-on investment from the Venture Sunderland Fund as part of a £580,000 round alongside angel investors and a significant grant from Innovate UK’s North East investor partnership programme.

The investment arrives as the cyber and information security market experiences rapid growth, a market estimated to be worth around £16bn by 2029 in the UK alone.

This is driven by increasingly sophisticated and frequent cyber threats, most recently illustrated by high profile incidents at M&S and Royal Mail, combined with the need to comply with key information security standards such as ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials and SOC 2.

OneClickComply® stands out in this growing market through its highly innovative automation capabilities.

Unlike traditional solutions that merely identify compliance gaps, OneClickComply®’s product takes this a crucial step further by auto-implementing recommendations at the click of a button.

This reduces the need for expensive external consultants and makes simple and cost-effective regulatory compliance accessible to businesses of all sizes.

OneClickComply®’s Trust Centre enables customers and their auditors to access information in real time, bringing   further time and cost benefits to users.

Beyond its automated compliance solution, OneClickComply® also provides a suite of essential cyber security products including continuous threat monitoring, vulnerability management and vendor risk management as part of its core packages. This provides an integrated and comprehensive information security solution for customers.

Tom O’Neill, Investment Manager, Northstar Ventures, says: “We’re delighted to support OneClickComply®’s further growth with this additional investment.

“Their innovative solution to automate regulatory and cyber security compliance provides a cost-effective and accessible solution to customers that are increasingly aware of the risks of non-compliance.

“This investment will also support the generation of high-quality jobs in Sunderland’s burgeoning cyber security cluster, which is a key priority for us at Northstar Ventures.”

Connor Greig, CEO & Co-founder of OneClickComply®, says: “We are proud to announce that OneClickComply has now secured over £1.2m in investment, including this most recent follow-on funding.

“This significant milestone will allow us to deepen our roots in Sunderland by investing directly into the local economy and actively expanding our team with highly skilled professionals.

“Addressing the ongoing cyber security skills shortage remains a central focus for us, and these funds will enable the creation of new roles that are vital in countering the industry-wide talent crisis.

“Our mission remains to empower organisations of every size with sophisticated yet accessible cyber security solutions, giving them the confidence to protect their operations in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

“By investing in both people and innovation here in the North East, we aim to establish OneClickComply and Sunderland as catalysts for positive change within the broader cyber security sector.”

Lewis Atkinson MP, Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central, says: “This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in Sunderland’s growing reputation as a hub for digital innovation and enterprise.

“OneClickComply® is a fantastic example of the kind of forward-thinking, high-impact business that can thrive here. When I visited the team, I was genuinely impressed by Connor’s vision and the ambition behind the company’s work.

“It’s great to see skilled jobs being created in our city and a Sunderland business leading the charge in such a vital sector of our economy.”

Danielle Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, CyberNorth says: “OneClickComply® was part of our first CyberNorth innovation centre cohort, and it’s been fantastic to be part of their startup and growth story.

“Watching businesses like them grow and develop is the reason we launched the innovation centre – as a way to nurture regional cyber talent and create more, sustainable organisations.

“Having innovative businesses like this and determined entrepreneurs in the North East community is vital to the growth and sustainability of our regional economy, and we hope OneClickComply® continues to develop and encourage other innovative cyber businesses that we know we have in our community.”