The change was approved by 99.96% of shareholders at the firm’s annual general meeting, held on Tuesday (26 September).

Software Circle’s new website and branding is already live, and paperwork has been filed with Companies House to update the Aim-listed PLC’s official company name.

The firm’s ticker will change from GRA to SFT once that is in place.

Since 2021 Grafenia has revamped its and switched its focus to acquiring software businesses that are active in vertical markets. It originally used Software Circle as the name for its M&A division.

The new Software Circle logo has similarities with Grafenia’s branding. It uses a circular design and similar colourway, but with a new serif font.

Explaining the change on its website, Software Circle said: “Like Prince (the artist formally known as), we changed our name to better reflect who we are. Today, we’re Software Circle plc. Home to a growing family of software businesses, across a variety of sectors including, Graphics, E-commerce, Finance, Property and Care Management.”

The current portfolio is made up of Nettl Systems, Vertical+, Watermark, Topfloor and Caredocs.

Earlier this month the group raised more than £23m to fuel further buys.

It remains out-of-pocket over last year’s £3.2m sale of its Works Manchester production hub to PFI Group. PFI missed a deferred consideration payment of £514,223 that was supposed to be made at the end of May. Four months on, the situation remains unresolved.