Royden Greaves, CEO & Founder, Jarvis

Today we're meeting Royden Greaves, the CEO and Founder of Jarvis, the pension FinTech that empowers employees to actively plan for their ideal retirement.

Over to you Royden - my questions are in bold.

Who are you and what's your background?

I’m Royden Greaves, 38, and I spent my early years between Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. In 2001, my family relocated to Nottingham. I went on to study aerospace engineering at Imperial College London but chose to pursue a career in wealth management instead. Quite a jump, I know!

In 2022, I founded Jarvis, a pension fintech redefining workplace pension management. It’s since evolved into a platform service workers actively engage with; it’s as simple to use as a bank account and as easy to navigate as people’s favourite app.

I credit my journey to founding Jarvis to maintaining an open and curious mindset throughout my career. I’m always asking questions and seeking connections with people I don’t know. Fun fact: that’s how I met my wife, Kate, on the coach from London Victoria to Nottingham. I firmly believe that our environment shapes us and tends to reflect the average of the people and influences around us. To grow, it’s crucial to continuously elevate that “average.”

That’s why Jarvis is where it is today and how we were able to raise £1.8 million in seed funding last year. I met two of our investors over a decade earlier and stayed in contact with them ever since.

In 2007, while interning and striving to break into investment banking, I met Rodney Appiah, who later founded Cornerstone VC. While many students at an SEO event were competing to ask clever questions during the Q&A, I opted to approach Rodney in the hallway afterwards and ask for a few insights. That conversation proved far more meaningful; we’ve stayed connected ever since and today, Cornerstone VC is one of Jarvis’ seed investors.

Similarly, in 2013, I made what was almost a cold call to Seb Maley at Qdos Contractor. We hit it off and kept in touch. Seb played a significant role in shaping Jarvis, and two years later, Tokio Marine Future Fund, linked to Qdos, is now one of our key investors.

What began as seemingly insignificant conversations turned into pivotal moments for Jarvis’ growth, underscoring the power of allowing every story and connection to flourish on its own terms.

What is your job title and what are your general responsibilities and day-to-day routine like?

I’m a Founder CEO. As the chief exec, my day-to-day is always about empowering the exceptionally talented team at Jarvis and pushing ourselves to constantly innovate and achieve ambitious goals. My morning involves team catch-ups and outreach to customers and suppliers. After lunch, it's back to sales outreach.

But often, the most significant part of my day is identifying what will be my 'biggest win' that day. More often than not, this is something small but super impactful.

Can you give us an overview of your business?

We launched in 2022 to provide a complete pension solution covering the needs of employed workers and the self-employed. We've evolved to provide a pension that workers actively engage with, like a modern banking app.

Our biggest challenge has been making pensions accessible and engaging for UK workers. Pensions are often considered a “faraway thing,” but we want to change this narrative.

We've tackled this by building a Lifetime Pension with both Personal and Workplace jars and by creating a user experience that feels like a challenger bank. Our app also has a retirement calculator which can work out how much money you need to save depending on your ideal retirement and your current lifestyle, as well as a 'smart savings' suggestions feature that tells you exactly how much more you'd need to save to reach a desired retirement age sooner.

We’ve also had to take on a few “old school” incumbents to become the pension provider of choice that caters to more than just those in full-time employment. Jarvis wants everyone to be equipped with the knowledge and access to a pension that suits them, which is why our offering extends to the self-employed, contractors and freelancers.

Tell us how you are funded?

We're backed by a group of supportive angel investors as well as a combination of UK and US venture capital. Our most recent investment was seed funding co-led by Ascension Ventures and Cornerstone VC, with participation from Tokio Marine Future Fund.

What’s the origin story? Why did you start the company? To solve what problems?

There's a significant retirement guidance gap in the UK, affecting over 39 million people. Jarvis is designed to address this, providing the financial confidence workers need to live more fulfilling lives. We're not just making pensions accessible; we're structuring them so members can enjoy elements of their desired retirement lifestyle today.

We're addressing this by creating a streamlined user experience that also provides a pension tailored directly to what modern workers need.

Last year, we officially launched the Jarvis pension solution and app. The app provides real-time insights into retirement goals and simplifies pension management, including setting retirement budgets, planning joint retirements, consolidating old pensions, and adjusting investment risk profiles. It also integrates broader financial data such as cost of living, tax rates, and inflation.

Jarvis now offers pension tracing and combine, a previously time-inefficient and bureaucratic process for employers and employees alike. It also has a retire now offering, a 'smart savings' suggestions feature that tells you exactly how much you'd need to save to reach a desired retirement age sooner than an individual's current achievable retirement age.

Who are your target customers? What’s your revenue model?

With more than 50% of the global workforce projected to be self-employed by 2028, traditional workplace benefits like pensions will be less accessible. It’s crucial that this growing demographic is provided for.

Jarvis is providing a solution for such workers by partnering with payroll companies, umbrella companies, recruitment agencies and payroll software providers so temp workers to contractors can access long-term financial freedom.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in the banking and/or FinTech sector?

Financial education is in dire need of a makeover. Too many people lack access to the resources and knowledge they need to make informed financial decisions. There's a huge opportunity to leverage technology to make financial literacy more engaging, accessible, and personalised.

What is your message for the larger players in the Financial Services marketplace?

Adapt or risk being left behind. Customers now expect seamless, digital-first experiences. They want instant, intuitive solutions. Build on your scale and credibility, but confront outdated systems. Think like a disruptor, not a caretaker.

Encourage intrapreneurship. Create a start-up culture. Ask, “If we started fresh, how would we lead this category?” Shape your institution around these insights. Push for more than iteration. Spark genuine innovation.

Where do you get your Financial Services/FinTech industry news from?

I closely follow CNBC for comprehensive market coverage and global economic developments.

This helps me gauge the FinTech landscape and pinpoint emerging trends.

I also regularly consult Business Insider for industry analysis, disruptive technologies, and strategic shifts in financial services.

These insights help me anticipate how the sector is evolving

Can you list 3 people you rate from the FinTech and/or Financial Services sector that we should be following on LinkedIn, and why?

• Sujata Bhatia – Chief Operating Officer at Monzo Bank. Sujata has played a crucial role in scaling Monzo, helping it become one of the most trusted digital banks in the UK. Her leadership in operations and customer experience has been instrumental in Monzo’s success, making banking more intuitive and user-friendly.
• Nik Storonsky – Co-Founder and CEO at Revolut. As the driving force behind Revolut, Nikolay has reshaped how people think about financial services, from borderless accounts to crypto trading and beyond. His relentless focus on innovation and product expansion has made Revolut a household name in global fintech.
• Kristo Käärmann – Co-Founder and CEO at Wise. Kristo co-founded Wise to solve a fundamental problem in financial services—making international money transfers transparent and fair. His approach to cutting hidden fees and providing real exchange rates has set a new standard for financial transparency and customer trust.

These leaders have transformed their respective sectors by prioritising user experience, transparency, and efficiency—values that we are also embedding into Jarvis as we redefine financial freedom for the masses using pensions.

What FinTech services (and/or apps) do you personally use?

I rely on Monzo for managing my day-to-day finances. Its intuitive design, real-time spending alerts, and smart budgeting tools make it feel like having a personal financial coach at my fingertips.

And of course, I use Jarvis, where we champion financial freedom. By rethinking pensions, we empower individuals to take control of their future.

FinTech is about building user-centric solutions. The companies that prioritise customer experience will define the future of finance.

What’s the best new FinTech product or service you’ve seen recently?

I’m passionate about software that promotes financial freedom. I love Sprive as it helps people that are looking to become mortgage-free sooner.

It’s like a personal trainer for your mortgage, guiding you to make overpayments and reduce interest quickly.

Finally, let's talk predictions. What trends do you think are going to define the next few years in the FinTech sector?

Pensions aren’t high on most people’s agendas, so innovation in this sector is often slow or forgotten. Recent pledges of pension reform have brought it to the forefront, and as such, there is wider recognition of the importance of financial planning for the future. The average person isn’t putting away enough money for retirement and is often £115,000 short of the amount for a standard pension pot, and according to recruitment agency Robert Walters, nearly 20% of young people don’t have pensions in mind.

Fintechs will capitalise on this and work to provide useful information and solutions for people today so that they can benefit in the future. The fintechs that are truly ahead of the curve will address the changing workplace landscape by offering auto-enrolment and serve the self-employed and ever-increasing gig economy which includes freelancers and contractors.

That's brilliant! Thank you so much Royden.

You can read more about Royden Greaves on LinkedIn and you can find out more about his company Jarvis at http://www.getjarvis.app.