The founder of a pensions app that has raised £1.8m in funding this year says there is no "hidden formula" to success. In the two years since establishing his business, Royden Greaves has developed a retirement planning platform and secured backing from major investment funds.

The London-based entrepreneur, who moved to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ from Montserrat to do his A-Levels more than 20 years ago, is on a mission to simplify financial planning for retirement.

He launched Jarvis in 2022 after a decade working in wealth management. The 39-year-old, who invested £100,000 to start up his company, was inspired to set up a business after deciding access to financial planning was limited to a select few firms.

"I knew I needed to simplify pensions and empower individuals to take control of their financial future," he told Business Live. "We’re creating a complete pension solution that covers the needs of employed workers and the self-employed, offering a real alternative to the traditional 'old school' incumbents.

"We've evolved to provide a pension that workers actively engage with, like a modern banking app, so they know exactly how and when to retire."

In July, Jarvis secured seed funding in a round co-led by Ascension VC and Cornerstone VC, with participation from Tokio Marine Future Fund. Just a month later, it launched its workplace pension offering as well as pension tracing and a 'retire now' solution.

"Success, for me, isn't about some hidden formula," he said. "It's about the daily commitment to waking up and striving to make progress."

But it's not been a completely straight road for the businessman, who admits the biggest challenge he's facing is making pensions accessible - and engaging workers - in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.

"We’ve tackled this by identifying the 'missing link' and retirement guidance gap in pensions," he said. "As a result, we’ve built a lifetime pension with both personal and workplace jars and created a user experience that feels like a challenger bank."

Mr Greaves believes Sir Keir Starmer's government needs to keep innovation at the forefront of its agenda if it wants to help businesses like his.

"The º£½ÇÊÓƵ can remain a top tech spot because of our access to talent, universities and mavericks," he said. "But if we start to stifle that belief by changing policy, we will stifle the fabric of long-term economic growth."