RiskSmart

The Goldman Sachs alum disrupting a trillion-pound market Innovation often begins with personal frustration. Romina Savova, the visionary behind PensionBee, built a financial powerhouse from the wreckage of her own bureaucratic nightmare. After years at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, she faced a grueling ordeal simply trying to move her own retirement account. This friction revealed a massive opportunity in the UK's #1.4 trillion pensions market. Ten years later, PensionBee manages over #5.5 billion in assets for 260,000 customers. The company has moved from a scrappy startup to a publicly listed entity, proving that financial services can be transparent, digital-first, and consumer-centric. For any entrepreneur, Savova’s journey is a case study in identifying a high-barrier problem and systematically dismantling it with superior technology and brand-building. Building trust in a legacy-dominated landscape In the world of retirement savings, trust is the only currency that matters. You aren't just selling a software product; you are asking people to hand over their life's work. PensionBee tackled this by offering a high-value "hook": a free search and consolidation service. While lost pensions represent a #50 billion problem, the real goal was education. Trust isn't built overnight. It requires a relentless commitment to content and community. Savova invested early in evergreen video and written content, positioning the brand as a guide through the labyrinth of financial regulations. This long-term brand strategy has paid off, with prompted brand awareness now hitting 60% in the UK. For founders, the lesson is clear: in direct-to-consumer businesses, brand expenditure is not a cost—it is a capital investment that eventually lowers your customer acquisition costs. Strategic partnerships and the brenford FC experiment Marketing in finance often falls into the trap of being dry or overly clinical. PensionBee broke this mold through highly specific, value-aligned partnerships. Their sponsorship of Brentford FC wasn't a random logo placement. It was a calculated move to align with a club known for its data-driven approach and team-centric culture. The "Extra Time" campaign is a masterstroke of thematic alignment. By sponsoring the added minutes at the end of a football match, the brand subtly reinforces its core mission: giving retirees more time to enjoy their wealth. Similarly, a partnership with National Geographic tapped into the aspirational lifestyle of retirees who want to see the world. These are not "spray and prey" tactics; they are surgical strikes on consumer psychology. Why going public at 2021 was a strategic imperative While many tech companies cling to private status to avoid scrutiny, Savova took PensionBee public in 2021. This wasn't just about the #55 million raised; it was about transparency and capital agility. Public markets offer a level of visibility that private rounds cannot match, granting a company the "license" to lead public discourse in its industry. Being public eliminates the "funny stuff" on cap tables. With one share representing one vote, the capital structure is clean, fair, and attractive to global institutional investors. This permanent capital base is essential for a company with a multi-decadal mission. While quarterly reporting adds pressure, it forces a predictable rhythm that prepares a company for the rigors of global expansion. The American frontier and the defined contribution shift With the UK market stabilized, PensionBee is now aggressively targeting the United States. The US retirement system is more advanced in terms of sheer volume and the individual's sense of personal responsibility. Americans have understood since the 1970s that they are the primary architects of their retirement, a mindset Savova wants to import back to the UK. However, the US market has its own gaps. Coverage for part-time workers is often spotty, and the system lacks the wide net of automatic enrollment found in the UK. By launching their US app just weeks ago, PensionBee aims to replicate its success by focusing on an excellent product experience and personalized service in a market where consumers feel the burden of savings more acutely. Internal progression and the future of risk management Scaling a company for a decade requires a unique hiring philosophy. PensionBee prioritizes internal promotion from its customer success teams—the "beekeepers." This ensures that leadership has a visceral understanding of customer pain points. When hiring externally, Savova looks for a obsession with the underserved mass market, regardless of whether a customer has #100 or #1 million. Looking forward, Savova sees massive potential in specialized fintech tools. She points to RiskSmart, a risk management software founded in 2022, as a future industry leader. By turning complex risk data into intuitive, practicable insights, companies like RiskSmart are doing for corporate governance what PensionBee did for retirement: making the complex simple and the inaccessible transparent.