Jeremy Annis

Co-Founder and Board Member Ripjar

Last Reviewed: September 26, 2026

Executive Summary

Jeremy Annis is a co-founder and board member of Ripjar, the Cheltenham company that sells software for financial crime screening, adverse media monitoring and threat investigation to banks, corporates and government agencies. He founded it in 2013 with four other former staff of GCHQ, the UK’s signals intelligence agency, and served as chief executive and chief technology officer. In November 2024 Long Ridge Equity Partners took a majority stake and he handed the CEO role to Tom Obermaier. He remains on the board, although the chief executive role has changed hands again since then.

Career Highlights

• Co-founded Ripjar in 2013 with four other former GCHQ employees. He has been a director of Ripjar Ltd since its incorporation in September 2012.
• As CEO, led Ripjar’s $36.8 million Series B from Long Ridge Equity Partners in September 2020. The company said it had become profitable during the pandemic lockdown.
• Listed as CEO, CTO and Co-Founder when the World Economic Forum named Ripjar a 2020 Technology Pioneer.
• Stepped down as CEO in November 2024, when Long Ridge completed a follow-on majority growth investment, and stayed on Ripjar’s board.

Professional Journey

Annis came from GCHQ. Ripjar was started by five former employees of the agency who believed the tools and techniques used to protect national security could change how organisations fight financial crime. Ripjar Ltd was incorporated in September 2012 with Annis among its first directors, and the company dates its founding to 2013. In 2014, it says, a Tier 1 global bank became its first customer.

Annis led the company as chief executive. The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Technology Pioneers listing names him Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder. In September 2020 Ripjar announced a $36.8 million Series B led by Long Ridge Equity Partners, which joined existing investors Winton Capital and Accenture and took total funding above $60 million. The company said it had doubled in size during COVID-19, passed 20,000 users and become profitable. “This investment signals enormous confidence in our world-leading data intelligence technology,” Annis said.

In November 2024 Long Ridge completed a follow-on majority growth investment, and Tom Obermaier, formerly CEO of RDC, joined as chief executive. “It has been an honor to lead Ripjar together with our team, and I am pleased to announce Tom Obermaier as my successor,” Annis said. The company said he would continue on its board. In October 2024 he was also appointed a director of Ripjar Holdings Ltd.

The chief executive role changed again in February 2026, when Matt Mills, formerly of Featurespace, succeeded Obermaier. Ripjar’s own site now lists Annis under its Board of Directors as Co-founder & Board Member, and Companies House shows him as an active director of both Ripjar Ltd and Ripjar Holdings Ltd.

Education

No education record was found in any first-party or registry source.