Ex-detective's stealth startup 22one valued at nearly $400 million

Stealth startup 22one, founded by a former Merseyside Police detective, has secured a valuation close to $400 million from investors including Sequoia and Lux Capital, Tech Funding News reports. The company has no public product. Companies House records show 22one Technologies Limited was incorporated on December 9, 2026, with the stated aim of building AI tools that help police work more efficiently.

Who is the founder behind 22one?

Richardson left Merseyside Police, the force covering the Liverpool area, in 2021. Since then he has worked both sides of the table. He served as the UK policing lead at Amazon Web Services, held a role at Palantir, and co-founded Riven, a company building AI software that finds and removes personal data from police documents.

Riven was acquired by NEC Software Solutions. NEC said Riven's DocDefender product was used by almost half of UK police forces. In a pilot with Bedfordshire Police, DocDefender reached 92% accuracy and saved more than 9,500 officer and staff hours each year. That track record, not a shipped product, is what investors are underwriting.

Why are four venture firms paying before there is a product?

Sequoia has direct experience in police technology. It led Peregrine Technologies' $190 million round at a $2.5 billion valuation in March 2025. Peregrine then raised $250 million at a $6.8 billion valuation in June. Peregrine's Nick Noone, who also worked at Palantir, is familiar with backgrounds like Richardson's.

The other three investors bring defence and early-stage credentials:

• Lux Capital invested early in Anduril and co-led the $1 billion Series A in Flapping Airplanes.
• General Catalyst led Helsing's 2024 Series C and has also backed Anduril.
• Creandum led an early round in Lovable, now valued at $13.3 billion.

The timing works in 22one's favor. PoliceAI launched in June with £75 million set aside over three years to fund pilot schemes in up to 10 police forces to process digital evidence. The trials run through 2026-27, with a full rollout expected in 2027.

Does the funding pattern raise questions?

The structure is unusual. 22one is incorporated in the UK, so it counts as homegrown. But US and Swedish investors supply the money. No British investors are named. Tech Funding News reports it has seen the same pattern with the new Cambridge unicorns.

What must 22one prove next?

The big question is what 22one will actually build, and whether police forces will treat the founder's background as sufficient proof that it works. Riven built credibility the slow way: through a series of careful pilots and by publishing accuracy data. A $400 million valuation asks police buyers to extend some degree of trust before seeing any results. Until 22one runs its own published pilots, the valuation rests on one man's résumé and four foreign funds willing to bet on it.