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Redis, Inc.

In-Memory DatabaseFounded 2011
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Redis: CEO History

2 leaders · 2011 to present

Who is the CEO of Redis?

Rowan Trollope is the CEO of Redis, in the role since 2023.

Current CEO
Rowan Trollope (since 2023)
Leaders documented
2
Founded
2011
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Rowan TrollopeChief Executive Officer2023Present3
Yiftach ShoolmanCo-Founder2011Present15

Company Overview

Redis is a real-time data platform best known as the cache that sits in front of slower databases. Because data lives in RAM, reads and writes typically complete in under a millisecond, which is why Redis is used for session storage, leaderboards, rate limiting, queues and, more recently, vector search for AI applications. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Redis was founded in 2011 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by Ofer Bengal and Yiftach Shoolman as Garantia Data (later Redis Labs), commercializing the legendary in-memory open-source data structure store created by Salvatore Sanfilippo into a global real-time data platform.

Redis follows an open-core model. The Redis engine is free to download, while the company charges for Redis Cloud, a managed database service billed by memory, throughput and features on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure, and for Redis Software, a self-managed subscription for on-premises and private-cloud deployments. Paid tiers add Active-Active geo-replication, high availability, Redis Flex (RAM plus SSD storage), security controls and enterprise support. AI products such as vector search, LangCache and Redis Feature Form are sold on top of the same platform.

Rowan Trollope

Chief Executive Officer

2023 – Present

3 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

A veteran enterprise software leader who previously served as CEO of Five9 and SVP at Cisco and Symantec. Joined Redis as CEO in February 2023, succeeding co-founder Ofer Bengal. Led the bold and controversial March 2024 licensing transition from BSD-3 open-source to dual RSALv2 / SSPLv1 source-available licenses, preventing cloud hyperscalers from commercializing Redis software without revenue contribution. Accelerated the transformation of Redis into the primary real-time vector database for generative AI and Large Language Model (LLM) semantic caching.

Legacy

Steered Redis into the generative AI era, optimized enterprise SaaS operations, and established long-term commercial software defensibility.

Source →

Yiftach Shoolman

Co-Founder

2011 – Present

15 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Shoolman heavily drove the massive, highly controversial architectural shift to move Redis beyond a simple 'cache' into a massive, multi-model primary database capable of vector search for AI applications.

Legacy

As Co-Founder and CTO, he is the absolute technical visionary behind the company's commercial enterprise products.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Redis faces Valkey, the Linux Foundation fork of Redis 7.2.4 launched in 2024 with backing from AWS, Google Cloud and Oracle after Redis dropped the BSD license. Hyperscaler services such as Amazon ElastiCache and MemoryDB now default to Valkey, putting pressure on pricing. Redis also competes with purpose-built vector databases and with general databases that have added vector search, and in mid-2026 it cut roughly 75 jobs at its Tel Aviv development centre.

Redis CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who have been the primary Chief Executive Officers in Redis, Inc.'s history?

Key executive leaders in Redis's history include co-founder Ofer Bengal (founding CEO from 2011 to 2023, who led the company from startup to $2 billion+ unicorn) and current Chief Executive Officer Rowan Trollope (2023, present).

What was Ofer Bengal's foundational achievement as CEO of Redis Labs (2011 to 2023)?

Ofer Bengal led the company from its 2011 founding until February 2023, taking it from a hosted Redis service to an enterprise database vendor valued above $2 billion in 2021. He brought Redis creator Salvatore Sanfilippo on board in 2015.

Who is Rowan Trollope and what executive track record does he bring as CEO?

Rowan Trollope became Redis CEO in February 2023 after about four and a half years as CEO of Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN). Earlier he led collaboration and IoT businesses at Cisco and held senior roles at Symantec.

What major strategic initiatives has Rowan Trollope led since becoming CEO in 2023?

Rowan Trollope spearheaded Redis's aggressive pivot into Generative AI and vector search infrastructure, executed the strategic 2024 source-available licensing modernization, expanded product-led developer growth, and optimized the company's financial operations for an IPO.

What role does co-founder Yiftach Shoolman hold in Redis today?

Yiftach Shoolman, who co-founded Redis Labs with Ofer Bengal in 2011, served as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for over a decade, architecting the core distributed clustering, CRDT Active-Active replication, and memory-tiering algorithms behind Redis Enterprise.

How did Salvatore Sanfilippo (antirez) interact with Redis, Inc. leadership?

Salvatore Sanfilippo created Redis in 2009, joined Redis Labs in 2015, stepped back as maintainer in June 2020, and returned to Redis as a developer evangelist in late 2024.

Who is the current CEO of Redis, Inc.?

Rowan Trollope is the Chief Executive Officer of Redis, having assumed the role in February 2023.

What was Rowan Trollope’s executive background before joining Redis?

Rowan Trollope is a seasoned Silicon Valley enterprise executive: he previously served as CEO of cloud contact center leader Five9 (scaling it to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise), Senior Vice President and GM of Cisco’s Collaboration business, and Group President at Symantec.

What strategic initiatives has Rowan Trollope led as CEO of Redis?

Trollope pivoted Redis toward becoming the premier real-time data platform for generative AI and vector search, managed the landmark 2024 licensing transition, expanded hyperscaler cloud partnerships, and refined enterprise operational efficiency.

Who was Ofer Bengal and what was his contribution as founding CEO?

Ofer Bengal co-founded the company in 2011 and served as CEO for 12 years until 2023; he guided Redis from an early cloud caching startup into an internationally recognized multi-billion-dollar database unicorn.

What role does co-founder Yiftach Shoolman hold today?

Yiftach Shoolman serves as Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Redis, continuing to guide the architectural vision, distributed database clustering, and core engineering advancements.

Where is Redis headquartered?

Redis maintains dual headquarters: global corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California, and primary research, development, and engineering headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel.

How has corporate governance evolved at Redis?

Redis assembled an experienced enterprise board of directors with partners from Bain Capital Ventures, TCV, and independent software veterans to guide operational scaling toward a public market listing.

What core culture values define Redis leadership today?

Redis’s leadership is defined by an obsession with extreme database speed, developer delight, engineering excellence, customer-centric cloud innovation, and building resilient mission-critical infrastructure.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.