Phil Mansell
About Phil Mansell
Phil Mansell is an investor and advisor focused on games and technology. He was previously CEO of Jagex, the UK studio behind RuneScape. His Develop Conference speaker bio says he led the rejuvenation of the RuneScape franchise for over a decade and has more than 25 years in games. That bio also lists an affiliation with Cultivated Games.
Jagex was announced as having appointed him CEO on 26 January 2017, replacing Rod Cousens. A LinkedIn post of his says he left college to become a game developer, starting as a Design Assistant at Bullfrog Productions. His LinkedIn profile gives his location as Cambridge, England. He has also served as a board member at Ukie, the UK games trade body, according to Crunchbase.
His bio says he now works with founders who want to build strong community-driven businesses.
Crunchbase lists six personal investments: Levellr, One Rule Games, Zoe Studios, Netspeak Games, Oxalis and Village Studio. Tracxn dates four of them: Talewind (angel, June 2021), Moonfrost and Oxalis (seed, June 2022) and Zoe Studios (angel, December 2025). Most of these are games companies, and he usually invests alongside other angels or funds.
Check size, ownership and fund size are not public, so none are given here. Round amounts in third-party databases are the totals for the whole round, not his own cheque.
His AI round on the Lounge deals desk is Levellr's $2.5M seed, announced in January 2026. Digital Music News reports the round was led by Fuel Ventures, with Phil Mansell among the participating investors. Others included Bing Gordon, Frank Gibeau, Simon Hade, Norman Cheuk, Playformant and Mark Pincus's Workplay Ventures.
Levellr describes itself as an engagement-focused AI insights platform that turns Discord conversations into actionable insight. The company said the new capital will go toward data infrastructure and "agentic" tools that surface recommendations. I found no other public AI-specific investments by him.
His public bio frames his focus as games and technology, with an emphasis on community-driven businesses. The Crunchbase and Tracxn records show pre-seed, angel, seed and Series A participation. Tracxn lists sectors including gaming and enterprise applications, and locations in the United Kingdom and Israel. Startupmag lists gaming, software, fintech and marketing. He has not published a check size or a formal thesis that I could find.
- Levellr: AI insights platform that analyses Discord community conversations. $2.5M seed announced January 2026, led by Fuel Ventures.
- Zoe Studios: Mobile chess game developer. Angel round, with Tracxn dating his investment to December 2025.
- Moonfrost: Games studio. Seed round in June 2022, per Tracxn.
- Oxalis: Games studio. Seed round in June 2022, per Tracxn.
- Talewind: Angel round in June 2021, per Tracxn.
- One Rule Games, Netspeak Games and Village Studio: Listed on Crunchbase as his investments (seed, Series A and pre-seed respectively). Dates are not public in the sources I found.
- crunchbase.com/person/phil-mansell
- developconference.com/speakers/phil-mansell
- tracxn.com/d/people/phil-mansell/__l7HFz9HWE7fBtKmypMrdv2M7emBnqK-miEH
- startupmag.co.uk/investors/phil-mansell
- digitalmusicnews.com/2026/01/30/levellr-raises-seed-funding
- pocketgamer.biz/zoe-studios-secures-angel-investment-to-make-chess-mor
- uk.linkedin.com/in/phil-mansell-395b931
- linkedin.com/posts/phil-mansell-395b931_smite-x-runescape-available-no
Investing activity
Phil Mansell appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $3M. The most recent is Levellr (Seed, $2.5M, Jan 2026).
Phil Mansell most often invests alongside Fuel Ventures, Bing Gordon, Founded in 2014 and Frank Gibeau, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Phil Mansell
Who is Phil Mansell?
He is a former CEO of Jagex, the company behind RuneScape, and now works as an investor and advisor in games and technology. He is based in Cambridge, UK.
Has Phil Mansell invested in AI startups?
Yes. He participated in Levellr's $2.5M seed round, announced in January 2026 and led by Fuel Ventures. Levellr builds AI insights tools for online communities.
What check size does Phil Mansell write?
His check size is not public. Databases list total round sizes, but those do not show his own contribution.
What stage does Phil Mansell invest in?
Public records show angel, pre-seed, seed and Series A participation. Most of his listed investments are early-stage games companies.
What does Phil Mansell look for in founders?
His bio says he partners with founders aiming to build strong community-driven businesses. Of Zoe Studios, he said community and accessibility made the opportunity exciting.
How can founders contact Phil Mansell?
His LinkedIn profile is the public channel I found. I found no personal website or X account.
Is Phil Mansell an angel investor?
Yes. Phil Mansell invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Phil Mansell invested in?
Phil Mansell's AI investments include Levellr. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Phil Mansell invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Phil Mansell has invested at Seed, with a median round of $3M.
Who does Phil Mansell co-invest with?
Phil Mansell's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Fuel Ventures (1 deal), Bing Gordon (1 deal), Founded in 2014 (1 deal), Frank Gibeau (1 deal) and Norman Cheuk (1 deal).