Philippe Gelis
About Philippe Gelis
Philippe Gelis is co-founder and CEO of Kantox, a foreign exchange and currency management automation company. He founded it in 2011 with Antonio Rami and John Carbajal. Kantox is headquartered in London, and Gelis is based in Barcelona.
Before Kantox he worked as a strategy and management consultant at Deloitte and as a consultant at Axis Corporate. His first job was as a financial controller at Renault Suisse. He holds an MSc in Business Strategy and an MBA in Corporate Finance, both from Toulouse Business School.
Press coverage of the Masia angel fund describes Kantox as acquired by BNP Paribas. Crunchbase also lists him as an Endeavor Entrepreneur and as an investor in YZR and Syra Coffee.
Public data on his angel activity is thin. Crunchbase and Tracxn each list one personal investment: m-work, a pre-seed or seed round of about $1.06M in December 2022, alongside SV Angel and Third Kind Venture Capital. Crunchbase also lists him as an investor in Syra Coffee (from 2020) and YZR (from 2021).
He is named among the backers of Masia, a EUR 20M angel fund that plans around 60 pre-seed and seed investments in Barcelona-based startups. His role in the fund (investor or otherwise) is not specified in the source I found.
In September 2026 Gelis took part as an angel investor in Quartz's £2.75M pre-seed round. Daphni led the round, with Outward VC and K Fund also participating. Gilles BianRosa, former N26 and Kraken chief product officer, also invested as an angel.
Quartz is a London wealthtech company. It brings a user's accounts into one app and adds an AI-based assistant that gives personalised guidance. It was founded by Revolut and N26 alumni and launched in the UK with this round.
Gelis has not published a thesis, a stated check size or a list of preferred sectors that I could find. His known deals are early-stage (pre-seed and seed) and sit mostly in fintech and software, which matches his Kantox background. Tracxn lists his investment geography as France, but that rests on a single deal. His Quartz investment is in London.
Founders should treat any check size as unconfirmed and ask him directly.
- Quartz: London AI personal banker app for UK consumers; £2.75M pre-seed led by Daphni, September 2026.
- m-work: early-stage startup; pre-seed/seed round of about $1.06M, December 2022, with SV Angel and Third Kind Venture Capital.
- Syra Coffee: listed by Crunchbase as an investment from August 2020.
- YZR: listed by Crunchbase as an investment from January 2021.
- tech.eu/2026/09/16/quartz-launches-with-ps275m-to-build-a-personal-ban
- startup.eu/investments/quartz-2-75-m-pre-seed-09-2026
- app.dealroom.co/news/note/quartz-raises-2-75m-to-build-an-ai-personal-
- wealthtechstrategy.com/post/quartz-launches-in-the-uk-with-2-75m-to-gi
- crunchbase.com/person/philippe-gelis
- tracxn.com/d/people/philippe-gelis/__zkBi4Pmj2zkKmC7uCfaTg935F8beJCDwq
- cbinsights.com/investor/stphane-maarek
- altassets.net/fintechforum/speaker/philippe-gelis
Investing activity
Philippe Gelis appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $4M. The most recent is Quartz (Pre-seed, £2.75M, Sep 2026).
Philippe Gelis most often invests alongside Daphni, Outward VC, Gilles BianRosa and K Fund, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Philippe Gelis
Who is Philippe Gelis?
He is the co-founder and CEO of Kantox, a currency management software company founded in 2011, and an angel investor based in Barcelona. Kantox is described in press as acquired by BNP Paribas.
Has Philippe Gelis invested in AI startups?
Yes. He was an angel investor in Quartz's £2.75M pre-seed round in September 2026. Quartz builds an AI personal banker for UK consumers.
What stage does Philippe Gelis invest in?
His publicly known deals are pre-seed and seed: Quartz (pre-seed) and m-work (early-stage round in 2022). He has not published a formal stage policy.
What check size does Philippe Gelis write?
No check size is public. The amounts listed for his deals are total round sizes, not his own investment.
Does Philippe Gelis only invest in fintech?
He has not said so. His best-known investments are fintech-related, but m-work and the coffee and other companies listed on Crunchbase suggest he is not limited to one sector.
How can founders reach Philippe Gelis?
He is active on LinkedIn and X (@Pgelis). A warm introduction through a co-investor or a Kantox contact is likely to work better than a cold message.
Is Philippe Gelis an angel investor?
Yes. Philippe Gelis invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Philippe Gelis invested in?
Philippe Gelis's AI investments include Quartz. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Philippe Gelis invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Philippe Gelis has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $4M.
Who does Philippe Gelis co-invest with?
Philippe Gelis's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Daphni (1 deal), Outward VC (1 deal), Gilles BianRosa (1 deal) and K Fund (1 deal).