Exclusive: TradAir Founder Illit Geller Leaves Capitolis to Lead New VC Fund

Illit Geller, one of the few female veterans in the fintech industry, has parted ways with Israeli fintech startup Capitolis following three and a half years in the role of leading its product development, Finance Magnates has learned.

Illit, who has originally joined Capitolis as an executive vice-president and global head of FX, will be leaving at the end of January to join DisruptiveAI, a new venture capital fund focused on AI.

“Disruptive AI is a unique venture capital fund focused on investments in early-stage startups in the broad field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We bring together AI & Disruptive technologies to transform markets and revolutionize industries. Our team brings the Disruptive Fund successful investment experience coupled with differentiated depth of AI expertise and entrepreneurial experience. Our vision is to Lead AI early stage investment in the growing Israeli AI Hub,” Illit told Finance Magnates.

Illit has assumed her first role with Capitolis as chief product officer back in 2017, tasked with the development of the initial versions of Capitolis products. Later in 2020, she was promoted to the title of chief business development officer.

While at Capitolis, Illit helped grow the business from a start-up to a company that has amassed over $80 million in total funding, backed by financial giants like Citi, JP Morgan and State Street. She also led efforts to forge partnerships with leading financial institutions including CLS and Refinitiv and multiple other industry participants.

“I would like to thank Illit for her immense and tireless contribution to help bring this company to where we are today.  She has consistently stepped up throughout her Capitolis career to help drive these phases, and we are extremely grateful for her continued support and commitment. While we will greatly miss her presence and leadership, we are thrilled for her new endeavor and wish her much success,” said Gil Mandelzis, CEO and Founder of Capitolis.

Founded in 2017 by Israeli entrepreneur, Gil Mandelzis alongside former Thomson Reuters’ execs, Capitolis enables financial institutions to free up capital and remove barriers that would otherwise restrict trading.

Prior to Capitolis, Ilit Geller was behind the CEO’s desk at Tel Aviv financial technology start-up TradAir. She co-founded the firm back in 2010 and stepped down from the chief executive role in 2017, but stayed as a member of the company’s board of directors.

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