Nikolay Storonsky

Nikolay Storonsky
Born	(1984-07-21) July 21, 1984 Dolgoprudny, Russia
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, CEO
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Co-founder and CEO of Revolut

Nikolay Storonsky (born 21 July 1984) is a billionaire entrepreneur originally from Russia who holds both British and French citizenships. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Revolut, a financial technology firm active in more than 35 countries, boasting 50 million users and a valuation of $45 billion as of August 2024. Additionally, he established the venture capital company QuantumLight.

Early life and career

Storonsky was born in Dolgoprudny, a town near Moscow. His father, Nikolay Mironovich Storonsky, serves as deputy general director of science at Gazprom Promgaz. He completed a master's degree in physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and earned a second master's degree in applied economics and finance from the New Economic School in Moscow.

His professional journey started as an equity derivatives trader at Lehman Brothers from 2006 to 2008, followed by a tenure at Credit Suisse until 2013. After relocating to England in 2004, Storonsky obtained British citizenship and later acquired French citizenship in 2024.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Storonsky publicly condemned the war, renounced his Russian citizenship, and committed that Revolut would match contributions made to the Red Cross Ukraine to aid those affected by the conflict.

Revolut

Drawing on his background in trading, Nik Storonsky co-established Revolut alongside Vladyslav Yatsenko in 2015. The idea stemmed from Storonsky’s dissatisfaction with excessive bank fees during international travel. The initial offering was a multi-currency card designed to provide favorable currency exchange rates.

Revolut’s services enable spending in over 90 countries through accounts and debit cards that offer foreign transactions without fees, applying real-time exchange rates. By 2021, Revolut had secured its position as the most valuable fintech company in the United Kingdom.

The company reported £1.8 billion in revenue and £344 million in net profit according to its 2023 annual report. As of November 2024, Revolut serves a global customer base of 50 million and employs more than 10,000 people. Its market valuation reached $45 billion by August 2024.

QuantumLight Capital

In 2022, Storonsky founded QuantumLight, a quantitative venture capital firm that utilizes algorithms and artificial intelligence to identify investment opportunities. QuantumLight developed an exclusive AI platform named “Aleph,” which examines venture-backed enterprises dating back to the 1990s to detect consistent success indicators.

The firm assists startup founders by imparting Storonsky’s insights on scaling high-growth companies, drawing from his experience with Revolut. In September 2024, QuantumLight released "Driving High Performance," a widely acclaimed playbook within the technology sector that has been referenced by investors such as Index Ventures and featured in major publications including Forbes and Fortune. As of November 2024, QuantumLight’s investment portfolio includes companies like ThanksBen, Builder.io, Deepscribe, Ghost, MarqVision, Mesh, Monta, RadAI, and RobinAI.

Awards and recognitions

Storonsky was ranked 336th on Forbes’ 2022 Billionaires List with an estimated net worth of $7.1 billion. Welp Magazine included him among its '101 UK Founder & CEO’s To Follow in 2022' as well as '101 UK CEO’s To Follow in 2022'. Time Magazine named him to the Time100 Next list for 2024, while Fintech Magazine placed him eighth among its Fintech Top 100 Leaders for 2025.