Entrepreneurs around the globe: Antonio Rami, Founder of Kantox

"Work hard and play hard: success does not
fall from the sky"

- Describe your start-up in three sentences.
Kantox is a pioneering firm in the foreign exchange industry. We bring light and transparency to an obscure, static market where banks overcharge clients. Our expertise and passion result in an efficient, transparent solution to serve clients from the real economy.

- What inspires you as an entrepreneur in London?
Kantox is split between Barcelona and London. The two cities are different in many ways but both have things that Kantox needs for its success. Barcelona is an excellent base to attract talent: innovation is a word that you hear all around, and it’s a well-known city surrounded by an extremely dynamic community and also by hundreds of Kantox’s clients.

London is, without a doubt, the world capital of foreign exchange. We chose to settle in London because their financial regulation is the strictest, and being regulated there meant a lot to our customers. This was also the way that offered the best chances of getting the European passport, which gave us access all EU markets within months. London is a must for a company like ours and for all EU fintech companies.

- How do you gain investors’ trust?
Firstly, by doing what we say we are going to do and exceeding expectations. Secondly, by showing that we can overcome difficulties and always find a way to achieve results. This makes us a very strong team and it’s something that investors definitely value. We also have the recognition of the main authorities in terms of financial regulation and legal issues. Kantox is registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) under PSR 2009 as an authorised payment institution. We are also recognised by the Bank of Spain and are registered with SEPBLAC. All this means that Kantox complies with the highest levels of security, operating excellence and anti-money laundering policies.

- What’s your greatest fear as a global entrepreneur?
I don’t like to call it a fear, but I think the biggest challenge is becoming a truly global company, although no excuses are valid here. We must organise ourselves to ensure that every new employee works as hard as possible, to motivate them, and to make them feel hungry to attain personal and professional success, which is what everyone in the company has in mind.

- What do you wish you had known before founding your company?
I wish I had known that I couldn’t turn off my mobile! I knew that I would be very busy, but I wish I’d found a way to have longer-lasting batteries first. But seriously, there are many, many things that you are forced to learn the hard way. One key secret to growing a company is learning from your mistakes.

Another is recognising your weaknesses and being able to attract the talent the company needs to overcome them.

- What systems have you set up in your business to help it grow?
In a company like Kantox, people are your engine. You had better build it well, take very good care of it and invest in it if you want to win more and more challenging races every day. I believe that finding talented people, being fair and providing them with the right tools is what helps growth the most. Of course, there are many other things. Our clients tell us they are using Kantox for the savings we generate, but they also recommend it because of the service they receive from the people they talk to. Growth would never be possible without that team.

- What do you do on a daily basis to grow as a global entrepreneur?
Three main things. The first is to learn every day, from everyone at the company and outside of it: clients, suppliers, banks, brokers and people from unrelated businesses whom I have the opportunity to meet. And I take that learning and try to implement it at Kantox.

The second thing is to focus on what really matters. There are many things that you can always do better, very specific developments that someone might need or very good advice that we can get. But when it comes to making decisions, you need to focus on the most profitable efforts.
And last but not least, our favourite: "Work hard and play hard." Success does not fall from the sky. Not only me, but everyone who works with us must do their best to overcome any difficulties.

It’s unforgivable when someone is not working at his or her best; we see that as a lack of respect for the rest of us. Play hard means not to give up, really know what you want and pursue it no matter what, and always play the game until the very end. It also means to enjoy, to release tension, and to almost consider it a game.

- What should a global entrepreneur never forget?
Two things. The first one is specific about work, and the second one is more general. They could be summarised as, "Don’t forget what you’re fighting for; or your life."

"Don’t forget what you’re fighting for" refers to the day-to-day job, which can be tough and very time-consuming. If you don’t look up, you run the risk of being left without direction. Keeping focused helps a lot in the always-difficult, fast-paced decision-making progress that any entrepreneur – whether global or not – will always have to deal with.

I say not to forget your life because, when you start something you are so passionate about, and you want it to be perfect, sometimes you might forget about the people that are there no matter what, or about taking good care of yourself. Disconnecting and charging batteries is essential if you want to go further.

- What impact has ESADE had on your career as a global entrepreneur?
ESADE is much more than a great business school to me. It’s the place where I decided to major in finance. I couldn’t have come up with the idea of building a fintech company without it. In fact, it was an ESADE professor whom my co-founder (Philippe Gelis) and I told about Kantox and from whom we received priceless feedback – I am forever thankful to Josep Sayeras! ESADE also invited Kantox to present at its Investment Forum, which helped us find investors to close our second round of investment with €1 million.

The school has also been an extraordinary place to find great talent for our company. It has been an excuse to open the doors of many CFOs who are now happy Kantox clients. And one thing that I am particularly happy about is that Kantox’s business model is now taught to both graduate and master’s students at ESADE.

- What makes being an entrepreneur worthwhile?
The feeling that you are doing it right. Building Kantox has meant helping some companies save over €400,000 per year. It has also meant meeting people I never would have thought about and climbing a learning curve at a tremendous speed. Reaching goals and overcoming obstacles generates so much adrenaline that it’s impossible not to enjoy it. It even means being almost happy that today is Monday!