Options market-maker with proprietary low-latency trading technology
Akuna Capital is a Chicago-based options market-maker operating proprietary trading infrastructure built on Python, C++, Java, and Scala, with real-time execution across Kafka and Kubernetes. The tech stack reveals a maturity focus on performance optimization—multiple pain points center on low-latency platform tuning and workflow efficiency. Hiring velocity is decelerating while the intern pipeline remains strong, suggesting a shift from growth-mode scaling toward consolidation and selective skill acquisition, particularly in quantitative research and crypto strategy.
Akuna Capital is a proprietary trading firm founded in 2011, headquartered in Chicago with offices in Sydney, Shanghai, and London. The firm specializes in options market-making—providing two-way liquidity across major derivatives exchanges by deploying proprietary mathematical models, trading strategies, and low-latency execution systems. The company operates exclusively with its own capital and has no external investors. It is structured as an equity partnership with dozens of employee-shareholders. Core functions span engineering (strategy implementation, platform infrastructure), quantitative research, and trading operations across global markets including emerging crypto quantitative strategies.
Primary languages: Python, C++, C#, Java, Scala. Frontend: React, TypeScript. Infrastructure: Kubernetes (AWS EKS), Kafka (AWS MSK), Databricks, Apache Spark. DevOps: Linux, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Ansible. Version control: Git.
Focus areas include proprietary options market-making platform development, real-time trading applications, automated trading signal implementation, crypto quantitative strategy development, and codebase infrastructure improvements across low-latency systems.
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