Proprietary trading platform with simulated evaluation and live futures funding
Topstep operates a prop trading platform where traders prove strategies in simulation before accessing live capital on futures markets. The tech stack reveals a dual operational structure: trading infrastructure (TradingView, SQL, PostgreSQL, GraphQL) paired with institutional compliance tooling (Global Relay, Power BI, Tableau, NetSuite). Active projects cluster around risk automation, real-time monitoring dashboards, and operational resilience (BCDR testing), reflecting a compliance-heavy business model where outages and margin monitoring directly impact regulatory standing and trader funding decisions.
Notable leadership hires: Director of Engineering
Topstep provides traders with a simulated evaluation environment and a path to funded live trading on futures markets. The platform combines trading tools and education with a capital allocation mechanism—traders who demonstrate discipline and risk management in simulation can earn the right to trade with Topstep's capital. The company operates in Chicago with 201–500 employees and runs a trader-first community model. Operationally, the business requires tight risk controls, audit readiness, and high-volume transaction processing, which explains the heavy investment in compliance infrastructure (Global Relay, NetSuite, audit tooling) alongside core trading technology.
Topstep's stack spans trading infrastructure (TradingView, SQL, PostgreSQL, React, Next.js), compliance and risk systems (Global Relay, Power BI, Tableau), and backend services (AWS, Kubernetes, C#, NET Core, GraphQL). Finance and operations run on NetSuite, Bill.com, and Paylocity.
Current projects focus on risk automation, real-time monitoring dashboards and KPIs, modernization initiatives, operational resilience (BCDR testing), and workflow development. Pain points include reducing platform outages, improving real-time risk monitoring, and strengthening internal controls.
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