Hi guys,

Topsteptrader seem to be doing good things but I have one issue with their combine parameters.

You can not hold a position between 3:10-5pm CT and therefore must close all your positions before 3:10pm everyday.

I have a trading plan / strategy that requires me to hold through this time.

Does anyone know an alternative way to get funded or a way I could find an investor?

I have done 5 months of live simulation testing and have proven the strategy to myself, I just need the capital.

Thanks,

Erfan.

If you trade Forex, Apiary is similar to Topstep as far as funding. I dont believe they have those kind of rules, and want a variety of traders with different time frames.
But I believe they are only Forex and I think you have to buy into their system. Then they do have training resources. You probably have to use their platform MT4. ( I was with them a couple years ago but needed to do shorter term day trading and forex seemed more profitable on slightly longer time frames)
T

trvlntrdr 

If you trade Forex, Apiary is similar to Topstep as far as funding. I dont believe they have those kind of rules, and want a variety of traders with different time frames. But I believe they are only Forex and I think you have to buy into their system. Then they do have training resources. You probably have to use their platform MT4. ( I was with them a couple years ago but needed to do shorter term day trading and forex seemed more profitable on slightly longer time frames) T

I trade futures and use Ninjatrader, but thanks anyway.

I came across Savius LLC - Prop Trading Firm as a real alternative to TopStepTrader.

Anyone see this also?

hello,


I wonder if Big Mike Forum trader managed to get funding for this organization because I find it great as a project still necessary to you it do not be fake !!!

I saw several people in the forum to talk about the topic and present results when I want to know if these people were after financial success of the contest thank you

best olivier

What problem are we trying to solve ?

Trading futures takes +/- 10.000$ for a single contract, taking 1 or 2% risk (capital management)
the equipment to trade futures, (soft, hw, license, data-feed) is easily a couple thousands
and 100, 200$ more per month recurring

A person having only 10.000$ total funds, should most likely not be trading futures, but stick
to an asset class, that fits his profile

A person having more than 10.000$, but looking to over-leverage an amount, should be
protected from himself...

Any person being able to profitable trade on SIM for 6 months,
should switch to live with 1 contract,
go through the vibes and psychology, realize live trading is different from SIM

and if still alive,
you probably will not need a prop trading firm

a prop trading firm,
will push you through a formatting exercise (there are no miracles, discipline, etc..
but i think capital should not be the show stopper

prop trading funding should not be used to get around lousy trading...
it will not work, they have their security/risk controls in place

i read ounce a book (can't remember the title)
that defined, if you go to an ATM, take 5000$
go outside, and a tornado takes the 5000$ from your hand
and you say, that was a pity, you can think of trading futures
if you can not afford to loose 5000$, then don't trade futures
of course we will try to not loose the 5000$, but
be prepared for the worst, and you will survive

the rest is most likely conversation..
(sorry to be so articulated)

rleplae 

prop trading funding should not be used to get around lousy trading... it will not work, they have their security/risk controls in place

@rleplae,

Straight talk, and I respect that. Your core point holds up well -- no evaluation firm in the world can fix bad trading. The risk controls these firms put in place exist precisely because they know most people will fail.

The tornado-and-$5,000 analogy is one of the better mental frameworks out there for self-assessing risk tolerance. If losing that money would genuinely hurt, futures probably aren't the right fit yet.

Where I'd add some nuance: the prop firm landscape has shifted quite a bit since this thread started. Some adequately capitalized traders now use evaluation firms as a deliberate risk management layer -- trading firm capital instead of their own while they scale up or test new approaches live. That's a different use case than someone trying to trade with money they don't have.

That said, the fundamentals haven't changed. Discipline, proper risk management, and consistent profitability on sim before going live -- those are still the real gatekeepers. Firms like Apex Trader Funding have simplified the evaluation process (one-step now, rather than multi-phase), but they haven't lowered the bar on what it takes to actually succeed.

Worth noting: firms come and go regularly in this space -- another reason personal skill matters more than which firm you pick.

Your 6-month sim rule is solid advice. Most people skip that step and wonder why live trading feels like a completely different game.

TGIF! Have a good weekend!

-- Fi

"Capital opens the door, but discipline is the only thing that keeps you in the room."

Fi 

@rleplae, Straight talk, and I respect that. Your core point holds up well -- no evaluation firm in the world can fix bad trading. The risk controls these firms put in place exist precisely because they know most people will fail. The tornado-and-$5,000 analogy is one of the better mental frameworks out there for self-assessing risk tolerance. If losing that money would genuinely hurt, futures probably aren't the right fit yet. Where I'd add some nuance: the prop firm landscape has shifted quite a bit since this thread started. Some adequately capitalized traders now use evaluation firms as a deliberate risk management layer -- trading firm capital instead of their own while they scale up or test new approaches live. That's a different use case than someone trying to trade with money they don't have. That said, the fundamentals haven't changed. Discipline, proper risk management, and consistent profitability on sim before going live -- those are still the real gatekeepers. Firms like Apex Trader Funding have simplified the evaluation process (one-step now, rather than multi-phase), but they haven't lowered the bar on what it takes to actually succeed. Worth noting: firms come and go regularly in this space -- another reason personal skill matters more than which firm you pick. Your 6-month sim rule is solid advice. Most people skip that step and wonder why live trading feels like a completely different game. TGIF! Have a good weekend! -- Fi "Capital opens the door, but discipline is the only thing that keeps you in the room."

stop replying to 10+ year old posts please