Breaking Equity: Algo-Trading Experience Transformation

The stock market has witnessed a huge influx of retail traders and investors over the past two years. The outbreak of COVID-19, free money flooding the global market, and massive promotion of stock trading benefits have all contributed to the growing popularity of handy, user-friendly trading apps. One of the 4IRE clients came with a request to build an algo-trading solution that would simplify user access to stock markets and maximize the earning opportunities for retail market participants. Here is a case study of the 4IRE team’s work on the innovative algo-trading app with extensive customization features. 

Client’s Profile 

Breaking Equity is a US-based FinTech startup. It specializes in innovative, automated stock trading solutions for retail and institutional investors. The company was created by three co-founders with in-depth expertise in stock trading with a mission to democratize access to advanced trading tools and strategies. They set up Breaking Equity and united skilled engineers and data scientists under one roof to give individuals the technology previously accessible only to rich hedge funds and financial elites.  

Client’s Requirements 

The client came to 4IRE with a task to create an algo-trading app where users could trade stocks and other stock market assets hassle-free. The app should offer fully automated trading tools, with free and premium marketplace strategies on offer. The second-tier task for 4IRE was the setup of a customized strategy builder based on the past 20 years’ historical trading data. 

Business Challenge 

The business challenge faced by 4IRE was to compile a team with the required FinTech expertise in algo-trading. The project required: 

• Building an MVP based on one of the co-founder’s specifications. 
• Creating an app with functionality for newbies and experienced traders. 
• Developing a fully functional prototype for attracting the first users and applying for the first investment seed round. 

Implementation 

The project was implemented based on the Scrum methodology. The 4IRE team worked closely with one of the company’s co-founders, acting as the Product Owner. The latter set the tasks for sprints, and the team implemented them. 

The initial team involved in the app’s development grew to 2 back-end coders, 2 front-end testers, 1 Python developer, 1 DevOps engineer, and 1 project coordinator. The technology involved in project development included Java, React Native, Python, AWS Terraform Lambda, and Spring. Breaking Equity’s CEO was responsible for fundraising and customer service.  

Solution Delivered 

After the initial challenge of experienced project team setup, the project went on smoothly. 4IRE experts created a product with the following features:  

• An app with a set of free and premium trading strategy-building tools available to all users 
• A virtual money trading tool (demo account) allowing users to test their strategies with virtual funds, thus minimizing the risk of losing money during their algorithms’ testing (RPA and PA). 
• A subscription-based use model with regular and advanced features for newbies and experienced trading pros. 
• A customized strategy feature enabling users to build their own strategies and sets of filters. 

Project Outcomes

The project is still in the works, with final fine-tuning and full-scale app development processes going on. The app’s launch took place in October 2021, engaging 1,000+ first users and successfully managing millions of dollars in daily trading volume. The app currently supports integration with many popular trading brokers (e.g., Interactive Brokers, Robinhood, Charles Schwab, etc.) and covers all U.S. stocks. The 4IRE team also conducts the digital marketing promotion of Breaking Equity in online channels.