Theo, a crypto infrastructure startup, has secured $20 million in funding to expand retail access to institutional-grade trading strategies. Led by Hack VC and Anthos Capital, with participation from notable investors such as Citadel, Jane Street, and JPMorgan, this investment will help make advanced crypto trading strategies accessible to retail investors.
Bridging the Gap Between Traditional and Crypto Markets
Founded by former quant traders Abhi Pingle, Arijit Pingle, and TK Kwon, Theo aims to democratize access to sophisticated trading tools typically available only to hedge funds and proprietary firms. Retail users can deposit assets into vaults running strategies like high-frequency arbitrage, cross-chain funding rate optimization, and advanced hedging.
The platform operates with a custom low-latency validator set, ensuring secure and fast transactions across centralized exchanges (CEXes) and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Theo enforces margin requirements and maintains system-wide overcollateralization to provide professional-level trading strategies to everyday users.
Empowering Both Retail Investors and Institutions
Abhi Pingle explained that the fragmented crypto markets prevent both institutions and retail users from capitalizing on the full potential of global finance. Theo bridges this gap by creating scalable, robust infrastructure that connects traditional financial players with retail investors on-chain.
Theo's platform also benefits institutional trading firms by boosting capital efficiency. It enables firms to use user-deposited funds to cross-margin positions and capture additional returns, sharing profits with users.
With its innovative approach, Theo is setting a new standard, allowing retail investors to access the same advanced strategies once exclusive to elite financial institutions.