Progression

Greater opportunity is earned.

Larger capital allocations are not available for public purchase, nor are they unlocked automatically by reaching a predetermined threshold.

The principle

They are reserved for traders whose body of work demonstrates the consistency, discipline, judgment, and risk management expected at the next stage.

When that record warrants consideration, the firm may extend a private invitation to qualify for greater responsibility.

Progression is not a reward for a single result. It reflects trust established through sustained professional performance.

Capital may increase.
The standard never does.

The pathway

Four stages. Three of them are not for sale.

Stage 01 · Public entry
Assessment
$50,000

The firm's only public entry point. Every trader begins here, under the same parameters, measured against the same requirements. Anyone eligible may attempt it.

Gate · Published standard

Reach the equity growth target across a minimum of three trading days, remain above the trailing loss, and satisfy the consistency requirement. The standard is fixed and published in full.

Stage 02 · On qualification
Funded Trader
$50,000

Qualification establishes funded status and account gains become payable. This is where the professional record begins — the record the firm evaluates from this point forward.

Gate · Private review

Not a threshold, not a formula, and not a published number. Continued performance may establish eligibility for consideration. Nothing here is automatic and nothing here can be purchased.

Stage 03 · By invitation
Institutional Trader
$100,000

Not publicly available. An invitation provides the opportunity to qualify at a larger allocation — it does not grant the account. The qualification that follows is measured against the same standards as the first.

Gate · Sustained excellence

Reserved for Institutional Traders whose record demonstrates mature judgment and disciplined risk management over an extended period. Reviewed individually.

Stage 04 · By invitation
Capital Partner
$150,000

The firm's highest designation and its largest capital allocation. Extended to a small number of traders whose consistency, judgment and conduct have been demonstrated over time. Capital Partner is not a tier. It is recognition.

No prices appear on this page, because three of these four stages cannot be bought.

Who decides

Every trader considered for invitation into our private Institutional and Capital Partner Qualifications is reviewed personally by me.

Most firms in this industry scale accounts on a formula. Reach a number, unlock a tier. It requires no judgment and it means nothing, because a number can be reached in ways that tell you very little about a trader.

18th Street does not work that way. Records are read. Patterns are considered. Conduct matters as much as performance.

Those invitations will never be automatic. They must mean something.

Jay R. Pocius
Founder
18th Street Trading

What never changes

Larger capital means greater responsibility. Never greater latitude.

The same consistency requirement
33.33% at every stage. A trader managing $150,000 is measured exactly as a trader managing $50,000.
The same risk discipline
Trailing loss parameters scale with the allocation. The percentage does not move.
The same conduct
Professional decision making over emotional reaction. Long-term discipline over short-term outcomes.
No discretionary adjustments
The standard is not relaxed for traders who have progressed, and not tightened for traders who have not.

Qualification fees provide the opportunity to demonstrate readiness for the next level of responsibility. They do not guarantee advancement or an account.

Capital Access

Every relationship with 18th Street begins at the same place.

Meet the firm's published standards, establish your professional record, and earn your first opportunity within 18th Street Trading.

Apply for Capital Access

$50,000 Qualification · Full specifications disclosed before payment