The vacancy provides a clear challenge but lacks compensation details, affecting overall quality.
Job description
## About Akuna
Akuna Capital is an innovative trading firm with a strong focus on collaboration, cutting-edge technology, data driven solutions and automation. We specialize in providing liquidity as an options market-maker – meaning we are committed to providing competitive quotes that we are willing to both buy and sell. To do this successfully, we design and implement our own low latency technologies, trading strategies and mathematical models. Our Founding Partners first conceptualized Akuna in their hometown of Sydney. They opened the firm’s first office in 2011 in the heart of the derivatives industry and the options capital of the world – Chicago. Today, Akuna is proud to operate from additional offices in Sydney, Shanghai, London, and Singapore.
Responsibilities
## What you’ll do as a Virtual Quant Trading Challenge Participant
- Gain hands-on trading experience by writing your own market-making bots.
- Compete against our models and one another on a simulated exchange.
- The most profitable submissions will win Akuna swag and expedited recruitment processes in our Quant full-time and internship roles in Chicago.
Requirements
## Qualities that make great candidates
- Able to dedicate 5-8 hours uninterrupted to complete the challenge from August 17th through August 21st 2026.
- Pursuing a BS/MS/PhD in Engineering, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Actuarial Science or a related/equivalent field.
- Strong math aptitude, statistical and quantitative analysis skills.
- Strong Python programming background.
- Entrepreneurial self-starter ready to work in a fast paced, competitive, team environment.
- Desire and ability to learn the intricacies of financial markets.
- Major GPA of 3.5 or above.
- Graduating between December 2026 – August 2028.
Conditions
## Application Process
- Applications open on 6/11/2026 and close on 8/10/2026.
- Submit your resume and a one-page/500 words max motivation letter describing your interest in Akuna Capital and detailing what sets you apart from other applicants.
- A limited number of candidates will be invited to join the Quant Trading challenge.
- Individual submissions only – no teams.
- Top performers will have the opportunity to be expedited to final round interviews for our roles within our Quant department at the end of the program.
- Resumes and motivations letters must be submitted in PDF format.
About Akuna Capital
Akuna Capital is an American proprietary trading firm specializing in options market making, providing liquidity through competitive buy and sell quotes using proprietary low-latency technologies, trading strategies, and mathematical models. It operates with its own capital, has no clients or external investors, and focuses on collaboration across technology, trading, quant, and operations departments. Founded by partners from Sydney, it emphasizes innovation in derivatives trading.