Case Study: VanKar Trading Corp — Futures Strategy Automation Platform

Client: VanKar Trading Corp
Industry: Futures Brokerage and Managed Futures

Challenge

VanKar Trading Corp, a futures brokerage, developed a range of trading strategies in TradeStation using EasyLanguage. While EasyLanguage enabled effective backtesting, the firm needed a robust way to bring those strategies into live trading with full automation and execution oversight. VanKar required an experienced engineering partner capable of transforming their research ideas into production-grade trading systems.

Discovery

SoftAtBest identified that the client’s core need extended beyond simple automation — they needed a platform capable of bridging the gap between research and execution. The goal was to track strategies running in TradeStation, manage their live performance, and optimize order execution to minimize slippage while maintaining full control over client account allocations.

Solution

SoftAtBest engineered a proprietary platform that integrated TradeStation-based systems with VanKar’s market execution infrastructure through the Patsystems API (now part of ION Group).
The system featured a management GUI that allowed operators to monitor trading activity, control execution parameters, and allocate trades across multiple client accounts. The platform also incorporated VanKar’s proprietary execution logic to ensure trades were filled efficiently, significantly reducing latency and slippage.

Results

The new system dramatically improved execution speed, reduced slippage, enabled faster deployment of new strategies, and allowed the firm to scale across more accounts and trading programs. The enhanced infrastructure not only accelerated the research-to-market cycle but also strengthened VanKar’s technological edge in the futures space.

Outcome and Legacy

One of VanKar’s partners, Emil Van Essen, developed a flagship strategy within this framework. After being validated through SoftAtBest’s work in TradeStation, the strategy demonstrated substantial capacity and scalability, leading to the formation of a separate CTA. The resulting fund went on to raise over one billion dollars in assets under management — a testament to the robustness and long-term value of the system SoftAtBest helped establish.

Collaboration

SoftAtBest operated as VanKar’s R&D and engineering arm, providing deep technical expertise while enabling the firm’s traders to focus on idea generation and performance refinement. The collaboration exemplified SoftAtBest’s ability to turn trading research into enduring, production-grade technology with measurable business impact.