By application only
Rigorous thinking about markets is rare. That's the point.
A small research group for those who approach financial markets the way a serious researcher approaches any difficult problem — with discipline, curiosity, and a willingness to be wrong.
Apply to join →Applications reviewed personally · We accept very few
Who I Am
Jacob Brown
I am a self-taught systematic trader with a deep focus on futures markets — specifically ES and NQ. My work sits at the intersection of market microstructure research and quantitative strategy development.
Over several years of independent study, I built Arche Research as an internal platform to test ideas rigorously before committing capital to them. What began as a personal backtesting tool has grown into the research infrastructure for a small group of people who share the same conviction: that disciplined process is the only sustainable edge.
I started looking for collaborators when I noticed something. Serious traders working in isolation duplicate the same effort — the same market structure questions, the same infrastructure problems, the same dead ends, rediscovered independently. That is an inefficiency worth eliminating.
This group is my attempt to address it.
The Work
We don't just trade.
We research.
The group works across market microstructure analysis, systematic strategy development, and quantitative risk modelling. Arche Research — our internal platform — allows us to test every hypothesis against real historical data before it influences a single trading decision.
If it cannot be tested, we do not trust it.
If it cannot be explained, we do not deploy it.
- Market microstructure & order flow analysis
- Systematic strategy development & backtesting
- Regime detection & adaptive positioning
- Quantitative risk modelling & Monte Carlo simulation
- Genetic optimisation & robustness testing
“The research happens at the level of market microstructure — understanding why prices move, not just that they do.”
“Every strategy we consider is tested against real historical data before it touches capital. Intuition is the starting point, not the conclusion.”
“The group is deliberately small. Smaller means every person's contribution matters. It also means there is nowhere to hide from poor thinking.”
Who This Is For
We are selective
by necessity.
This group is for traders who think of markets as a scientific problem — not a lottery. If you approach them empirically, form hypotheses, test them rigorously, and update your thinking when the evidence demands it, you will recognise what we are doing here.
A quantitative background helps — in finance, mathematics, physics, computer science, or built independently through years of serious independent study. What matters more than credentials is the quality of your thinking and the rigour of your process.
You should have something to contribute: a research methodology, domain expertise, a programming capability, or a perspective that sharpens the group. We are not structured as a teaching environment.
This is not
— A trading course or educational programme
— A signal service or copy-trading group
— An audience or community we are building
— A place to be taught from the beginning
— A shortcut to anything
“The goal is not a large group. It is a small one where every person makes every other person better.”
Join the Group
Apply to
The Starting Point
Every application is read personally. We do not use filters or automated screening. We are looking for a specific kind of person and we take the time to evaluate carefully.
If you have reached this point and felt recognised rather than sold to — apply. Be honest. Be specific. Tell us what you actually do and what you would actually contribute.
We do not accept everyone who applies. That is not a marketing statement — it is simply how a small, serious group stays small and serious.