Key facts
- EquiLibre Technologies, founded by former DeepMind researchers, uses AI trained on poker to trade financial markets.
- The company has achieved a perfect record of zero negative months since its trading agents were rolled out in 2025.
- EquiLibre's AI trades billions in daily volume across the S&P 500 and NASDAQ in partnership with Tower Research Capital.
- The startup announced a Series A funding round led by Creandum, valuing the company at $500 million.
- Creandum described the Series A as its largest single investment in a company.
- The founders are motivated by building new AI technologies rather than market efficiency.
Three former DeepMind researchers who developed an AI capable of beating professional poker players have successfully applied similar reinforcement learning technology to financial trading, leading to a $500 million valuation for their startup, EquiLibre Technologies. The Prague-based company, which also includes DeepMind alumni on its advisory board, has partnered with quant firm Tower Research Capital to trade billions daily across the S&P 500 and NASDAQ.
EquiLibre's AI agents have reportedly maintained a perfect record of zero negative months since their deployment in 2025, initially on crypto markets and subsequently on stock exchanges. The startup's success has attracted significant venture capital interest, with Creandum leading its Series A funding round, which the firm described as its largest single investment to date.
While the founders lack a traditional finance background, their motivation stems from the challenge of building novel AI systems. They established EquiLibre in their home country, Czechia, to leverage a strong local talent pool and create a stable environment for AI development, contrasting with the rapid pace of AI advancements elsewhere. The company plans to expand its compute infrastructure significantly.
EquiLibre's journey began with the development of DeepStack, an AI that defeated professional no-limit poker players, while the founders were visiting PhD students at DeepMind's former international research office in Edmonton. The company has previously secured pre-seed funding from Credo and a seed round from Blossom Capital. Despite competition from firms like Jane Street, which also utilizes AI in trading, EquiLibre's founders believe the market is not a winner-takes-all scenario.