Fantasy trading meets gaming — learn, compete, earn without risking capital
TradeOff is a next-generation fantasy trading platform from TradeOff Financial Corp. — gamifying stock and crypto education through daily competitions, an academy portal, and a merit-based social network. Led by esports veteran Mike Rufail (CEO), the product borrows fantasy-sports mechanics so users learn markets with low-risk, high-reward contest structures instead of putting personal capital on the line first.
Integrations
| Source | Stack |
|---|---|
| Public (tradeoff.com scan) | Pre-launch / gated — scripts not exposed in static HTML |
| Engineering | WebSocket market feeds, Alpaca + broker APIs, PostgreSQL, Stripe, AWS, Datadog |
Product ownership & engineering
As Lead Developer · Product Owner, I defined MVP slices and shipped the core platform:
| Phase | Capability |
|---|---|
| Learn | Academy portal — structured lessons, repetition-based skill building |
| Practice | Paper trading with live market data feeds |
| Compete | Daily contests, seasonal leagues, 1v1 challenges, prize pools |
| Social | Real-time leaderboards, follow top traders, performance transparency |
Architecture
- React SPA + Node.js APIs with WebSocket live quote and portfolio updates
- Alpaca and broker integrations for market data and execution paths
- PostgreSQL for contest standings, user progress, and audit logs
- Stripe for subscription tournaments and premium features
- AWS CI/CD with Datadog observability on feed latency and contest integrity
- Role-based auth, encrypted transport, game-of-skill compliance framing
Why it matters
TradeOff targets the gap between gaming engagement and financial literacy — the same intersection I navigate in FinTech (Revenued) and agentic products: make complex systems approachable, measurable, and fun.
Technologies used
React, Node.js, WebSocket, PostgreSQL, AWS, Alpaca, Stripe, Datadog
Result
A production fantasy trading experience — real-time performance, community leaderboards, and an academy foundation for TradeOff's global launch.
