Exploring Innovation and Integrity in Prop Trading: An Interview with BullRush Founder Trent Hoerr

The 2025 London Prop Trading Expo marked the first industry event fully dedicated to proprietary trading. Following the conference, we sat down with Trent Hoerr, founder of BullRush, to discuss his key takeaways from the event, the evolution of the retail prop trading landscape, and how BullRush is redefining trader engagement through its unique competition-based model.

As one of the speakers, Trent shared his observations on the expo, noting: "What surprised me most was just how little many retail prop firm owners and executives actually know about financial markets. It was eye opening and frankly, a bit scary. Too many people are launching futures prop firms without an understanding of how markets really work. That doesn't just put their own business at risk, it threatens the credibility of the entire industry."

As the industry transitions from simulated accounts to real-market operations, this lack of understanding is particularly concerning. Trent hopes that firms will invest the time to truly learn how markets function rather than relying on surface-level summaries or AI-generated notes, warning that if they don't, "this industry could end up the same way binary options did."

Having witnessed the rise of retail prop trading since 2015, Trent reflected: "I've seen it grow from just two firms to more than 400 in the past decade. What started as a fringe segment of retail trading has now become fully mainstream." In the early days, even professionals from the institutional side struggled to understand why anyone would pay to take a challenge account just for the chance to get funded. But that perception has completely shifted. Looking ahead, Trent expects continued growth in the number of traders taking on prop challenges, but anticipates fewer new entrants into the market as rising costs and complexity drive consolidation.

In this evolving environment, BullRush has distinguished itself through an innovative model that replaces traditional funded accounts with instant cash rewards, offering traders a more direct and motivating way to engage. Trent explained: "New traders can start with our free competitions, gaining experience without risk. Once confident, they can enter a paid competition or try one of our Instant Challenges, which let traders test their skills at a low cost before committing to expensive prop evaluations."

For top performers, BullRush provides a verifiable path to real-market trading through its A-Book prop firm, aligning the company's success with that of its traders. This structure effectively eliminates one of the industry's biggest conflicts of interest — where firms profit when traders fail.

Competitions like the Crypto-Maniac Weekend and One-Day Trading Challenge have become defining features of the BullRush platform, blending education and entertainment. They allow traders to test their strategies, observe market behavior, and compete with others in a real-time, high-pressure environment. As Trent noted: "That experience is far more valuable than trading on a standard demo account. In a demo, there's no incentive, no stakes, and no community. With BullRush, traders feel the pressure, see the leaderboard, and learn to perform under real-world conditions — skills that are essential for long-term success."

Trent also observed a growing convergence between brokers, technology providers, and prop firms. Many brokers, recognizing the appeal of prop models in offering higher leverage and capital access, have launched their own proprietary arms. "This convergence is redefining how traders access both markets and funding — and it's only accelerating," he said. Although the line between brokers and prop firms has not entirely disappeared, Trent believes the two sides are moving closer together: "I think we'll see more prop firms evolve into brokers, and more brokers launch prop arms. It just makes sense as both sides look for new ways to monetize their existing client base and expand their reach."

When asked what advice he would give to newcomers entering the prop trading space, Trent offered both caution and pragmatism. "Today, you have to operate a real business with compliance, liquidity relationships, tech infrastructure, and customer support. For most, it makes far more sense to partner with an established firm like BullRush — you'll earn nearly as much while focusing on marketing and community, not the operational grind."

For traders, his guidance was straightforward: DO YOUR RESEARCH. Understand who owns the firm, their background, and whether they've built anything credible before. Transparency, he emphasized, is essential.

Looking ahead to 2026, BullRush plans to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation. Its Build Your Own Competitions initiative allows influencers, educators, and businesses to host fully branded trading contests on the BullRush platform, paving the way for new collaborations with brokers, trading communities, and educational institutions. New formats such as Profit Sprint and the News Trading Challenge with Newsquawk will continue to enhance trader skill, speed, and strategy — keeping BullRush at the forefront of the trading competition space.