Topstep Acquires The Futures Desk to Enhance Trader Coaching Tools

Topstep has acquired The Futures Desk (TFD) in a move aimed at strengthening its futures trading education and technology capabilities. The Chicago-based firm said the acquisition will support its goal of developing disciplined traders through better tools, coaching, and evaluation programs.

Topstep will incorporate TFD's trading technology into its TopstepX platform, providing traders with additional developmental and performance-tracking tools. The Futures Desk co-founders, Josh Schwartzberg and Brian Ford, will join Topstep following the acquisition. The company said their experience guiding traders from simulation to live trading will contribute to its training framework.

In a statement, Topstep founder and CEO Michael Patak said The Futures Desk shares the company's focus on structured trader development and continuous improvement. "The Futures Desk has built a strong community focused on the grind of trading and building consistency," he noted. The acquisition continues Topstep's expansion across trading education and evaluation services.

By integrating The Futures Desk's systems and coaching methods, Topstep plans to enhance its learning environment for traders progressing from practice to live markets. The firm operates in more than 170 countries and offers simulated evaluation programs for retail traders.

Separately, Topstep disclosed earlier this year that some user information might have been exposed following a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in September 2025. The company stated an internal review revealed certain files containing personal data could have been accessed between September 8 and October 16, 2025. It later clarified its internal systems were not directly compromised, attributing the incident to reused passwords from unrelated breaches on non-Topstep websites.

Earlier, Topstep faced backlash from proprietary traders following repeated outages and performance issues on its TopstepX platform. Many users complained they were unable to open or close positions during trading sessions, accusing the firm of not promptly acknowledging the disruptions.