National Talent Identification ProgrammeISTC 2027
Indian Strategy & Trading Conclave
What is ISTC, exactly?From the team behind IIT Pokerbots
Grand Finale
162 days
Venue
Mumbai
12 – 14 Mar 2027
What is ISTC?
A talent pipeline for quant research, algorithmic trading, and strategy under uncertainty.
ISTC is a next-generation talent identification programme designed to discover, benchmark, and bring together India's strongest student minds across quantitative research, algorithmic trading, strategy making, and financial markets.
Through a rigorous multi-stage structure, ISTC tests participants beyond theoretical probability and mathematics, putting them in the seat of real quantitative researchers and traders.
Timeline
Three stages. One national talent pool.
Jan 2027
Prelims
Two competitions assess quant research and quant trading skills. Top 300 in each advance to Qualifiers.
ISTC Trading League
26 Jan 2027A market-making competition built on a simulated live sports game, testing pricing discipline and risk management under live conditions.
ISTC Pokerbots
18 – 24 Jan 2027Participants research and develop algorithmic poker bots to compete in a unique poker variant designed by the ISTC team.
13 Feb 2027
Qualifiers
The ISTC Strategy & Trading Test: a rigorous test of probabilistic reasoning, arbitrage detection, and decision-making under pressure. The top 600 narrow to 60.
12 – 14 Mar 2027
Grand Finale in Mumbai
The top 60 finalists convene for a three-day, all-expenses-covered finale in Mumbai.
By the numbers
600+
Students advance from Prelims to Qualifiers
60
Finalists reach the Grand Finale
3
Days in Mumbai, fully covered
Sponsors
Backed by the firms shaping quantitative trading.
Jane Street is a global proprietary trading firm recognized for its quantitative approach, strong engineering culture, and rigorous analytical standards. Operating across multiple asset classes worldwide, Jane Street actively supports initiatives that encourage deep problem-solving and strategic thinking.
Visit janestreet.com →
A leading global market maker, using technology and quantitative strategies to provide liquidity and improve pricing across derivatives, equities, and ETFs worldwide.
Visit optiver.com →
Interested in sponsoring? Send us an email at team@istc.co.
The Team
Built by people who've done this before.
Madhav Tadepalli
Shashwat Kedia
Kevin Kinsey
Sastikaa S
Amber Agarwal
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
ISTC 2027 is open to undergraduate students from all 23 IITs (with campus in India), BITSP, BITSH, BITSG, IIITH, IISc, ISI-Kolkata with an interest in quantitative research, algorithmic trading, or strategic game theory. No prior finance experience is required. The events are designed to test and build these skills from first principles