A trading strategy can attract attention through its performance. Building an investment business around that strategy requires considerably more: reliable administration, effective risk oversight, investor onboarding, clear reporting and access to suitable trading infrastructure.
For managers, these demands can consume resources that would otherwise support trading and business development. For family offices, high-net-worth investors and professional asset allocators, the quality of that infrastructure can be as important as the strategy itself.
MAM and PAMM arrangements have long helped connect managers with investor capital. trademakers builds on that need with a broader proposition: an integrated environment bringing strategy access, administration, reporting and manager support together.
The comparison therefore extends beyond how trades or profits are allocated. It concerns how effectively a manager can turn a trading operation into an accessible, professionally administered investment offering.
From allocation to investment infrastructure
Multi-Account Manager (MAM) and Percentage Allocation Management Module (PAMM) arrangements generally enable managers to trade across investor accounts or allocate trading results according to agreed rules. Their precise mechanics vary by provider and structure.
Both can be effective. A well-supported MAM or PAMM arrangement may meet a manager’s requirements, particularly where other operational services are already in place. However, allocation technology alone does not necessarily provide strategy evaluation, investor administration, marketing support or consistent performance reporting.
trademakers addresses these wider requirements within one platform. Its proposition combines the practical infrastructure managers need with the information investors require to evaluate their strategies.
Importantly, the trademakers structure is more of a fund-like investment wrapper rather than a fund. Investors participate through a “TM” representing an underlying strategy, with the applicable contractual arrangements defining their investment.
A lower barrier to building a management business
Launching a strategy should not require a manager to recreate an entire operational organisation.
Depending on the individual arrangement, trademakers can provide setup without an upfront charge, together with administration, a dedicated strategy webpage and reporting. Commercial terms are agreed case by case, allowing the service to reflect the manager’s requirements rather than imposing an identical arrangement on every strategy.
The distinction matters: a no-cost setup does not mean that trading or investing carries no charges. Managers and investors should understand the applicable fees within their agreements.
Relatively low initial AUM requirements also create a practical route for emerging managers. A credible trading approach may be ready for professional presentation before its manager has accumulated the assets or resources needed to justify a standalone fund structure.
Established managers can benefit too. Consolidating operational services can free their teams to concentrate on investment decisions, risk control and investor relationships. trademakers’ manager offering emphasises automated processes, client management and support with launching strategies.
Administration, onboarding and market access
Behind every allocation sits a series of operational tasks: onboarding investors, processing subscriptions and redemptions, maintaining records, calculating allocations and producing reports.
trademakers’ asset administration and reporting system brings these activities into a coordinated environment. Managers gain a clearer view of their business, while investors receive information through an established reporting process.
The wider service encompasses onboarding, custody arrangements and direct access to global financial markets through the relevant providers. Instruments and services available depend on the agreed setup and applicable restrictions.
Sterling Gent Trading Ltd, owns and operates trademakers and is the legal counterparty and custodian of client funds. These responsibilities are important when assessing the complete investment arrangement.
Experience beyond the trading screen
Technology becomes more useful when supported by people who understand the business it serves.
The team at trademakers includes professionals with individual careers spanning three to four decades or more across hedge funds, trading desks, proprietary trading, analysis, fund administration and marketing.
That combination brings several perspectives to a manager’s development. Trading expertise helps assess how a strategy operates; administrative experience addresses practical implementation; and marketing knowledge helps communicate the investment proposition clearly.
With representation in 10 countries, trademakers also brings an international network to its work with managers and investors. For a manager seeking to develop a broader business, access to experienced guidance can be particularly valuable when moving beyond an existing circle of clients.
Private or public: a choice shaped by the manager
Managers have different ambitions for distribution. Some want to serve an established investor group discreetly. Others want their strategy to reach a wider audience.
trademakers Private provides a controlled environment accessible to a manager’s introduced clients. This can suit relationship-led businesses, family office connections and managers who value exclusivity over public visibility.
trademakers Public offers broader exposure to eligible investors using the platform. A public profile can help a manager present the strategy, its performance and its characteristics in a consistent format.
The commercial potential differs accordingly. Private arrangements support focused relationship development; public presentation creates opportunities for discovery by investors beyond the manager’s existing network.
Neither route guarantees allocations. The appropriate choice depends on the manager’s objectives, capacity, investor relationships and distribution requirements.
Risk management at the centre
Attractive returns start a conversation. Understanding the risks behind them determines whether that conversation should become an allocation.
trademakers places strategy evaluation and manager assessment at the centre of its proposition. The objective is to understand the approach behind the performance and how the manager controls exposure when conditions become difficult.
For an allocator, meaningful questions extend beyond cumulative returns. How deep have drawdowns been? How quickly have losses developed? What role does leverage play? Can the strategy continue operating effectively as assets grow?
Strategies with similar returns can have substantially different risk characteristics. Clear assessment and ongoing monitoring help investors distinguish between them and judge suitability within a wider portfolio.
trademakers uses JP Fund Services as its investment adviser and risk manager, with responsibility for due diligence on managers and strategies seeking to join the platform.
JP Fund Services is well positioned to provide investors with expert guidance in selecting suitable investment products, ensuring their portfolios are appropriately diversified and aligned with their individual risk profiles and investment objectives.
Live net results and usable data
Professional investors need performance information they can examine, compare and incorporate into their own analysis.
trademakers’ stated approach is to publish live net results, giving investors a record grounded in actual trading rather than presenting hypothetical outcomes as achieved performance. Net reporting also makes the treatment of applicable costs an essential part of understanding the figures.
The reporting proposition includes downloadable daily, weekly, monthly and yearly data. Different observation periods serve different purposes: annual figures provide perspective, while more frequent data can reveal drawdown patterns, variability and the path taken to achieve a return.
For family offices, HNW investors and asset allocators, this supports a more considered assessment of how a strategy might fit alongside existing investments.
Some strategies also have BDO verification of results. Any such verification should be assessed against the specific strategy, period and scope covered. It is distinct from a platform-wide endorsement or a guarantee of future performance; independent auditing is optional and strategy-specific.
A concierge service for managers
Even experienced traders can encounter unfamiliar demands when building an investment offering.
trademakers’ concierge approach provides hands-on support through setup, strategy presentation, administration and reporting. Managers can draw on practical assistance while developing the operational framework around their trading.
For smaller teams, this can fill an important resource gap. For established businesses, it offers a coordinated point of support as requirements develop.
The service is particularly relevant where investment expertise is already strong but internal operational capacity remains limited. Helping managers navigate those demands gives them more time to focus on their strategy and the discipline required to manage it.
A broader proposition for managed money
The choice between MAM/PAMM and trademakers ultimately depends on the services a manager needs and the standards investors expect.
MAM and PAMM arrangements can provide effective allocation mechanisms. trademakers brings a broader combination of administration, reporting, risk assessment, market access and manager support, with private and public routes to investor participation.
For managers seeking to build beyond a trading account, that combination offers a practical foundation for development. For investors, it provides a structured environment in which to examine specialist strategies and their live performance.
For more information contact Sterling Gent Trading to discuss how you can cooperate: Your strategy, its risks, the intended investor base and the infrastructure needed to support it.
Disclaimer: Investment involves risk, including loss of capital. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Availability is subject to eligibility, jurisdiction and applicable terms.
