The LSE Directory / Charting platforms
Collective2 is a US based online marketplace for algorithmic and discretionary trading strategies. Strategy developers, called Trade Leaders, publish buy and sell signals covering stocks, options, futures and forex, and subscribers pay a monthly fee set by the developer to follow a strategy, either by receiving the signals manually or by enabling AutoTrading, which relays each signal directly into the subscriber's own connected brokerage account so the trade is placed without manual entry. Collective2 is not a broker and does not custody client funds; money stays in the subscriber's account at their own broker at all times, and Collective2 only transmits trade instructions. The platform differentiates itself from simple signal services by publishing an independently tracked, unmodifiable performance record for every strategy starting the day it launches, so subscribers can compare verified track records rather than take a developer's word for results. Its C2Star certification program, introduced after the February 2018 volatility spike known as Volmageddon wiped out many of the platform's popular short-volatility strategies, imposes tighter risk controls on enrolled strategies, including capital deployment limits, drawdown caps and a requirement to outperform the S&P 500 by 1% over a rolling 60-day window, in exchange for a guaranteed minimum monthly payout of $1,000, lower platform fees and greater promotional visibility. AutoTrading connects to more than a dozen supported brokers spanning equities, options, futures and forex, including Interactive Brokers, Tradovate, StoneX, IG, AMP, FXCM, CQG and Rithmic; TradeStation can be used to generate signals but not for automated execution, since TradeStation Securities does not permit third parties to automate order entry into its own brokerage arm. Collective2 was founded in 2001 by Matthew Klein, who had previously started Silicon Valley software companies before building Collective2 as a way to verify trading track records rather than rely on a promoter's claims. The company registered with the CFTC and became an NFA member in 2008. By early 2018, assets connected to the platform through AutoTrading had grown to nearly $100 million; the Volmageddon spike triggered roughly $30 million in withdrawals within days as popular short volatility strategies failed, an episode Klein has written about publicly and that led directly to the creation of the C2Star program. As of 2026 the company states it has more than 100,000 registered users and over 15,000 published strategies. Since early 2026 Collective2 has published a monthly "Best Trading Strategies Snapshot," a machine readable ranking of publicly visible strategies by an internal C2 Score metric, aimed at media, researchers and prospective subscribers; the March 2026 edition drew from 613 eligible scored strategies, with a strategy called Easy Value topping the list at a C2 Score of 998. The company's own disclosures note that published strategy results are simulated or hypothetical in many cases and that actual subscriber returns can differ materially due to slippage, commissions, subscription fees, broker execution and account sizing.
