DRW
WISDOMTREE GLOBAL EX-US REAL ESTATE FND (DE)
stock NYSE

Optiver is still somewhat immature in equities. Their APAC and NYC offices are building it out, but have not found alpha yet. I get the sense Optiver is still more focused on options, but they did hire some experienced quants for their equities build out recently.
IMC seems more serious about moving into equities. According to a friend there they made it a global priority in their company strategy for the next 5 years. It appears they have moved a bunch of people to New York City for their Systematic Equities business there, and absorbed a few teams in Europe into Systematic Equities Europe. The system is rumored to print in Korea (millions per day in profit), and they are currently expanding to other markets in APAC as well as the US and China.
No clue what DRW is doing. Don't think IMC and Optiver view them as a competitor from what I have heard from friends there; they seem to primarily compare themselves to HRT, Jane Street, Citadel and Citadel Securities, XTX and a few more, who are printing even more in Korea and other markets.

Heard from DRW after OA

DRW QTA Intern Technical Zoom Interview - S27

* **PLEASE CHECK OUT CHICAGO - major trading hub** — just electronic now. Prop trading and market-making firms like DRW, Jump Trading, IMC, Optiver, Belvedere, Akuna Capital, and Citadel Securities all have large Chicago offices and hire heavily out of college.
* **Entry paths changed** — firms now recruit through structured trader-training programs, often looking for new college graduates.
* Good luck!

DRW Technical Zoom Interview First Round

You realize that these people basically have a complete look at how these firms recruit, what they look for, which clubs within which schools perform best during internships, etc.
They are paid a minuscule base. That role at DRW was an 80-130K base; that role at IMC is 90-140K. These firms make hundreds of millions. Having them sit out a paid non-compete is a no-brainer.