In an era where billion-dollar acquisitions reshape the trading landscape, Samuel Drnda, founder and CEO of HyroTrader, made a bold and defining decision — he refused multiple acquisition offers worth tens of millions of dollars, choosing vision, innovation, and independence over a lucrative exit.
The offers followed the high-profile acquisition of Breakout by Kraken, one of HyroTrader’s main competitors. Shortly after, Drnda was approached by two of the world’s largest forex prop trading firms and one of the biggest global crypto exchanges, each seeking to fully acquire and absorb HyroTrader’s rapidly growing trading ecosystem.
“Each offer had the same condition — total control,” said Drnda. “They wanted to buy everything we’ve built and integrate it into their structure. But HyroTrader was never built to be sold. It was built to change how the prop trading industry works.”
A Vision Too Big to Sell
Founded in 2020, HyroTrader quickly evolved from a trading platform into one of the fastest-growing crypto prop trading firms in the world, empowering over 30,000 active traders and achieving consistent month-over-month growth.
By 2024, HyroTrader was featured multiple times as the “Best Crypto Prop Firm” by leading trading and fintech media outlets — a recognition that reflected both its innovation and trader-first approach.
Today, HyroTrader is setting a new global standard with Hyro Protocol, the first decentralized, non-custodial crypto prop trading infrastructure built on Solana.
“From day one, our vision was to build a decentralized prop firm connected to multiple trading exchanges — a true on-chain ecosystem where traders, investors, and liquidity providers interact transparently,” said Drnda. “We’re not just another prop firm. We’re creating the infrastructure for the next generation of crypto prop trading firms.”
From Bootstrap to Billion-Dollar Vision
HyroTrader’s rise is even more remarkable because it was built entirely without venture capital.
“In the early days, no VC wanted to invest even $200,000. We decided to bootstrap everything from scratch,” said Drnda. “Now, the same institutions that once ignored us are offering tens of millions to acquire us. That’s the power of staying true to your mission.”
Today, HyroTrader operates profitably and independently, already valued in the hundreds of millions and on track toward becoming the first decentralized billion-dollar prop trading ecosystem.
Beyond Money: The Power of Purpose
Despite the life-changing offers, Drnda’s decision to remain independent was rooted in conviction, not calculation.
“I come from a middle-class family — the offers I received would have changed my life,” he said. “But I’ve already achieved more than I ever dreamed of. At this stage, it’s not about money; it’s about building something meaningful with people I believe in and creating real impact for traders worldwide.”
After the refusal, Drnda earned even greater respect from the HyroTrader team, partners, and trading community, strengthening the company’s culture of purpose-driven innovation.
“Many founders dream of an exit. I dream of evolution — of building a decentralized, transparent, and trader-owned future.”
The Next Phase: Hyro Protocol
With Hyro Protocol, Drnda and his team are developing the foundation for the next generation of decentralized prop trading firms. Built on Solana, the protocol will connect multiple trading exchanges into one unified infrastructure, allowing traders, investors, and liquidity providers to interact seamlessly and verifiably on-chain.
“Our mission is to democratize access to trading capital, remove intermediaries, and empower traders globally,” said Drnda. “Hyro Protocol isn’t just another product — it’s the infrastructure that will power the decentralized trading economy.”
About HyroTrader
HyroTrader is one of the fastest-growing and most recognized crypto prop trading firms in the world, empowering more than 30,000 traders with performance-based funding and transparent trading conditions. Featured multiple times as the “Best Crypto Prop Firm,” HyroTrader is now building Hyro Protocol — the first decentralized, non-custodial, multi-exchange trading infrastructure on Solana.
Founded by Samuel Drnda in 2020, HyroTrader’s mission is to democratize access to trading capital and build the foundation for the next generation of decentralized prop trading firms.