Robinhood, the investment app best known for revolutionizing retail trading, has a new goal, dominating the prediction markets. With over 9 billion contracts already traded in its prediction market segment since its launch in 2024, Robinhood is setting its sights even higher by introducing a brand-new futures and derivatives exchange. But what does this mean for budding entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers operating in fast-paced, innovation-driven environments? Let’s explore why this move is significant and how it creates ripples beyond the financial sector.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Care About Robinhood’s New Strategy
As entrepreneurship grows increasingly intertwined with technology, markets like Robinhood's can offer profound inspiration, and perhaps even actionable business lessons. Prediction markets are not simply about betting on possible outcomes; they represent a larger trend toward quantifiable insights, gamification, and risk assessment, areas that are as crucial for founders as they are for investors.
Furthermore, Robinhood's focus on creating a regulated derivatives and futures exchange using partnerships and strategic acquisitions opens new opportunities for smaller players to step into what has traditionally been considered the domain of institutional colossi.
For Violetta Bonenkamp, a serial entrepreneur from Europe and a pioneer in gamepreneurship, this announcement reflects a broader entrepreneurial reality: disruptive innovation combined with data-driven decision-making is no longer optional, it's essential. As she often says, "The line between regulated fintech and the gamification of industries has blurred, opening doors for startups to get creative without losing sight of compliance."
What Robinhood’s New Venture Entails
1. Key Players and Partnerships
Robinhood has teamed up with Susquehanna International Group to spearhead its new exchange, a joint venture where Robinhood will act as the controlling partner while Susquehanna serves as the day-one liquidity provider. The foundation is further fortified by a significant acquisition of MIAXdx, a well-respected derivatives clearinghouse previously known as LedgerX. For those who recall the ripple effects caused by the collapse of FTX, it’s noteworthy that MIAXdx, owned by Miami International Holdings, emerged from the ashes of the failed crypto giant.
For a deeper dive into Robinhood and its partnerships, check out the details in a Finextra article on Robinhood’s new strategy.
2. Scalability Through Acquisition
Robinhood’s decision to acquire a 90% stake in MIAXdx reflects its roadmap for scalability. However, this isn’t just an intuitive growth tactic; it’s a calculated move. A regulated CFTC license enables Robinhood to bypass potential years of red tape while securing a reputation for adhering to the highest standards in derivatives trading. Miami International Holdings will retain a 10% minority stake, showcasing the value of hybrid ownership models in large-scale fintech collaborations.
3. Market Insight and Statistics
So far, Robinhood's prediction market has been one of its fastest-growing offerings. Statistics show:
- Over 1 million customers have engaged in predictions trading.
- A staggering 9 billion contracts were executed in just the first year (2024-2025).
- The prediction market business stands as proof of Robinhood’s ability to explore, and conquer, new customer segments quickly.
This explosive growth is driven by parallel trends in event-based forecasting markets, which are currently valued at $9 billion globally.
How Startup Founders Can Ride This Wave
As business owners and solopreneurs consider the implications of Robinhood’s move, here’s a practical guide for leveraging the lessons from this landmark expansion:
Step 1. Incorporate Gamification in Offerings
Prediction markets are essentially gamified versions of investing. Gamification works because it taps into fundamental human psychology, a lesson companies of any size can apply. For inspiration, explore how you can integrate competition, incentives, or dynamic scoring into your product, bringing customer engagement to the forefront.
Step 2. Think Long-Term Infrastructure
Robinhood isn’t betting, it’s investing in sustainable infrastructure like its joint venture with Susquehanna and MIAXdx’s legal framework. Entrepreneurs should emulate this by creating customer-centric systems built to scale across international markets and regulations. RegTech tools might come in handy for this.
Common Mistakes in Strategy to Avoid
- Underestimating Compliance Costs: Many startups fail to evaluate the total cost of meeting regulatory standards. Robinhood has navigated this effectively by embedding robustness into its core operations.
- Ignoring Partnerships: Startups often overlook the value of partnerships. Robinhood embraced a collaborative joint venture with a well-established player, and entrepreneurs can scale faster by adopting a similar approach.
- Failing to Create Customer-Centric Tools: The enormous demand in Robinhood’s prediction markets segment shows the importance of meeting user interests head-on through robust tools designed for ease.
The Entrepreneurial Takeaway
Violetta Bonenkamp sees Robinhood’s strategy as a case study in leveraging momentum, an invaluable lesson for startups worldwide. Businesses growing at lightning speed often feel the need to expand linearly, but Robinhood demonstrates that maintaining an eye for innovative pivots, M&A, and securing critical regulatory licenses can supercharge growth.
For entrepreneurs focused on innovating within compliance-heavy industries, this represents a promising case of how traditional regulatory frameworks can still align with bold, forward-looking business models. More importantly, it signals how prediction markets are pushing boundaries, paving the way for entrepreneurial gamification, behavioral economics, and AI-enhanced decision-making tools.
Want to know more about how prediction markets are evolving in finance? Explore the article on how Robinhood's joint venture increases innovation opportunities.
Conclusion
Robinhood’s double-down on prediction markets tells us much about 2025’s fintech and beyond: disruption, collaboration, and agility are indispensable. Entrepreneurs have a golden opportunity to draw insights, not just from how Robinhood is scaling new heights but from the gaps still open in their strategy.
The bottom line? The future isn't just about making the right predictions; it’s about building agile, scalable, innovation-driven infrastructures around those forecasts. Let Robinhood be the model, but stay creative and true to your own vision in forging your path forward. Because, as Violetta likes to remind gamepreneurs, "Disruption isn’t a strategy; it’s a result of being consistently bold."
FAQ
1. What is Robinhood's new venture in prediction markets?
Robinhood is launching a regulated futures and derivatives exchange and clearinghouse, expanding its presence in prediction markets. This new exchange will operate as part of a joint venture, with Susquehanna International Group as the initial liquidity provider. Learn more about Robinhood's prediction market venture
2. When will Robinhood's new derivatives exchange begin operations?
Robinhood's new derivatives and futures exchange is planned to commence operations in early 2026 following regulatory approvals and the acquisition of a 90% stake in MIAXdx. Find details about Robinhood’s Exchange Launch
3. Why is Robinhood acquiring a stake in MIAXdx?
Acquiring MIAXdx, a CFTC-licensed derivatives clearinghouse, enables Robinhood to quickly enter the derivatives trading space with a strong regulatory framework and avoid lengthy licensing processes. Miami International Holdings will retain a 10% stake in MIAXdx. Check out details on Robinhood acquiring MIAXdx
4. How big is the prediction market globally?
As of now, the global prediction markets are valued at approximately $9 billion, and Robinhood's new venture aims to capture a significant share of this growing sector.
5. How successful has Robinhood's prediction market segment been so far?
Robinhood’s prediction market is its fastest-growing product line. In its first year (2024-2025), over 9 billion contracts were traded by more than 1 million customers. Read more about Robinhood's prediction market growth
6. What partnerships has Robinhood formed for its prediction markets expansion?
Robinhood has partnered with Susquehanna International Group as its market maker and day-one liquidity provider for the new exchange. This partnership strengthens its position in the prediction markets space. Explore Robinhood’s partnership with Susquehanna International Group
7. What role does the MIAXdx acquisition play for Robinhood?
The MIAXdx acquisition provides Robinhood with a crucial CFTC license, a necessary legal requirement for operating a derivatives exchange. This enables Robinhood to launch and scale its exchange more rapidly. Learn more about Robinhood acquiring MIAXdx from Reuters
8. What makes prediction markets appealing for entrepreneurs?
Prediction markets represent the intersection of innovation, accessible trading, and gamification, offering lessons in customer engagement, data-driven decision-making, and opportunities for startups to attract new users.
9. What lessons can startups learn from Robinhood’s strategy?
Startups can take inspiration from Robinhood's focus on scalable, robust infrastructure and its strategy of leveraging partnerships, pursuing acquisitions, and adhering to regulatory requirements to expand rapidly. Explore Robinhood's strategic execution
10. How does Robinhood’s move reflect broader fintech trends?
Robinhood’s venture into regulated derivatives markets reflects the broader fintech trend of providing retail investors with access to complex financial products, historically dominated by institutional players. Discover insight into Robinhood’s fintech strategies
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
