Brett Simba: From Crypto Trader to Tradeify CEO — The Story Behind $100M in Trader Payouts

Brett Simba didn't set out to build a prop firm. He set out to trade crypto during the 2016-2017 boom, make some money, and figure out what worked. What he discovered along the way was something bigger — an entire industry that needed fixing, and a business model that could actually do it.

Today, Tradeify has paid out over $100 million to traders, maintains a 4.8 Trustpilot rating with thousands of reviews, and stands as one of the most talked-about futures prop firms in 2025. But the journey from retail trader to CEO wasn't linear. It was messy, instructive, and built on lessons that only come from trading your own capital and watching it disappear.

The Early Days: Trading Through the 2016-2017 Crypto Boom

Brett Simberkoff (known publicly as Brett Simba) started trading seriously during the 2016-2017 cryptocurrency explosion. This was before institutional crypto, before Bitcoin ETFs, before everyone and their grandmother had an opinion on Ethereum. It was the Wild West — high volatility, massive swings, and enough opportunity to either make a fortune or blow up spectacularly.

Brett did both.

He learned technical analysis, risk management, and position sizing the hard way — by losing money, adjusting, and trying again. The crypto markets taught him something critical: edge doesn't come from picking the right coin or timing the top. It comes from managing risk better than the next person and staying in the game long enough to compound.

By 2017, Brett had built a following on social media sharing his trades, setups, and market analysis. People wanted to learn. They wanted access to someone who was actually trading, not just selling courses about trading. That's when he realized he could build something scalable.

Building Simba Stocks: The Trading Community That Started It All

In 2017, Brett launched Simba Stocks — one of the first Discord-based trading communities focused on day trading and swing trading strategies. The concept was simple: real traders sharing real setups in real-time, with education woven throughout.

Simba Stocks grew fast. Members weren't just getting trade alerts. They were learning how to read charts, manage position sizing, and develop their own edge. Brett ran live trading workshops in Miami and Los Angeles, teaching everything from scalping techniques to multi-week swing trades. The community became known for its family-like atmosphere and Brett's hands-on approach to mentoring traders.

But Brett saw a problem. A trading community could teach edge, but it couldn't solve the capital problem. Most retail traders were undercapitalized. They'd learn the right strategies, execute well, and still struggle to scale because they were trading $1,000 or $5,000 accounts. The math didn't work.

That's when prop firm funding entered the picture. If traders could access $50K, $100K, or $150K in capital after proving themselves, the game changed. Suddenly, skill mattered more than account size. And Brett realized he could build something that bridged the gap.

The Transition to Tradeify: Why Brett Delayed the Launch

Brett didn't rush into launching Tradeify. While other prop firms were racing to market in 2022, Brett took his time. He studied the competition. He interviewed traders about what frustrated them. He identified the pain points that were costing firms credibility and traders money.

What he found:

• Payout delays were killing trust. Traders were waiting 7-14 days (or longer) for withdrawals, turning profits into anxiety.
• Activation fees added friction. $85 to $149 just to activate a funded account felt punitive.
• Multi-step evaluations were overkill. Two-phase challenges dragged out the process without adding real value.
• Complexity killed conversion. Rules were so convoluted that traders failed for technicalities, not lack of skill.

Brett wanted Tradeify to be different. Not just on marketing, but structurally. So he delayed the launch, refined the model, and built something that prioritized trader experience over short-term revenue.

Tradeify officially launched in 2022 with a clear mission: make funding accessible, payouts fast, and rules transparent. No gimmicks. No hidden fees. Just a clean path from evaluation to funded trading.

The Tradeify Philosophy: Speed, Transparency, and Trader-First Design

Brett's approach to running Tradeify is shaped by his trading background. He knows what it feels like to pass an evaluation and then wait two weeks for your first payout. He knows what it's like to fail a challenge because of a rule you didn't fully understand. And he knows how frustrating it is when support doesn't respond for 72 hours.

So Tradeify was built around solving those exact problems:

100% on the First $15KTradeify's profit split structure gives traders 100% of their first $15,000 in payouts, then 90/10 thereafter. This isn't just generous — it's strategic. It incentivizes traders to get funded, prove themselves, and scale quickly.

Same-Day PayoutsTradeify processes payouts the same day for balances above $500 after the first 30 days. No waiting. No bureaucracy. Just fast access to the money you earned.

Lightning Funded OptionTradeify introduced the Lightning Funded program — instant funding with no evaluation required. You pay a higher upfront fee, skip the challenge, and start trading immediately. This was a breakthrough for experienced traders who didn't want to jump through hoops.

Exclusive Futures FocusUnlike firms that spread across forex, crypto, and stocks, Tradeify focuses exclusively on CME futures contracts (ES, NQ, YM, CL, GC). This specialization allows for cleaner rules, better execution, and authentic order flow.

Crisis Management and Transparency

In late 2024, Tradeify faced a major platform issue that tested Brett's crisis management skills. Instead of hiding the problem or deflecting blame, Brett addressed it head-on. He communicated transparently with traders, streamlined support processes, and implemented fixes quickly.

This kind of responsiveness is rare in the prop firm space. Most firms go silent during crises. Brett doubled down on communication, ran town halls, and explained what went wrong and how Tradeify was fixing it.

It's this level of transparency that's built Tradeify's reputation. Traders don't expect perfection. They expect honesty. And Brett delivers.

From Personal Brand to Scalable Business

One of Brett's smartest moves was transitioning Tradeify from a personal brand to a faceless, scalable operation. Unlike firms tied to a single personality (which create founder risk), Tradeify operates independently of Brett's public persona. The brand stands on its own.

This was intentional. Brett saw what happened to firms that were too dependent on their founder's image. When the founder stepped back or faced controversy, the firm suffered. By building Tradeify as a professional operation with systems, automation, and a team, Brett ensured long-term sustainability.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Since launching in 2022, Tradeify has:

• Paid out over $100 million to traders worldwide
• Maintained a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating from thousands of reviews
• Built a community of 83,000+ followers across social platforms
• Launched multiple innovative funding models (Growth, Select, Lightning Funded)

These aren't vanity metrics. They're proof that the model works.

What's Next for Brett and Tradeify

Brett's focus in 2025 is on automation, scaling, and strengthening Tradeify's position in the futures prop firm space. He's expanding the team, refining payout processes, and continuing to innovate with new account types and funding models.

But the core philosophy hasn't changed: build a prop firm that treats traders the way Brett would want to be treated if he were trading someone else's capital.

Because Brett Simba isn't just a CEO. He's a trader who's been in the trenches, blown up accounts, rebuilt, and learned what actually works. And he's using that knowledge to create something better for the next generation of futures traders.

Over 9 years in the markets. From crypto boom to prop firm CEO. From Simba Stocks to $100M in trader payouts. Brett Simba built Tradeify to solve real problems, not chase hype. And it's working.

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