Only recruiting math geniuses, 30 people capture 30% of the European electricity trading market! How did this quantitative company achieve it?

```

If you walk into Second Foundation’s headquarters in Prague, you might think you’ve stumbled into a sci-fi fan club or a training camp for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

There’s none of the usual hustle and bustle of a traditional trading floor or ringing telephones here—just the sound of keyboards clicking. Yet it is this very company, made up of math geniuses obsessed with puzzle games, that has risen to dominance in just five years to reign over Europe’s most unpredictable power trading markets.

When Science Fiction Becomes Reality: This is a “Second Foundation”

Second Foundation takes its name from the third book of Isaac Asimov’s classic “Foundation” series.

In Asimov’s world, the smartest scientists gather on “Terminus,” while a secret organization called the “Second Foundation” is led by the powerful “First Speaker,” manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

This real-life company has perfectly replicated the novel’s setup. Every new hire receives a copy of “Foundation”; the meeting rooms are named “Terminus”; and co-founder and CEO Vojtech Kacena is even playfully referred to as the “First Speaker” within the company.

But it’s more than just geek romance—it’s the core of their corporate culture. Kacena frankly says they are seeking “prodigies” forged by the analytical challenges of the International Mathematical Olympiad. He proudly claims that Second Foundation has more Eastern European Olympiad gold medalists than legendary quant giants Citadel and Jane Street combined.

“We’ve hired a lot of talented but sometimes a bit lost people,” says Kacena. “We need to give them a purpose.”

At this company, team-building events aren’t about drinking or dining out, but all-night puzzle competitions—a group sprinting through Prague’s streets with headlamps cracking codes. Even Monday mornings begin with the team tackling math problems discovered over the weekend together.

30 Traders Move 30% of Europe’s Market

If you think this is just mathematicians self-indulging, you’re gravely mistaken.

In five years, Second Foundation has expanded operations to 28 markets, handling nearly 30% of Europe’s short-term power market trade volume. In 2024, the company posted 110 million euros in net profit and expects to reach 150 million euros in 2025, boasting an annual compound growth rate of 30% to 50%.

The secret to such stunning performance? They have completely upended traditional trading models.

As renewable energy surges, Europe’s power market has become extremely volatile. Wind and solar fluctuations can send power prices soaring to 1,000 euros per megawatt-hour in an instant, or drop to negative values just as quickly. In this battlefield where advantages are measured in milliseconds, human response time simply can’t keep up—algorithms are king.

Unlike traditional commodity trading firms built around traders, Second Foundation calls itself a “tech company.”

Of the company’s 420 staff, only 30 are traders. Who makes up the rest? 100 data analysts, and 150 software developers.

“We don’t need those superstar traders who call the shots,” Kacena says. “We win with technology.”

To predict short-term power prices, their algorithms analyze millions of real-time data points—including wind speed, cloud coverage, satellite imagery, and grid flow. Whoever has the best data, most robust models, and fastest execution wins.

Battling Volatility with “Three Body”: The Core Weapon “Sophon”

Second Foundation’s core weapon is a low-latency trading software called “Sophon.”

This name is familiar to readers—it’s a tribute to Liu Cixin’s sci-fi epic “The Three-Body Problem.” In that fictional world, “Sophon” is an all-powerful supercomputer. At Second Foundation, the system of the same name is their crown jewel.

This system was developed by Kacena’s two co-founders, Jaromir Satanek and Petr Postulka. Previously, they built algo trading platforms for hedge funds and banks, but were persuaded by Kacena: “Instead of selling the system to others, why not use it ourselves?”

To maintain this technical edge, their recruitment is distinctly geeky. Last November, the company held a sci-fi-themed 24-hour hacker marathon, requiring candidates to architect high-performance backend trading systems for a fictional “universe energy infrastructure.”

This really works. Patrick Reynolds, founder of headhunter NordSearch, commented: “We are witnessing a new era in short-term power trading. Algorithm-driven strategies are changing hiring practices—quantitative experts are gradually replacing traditional fundamental traders.”

Ambitions Beyond This: From Batteries to Nuclear Power Plants, Then to Stock Markets

Having secured a foothold in the European power market, and breaking into the top three in the US, these mathematical geniuses have even greater ambitions.

The company’s next big move is entering the battery storage field, planning to deploy up to 5 gigawatts of projects in Germany, Japan, Romania, and Finland. Kacena even has a “crazy dream”—to own a nuclear power plant.

More intriguingly, while most hedge funds develop stock market algorithms first before expanding into energy, Second Foundation wants to reverse the order.

“To me, the stock market is like the Champions League (the highest competitive arena),” Kacena admits. Although currently still accumulating capital and data, he does not hide his intention to enter stock trading in the future.

But for now, this group of Asimov-worshipping, “Three Body” obsessed mathematicians remains Europe’s most formidable hidden giant. Through code, they prove: In this fast-changing era, as long as you can calculate fast enough, you can master your own “Foundation.”

Risk Warning and DisclaimerMarkets have risks; investments require caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the special investment objectives, financial circumstances, or needs of individual users. Users should determine whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are appropriate for their specific situation. Invest accordingly, at your own risk. ```