A practical framework for researchers and small teams to build verifiable performance history through transparent deployment on third-party platforms — before raising outside capital or selling signals.
Headline points
- Third-party verification builds credibility faster than self-reported returns
- Paper-trade at least six months before risking meaningful capital
- Document every strategy change with a dated changelog
Why verification beats screenshots
Allocators and peers discount self-hosted equity curves. A live or paper track on a platform that timestamps trades (for example QuantConnect) lets others reproduce your process without trusting a PNG.
Start with one strategy, one market, and one clear rule set. Breadth without a verifiable spine looks like marketing.
A minimum viable track record
1) Freeze the strategy specification (entry, exit, sizing, costs).
2) Run a paper or sim account for at least six months with realistic spreads and slippage.
3) Publish a changelog: every parameter change gets a date and a reason.
4) Separate backtest metrics from live/paper metrics — never blend them in one chart without labels.
5) Link the public verification URL from your site; do not paste “illustrative” curves next to the word verified.
What we publish here
Smart Algo STS lists research as published only when a real notebook, PDF, or dataset is attached. Items without files sit in the pipeline — not for sale, and without fabricated charts or numeric claims.
When a notebook ships, it will include method, data sources, limitations, and downloadable artifacts. Until then, treat pipeline titles as research questions under investigation.
Limitations
This note is educational methodology, not investment advice and not a promise of returns. Third-party platforms have their own fees, outages, and data quirks — read their terms.
A short honest record is better than a long illustrative one. If our Track Record page has no live feed yet, we say so plainly rather than decorate the gap.
Public text version is live. Jupyter notebook and data files will appear as downloads on this URL when uploaded.