Kalshi
Category: AI in Fintech
Kalshi is the first federally regulated exchange in the U.S. that allows users to trade on the anticipated outcomes of real-world events. Kalshi was founded in 2018. The company is led by Tarek Mansour. Based in New York, United States. Team size: 224. Total funding raised: $1.6B total (all rounds). Latest round: Series E ($1B, December 2025). Key investors include Paradigm (Series E lead), Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Meritech Capital, IVP, ARK Invest, Anthos Capital, CapitalG, Y Combinator.
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- New York, United States
- Team size
- 224
- Total funding
- $1.6B total (all rounds)
Value proposition
To allow people to hedge against and capitalize on everyday risks and opinions by trading on a regulated platform, turning future events into a new financial asset class.
Products and solutions
Event Contracts, Prediction Markets, Real-time Event Probability Data
Unique value
Kalshi is unique as it is the first and only Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulated exchange that allows for direct trading on the outcomes of a wide array of real-world events, creating a new, regulated asset class.
Target customer
Both retail and institutional traders who want to hedge risks or speculate on the outcomes of future events.
Industries served
Finance, Politics, Economics, Weather & Climate, Science & Technology, Entertainment & Culture, Media Integration
Technology advantage
Its primary business advantage is its regulatory approval from the CFTC, which provides a legal framework and legitimacy that is difficult for competitors to replicate. This allows them to attract institutional investors and market makers. Technologically, they have built a robust exchange to handle this new type of event-based trading.
How they differentiate
Kalshi's primary differentiation is its status as the first and only Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulated exchange in the United States. This allows it to offer legal and secure trading on a wide range of event outcomes, from economic indicators to political events. Unlike decentralized competitors like Polymarket, which operates with cryptocurrency, Kalshi uses US dollars and adheres to strict regulatory standards. PredictIt, another competitor, operates under a no-action letter from the CFTC and is primarily focused on political events, while Kalshi offers a broader range of markets.
Main competitors
Polymarket, PredictIt, Smarkets
Key partnerships
xAI (Elon Musk's AI company) to integrate the Grok AI model for analyzing real-world events, Susquehanna International Group as its first dedicated institutional market maker to provide liquidity, Robinhood to offer versions of sports prediction markets, Solana and Base to launch an ecosystem hub for developers to build on Kalshi's platform, Verso and Kalshinomics as early collaborators building analytics and trading tools on the Kalshi platform, CNN (exclusive partnership for prediction market data integration), CNBC (multi-year exclusive partnership for real-time prediction data across TV, digital, and subscription channels), Coinbase (upcoming partnership to power prediction markets)
Notable customers
CNN (media partner), CNBC (media partner), Coinbase (upcoming partner)
Major milestones
Became the first CFTC regulated exchange for event contracts, Successfully raised over $1.6 billion in funding, reaching a valuation of $11 billion, Expanded its services to over 140 countries, Surpassed $1 billion in weekly trading volume, A federal appeals court lifted a temporary freeze on trading election markets, allowing Kalshi to offer these products, Launched partnerships with CNN and CNBC for prediction data integration, Formed national alliance of prediction market operators with major financial platforms
Growth metrics
Surpassing $1 billion in weekly trading volume, representing >1,000% growth vs 2024. Millions of users accessing Kalshi weekly. Over 3,500 markets live on the platform.
Market positioning
Kalshi is positioned as a regulated and mainstream financial exchange for event contracts. It aims to attract a broad audience by offering a secure and transparent platform for trading on the outcomes of real-world events. Its regulatory approval gives it a significant advantage in the US market, positioning it as a more legitimate and trustworthy alternative to unregulated or decentralized prediction markets.
Geographic focus
Kalshi's primary geographic focus is the United States. While it has recently expanded its services to over 140 countries, its core market and regulatory framework are centered in the US. Its main competitors, Polymarket and PredictIt, also have a significant presence in the US, but Polymarket's decentralized nature gives it a more global reach.
Patents and IP
Information on specific patents or IP is not publicly available.
About Tarek Mansour
Co-Founder & CEO at Kalshi, previously a Quantitative Trader at Citadel and a Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir Technologies.
Official website: https://kalshi.com