Meet Georgi, Option Trader at BlockTech

Inside the mind of a BlockTech trader
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At the edge of volatility, where milliseconds matter and pressure is constant, you’ll find Georgi Paskalev—quantitative trader at BlockTech. Originally from Bulgaria, Georgi’s journey into the world of trading started early. As a student in a mathematics-focused high school, he competed in international math competitions, laying the foundation for what would become a high-stakes career in quantitative finance.


In Germany, he continued his academic career in mathematics at the University of Mannheim, and not long after, landed his first role as an options trader on US treasuries. “I was always interested in finance,” Georgi recalls, “but what really pulled me toward trading was the pace. Things happen fast. There’s no time for endless deliberation—you need to think clearly and act quickly.” That taste for intensity eventually led him to BlockTech.


Georgi joined the company in 2024. “It all happened incredibly fast,” he says. “From the first interview to my first day at work, it took less than two weeks.” The speed of that onboarding foreshadowed the rhythm of the job itself: rapid decision-making, instant feedback loops, and continuous adaptation.

“We’re the end users of everyone else’s work. Our job is to put their tools to the test in real conditions, and if something doesn’t hold, we give that feedback directly. It’s a cycle of mutual trust.”

Trading at BlockTech: where the action happens

As a trader at BlockTech, you’re not just watching the market—you’re living it. “The job varies wildly depending on market conditions,” Georgi explains. “During quiet weeks, we focus on improving systems, collaborating with engineers and quants, and preparing for what’s next. But in volatile moments, all of that groundwork is put to the test.”


It’s in those high-pressure periods that the role truly comes alive. “You're constantly making split-second decisions; should I go for this trade or not? Are we seeing something the market is missing? And all the while, you’re stress-testing the systems we’ve built, evaluating the performance of the models, the speed of execution, everything.”


These bursts of chaos are punctuated by periods of calm, but the underlying rhythm is never still. “We gather feedback from each intense period, improve our tools, and gear up for the next one,” Georgi says. “It’s a constant proces of learning and refining.”

“If you’re the smartest one in the room, then you’re probably in the wrong room.”

A culture that empowers

What drew Georgi to BlockTech wasn’t just the adrenaline—it was the culture. “There’s very little hierarchy here,” he says. “If you have a good idea, it can be implemented tomorrow. There’s no red tape, no politics, just a shared drive to build and improve.”


That culture of autonomy and collaboration is central to what makes BlockTech different. Traders don’t work in silos. They’re in constant communication with engineers, quants, and even teams like Legal and Finance when needed. “We’re the end users of everyone else’s work,” Georgi explains. “Our job is to put their tools to the test in real conditions, and if something doesn’t hold, we give that feedback directly. It’s a cycle of mutual trust.”


There’s also a strong engineering backbone to the trading process. Rather than relying solely on human discretion, BlockTech is relentlessly focused on automation. “If you find yourself making the same decision over and over again, it probably means it’s time to automate it,” Georgi says. “One of our end goals is to automate the manual trader out of the job—and then build new, more complex challenges on top of that.”
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Trading as a team sport

Despite the individual responsibility that comes with making tough calls under pressure, Georgi is quick to emphasize the team dynamic. “Of course we disagree sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment. But it’s never personal. We all want the same thing: to win as a team.”


He smiles as he shares one such moment: “There was a situation a few months ago involving rising tensions and a possible trade war. Over the weekend, things started escalating. Some of us saw an opportunity and wanted to go aggressively against the market. Not everyone agreed. But in the end, we took the risk—and it paid off.”


It’s in these moments of uncertainty that BlockTech’s culture really shines. “You need to be able to stomach stress,” Georgi says. “But you also need to trust your team. The worst thing you can do in this job is try to go at it alone.”
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A humble lesson in growth

Georgi’s humility is as striking as his intellect. When asked what kind of background makes a good trader, he doesn’t boast about his math credentials. “It’s not really about having the perfect academic profile,” he says. “We’ve seen great traders come from physics, computer science, even chemical engineering. What matters most is critical thinking—being able to connect the dots, especially under pressure.”


In many ways, his philosophy is captured by a quote he lives by: “If you’re the smartest one in the room, then you’re probably in the wrong room.”


At BlockTech, Georgi has found a room full of people who challenge, support, and elevate each other. It’s not about being the best on paper—it’s about building something smarter together.

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