For allocators
How allocation works with High Water Mark
We scout profitable traders, verify their track records privately, and introduce the ones that fit your mandate. You see a short, qualified list, then run your own diligence and set your own terms. We are the introduction layer, not a fund or an adviser.
The process
From mandate-matched shortlist to ongoing monitoring.
Four steps, and you stay in control of every decision that involves your capital.
Shortlist
We surface verified candidates matched to your mandate: strategy, market, volatility budget and capacity. You see a curated few, not a database to wade through.
Introduction
When a candidate fits, we make a direct introduction. You run your own diligence and decide. We don’t sit in the middle of the relationship or the mandate.
Structure
You set the terms: a managed account or SMA, a first-loss arrangement, or an emerging-manager allocation. The structure defines control, downside protection and economics.
Ongoing monitoring
The verified track record keeps updating as the manager trades. You watch performance against the mandate on the same evidence you used to allocate.
Want the longer view on how we source and qualify candidates before you ever see them? Read how we source talent.
Structure
You choose the structure. It sets your downside.
How you allocate matters as much as who you allocate to. The structure decides custody, transparency and, most of all, who absorbs the first loss.
Managed account / SMA
Capital stays in an account you control. The manager trades under a limited power of attorney; you keep custody, transparency and the ability to pull the mandate. Lowest operational friction, full position-level visibility.
First-loss
The manager posts first-loss capital and absorbs the first slice of any drawdown before your capital is touched. Your downside is buffered by the manager’s own money, which aligns incentives and screens for conviction. The deeper the first-loss layer, the more protected your allocation.
Emerging-manager
A seed or early allocation to a manager building toward scale, often with a revenue or equity share in exchange for being early. Heavier diligence, longer horizon, more upside if the manager grows.
Downside protection
First-loss puts the manager’s capital ahead of yours.
In a first-loss arrangement the manager posts their own capital and takes the first slice of any losses before your allocation is touched. If the strategy draws down, the manager’s money is spent first. That structure does two things at once: it buffers your capital, and it filters for managers with the conviction to back themselves.
The size of the first-loss layer is a lever you can set. A deeper layer means more protection for your capital and a higher bar for the manager. We make sure every candidate understands the arrangement before the introduction, so the conversation starts on honest terms.
What we are
An introduction layer, not a manager of your money.
High Water Mark scouts and verifies traders, then introduces the ones that match your mandate. We do not pool capital, take custody, or advise you on what to allocate. We are not a fund, a broker, an investment adviser or a prop firm.
The diligence, the terms and the allocation decision are yours. Our job is to put qualified, mandate-matched candidates in front of you with a verified record you can trust, and to keep that record updating once a manager is live.
See verified talent matched to your mandate.
Request access to the dealflow and we’ll walk you through how candidates are sourced, verified and introduced, on your terms.