Elastics, a Warsaw-based builder of AI agents and an AI-native operating system for prediction markets, has raised $2M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Frst. The platform enables individual traders, hedge funds, and institutions to automate research, trading workflows, execution, and portfolio management across platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi using natural language interfaces and non-custodial, low-latency execution. The funds will support hiring AI and quantitative talent and further platform development.
Volumes Surge Past $25B Monthly
The funding lands amid explosive growth in prediction markets, where monthly trading volumes reached $25.7B in March 2026, reflecting 10.6% month-over-month gains. Platforms like Polymarket (valued at $15B) and Kalshi ($22B valuation) dominate the space. Elastics positions itself as an overlay AI layer, automating what manual traders can no longer match in this algorithmic era.
AI Bots Dominate Manual Traders
As AI-driven automation spreads across financial markets, manual trading grows increasingly challenging for retail and even professional users. Prediction markets on politics, sports, and crypto events now demand constant monitoring and rapid execution, with volumes up 340% year-over-year to $2.1B in 2024. Traditional interfaces with order tickets fail to keep pace, while resolution disputes cost the industry hundreds of millions annually. Hedge funds rely on expensive quant teams and infrastructure that AI can now replicate at scale.
Natural Language Replaces Order Tickets
Elastics introduces 'Trade with Words,' a conversational interface that lets users direct AI agents for market discovery, signal extraction, position sizing, and execution without coding. The Elastics OS provides a unified account layer across siloed platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, maintaining full user control of funds. Modules handle data transformation and risk management, delivering institutional-grade tools to individuals.
As Elastics CEO Szymon Pawica noted:
"The quant edge at hedge funds comes down to people and infrastructure. We think AI can now replicate most of that."
Frst Leads AI-Fintech Pre-Seed
Frst, a European VC specializing in day-one bets on AI and fintech founders, led the round with participation from angels including ElevenLabs co-founders Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dąbkowski (ex-XBTO), RedStone's Marcin Kaźmierczak, and an a16z scout. This investor mix signals conviction in AI agents for emerging asset classes like prediction markets. Frst's portfolio includes AI successes like Poolside and Attention, aligning with Elastics' agentic approach.
$1T Projection Fuels Tooling Boom
Prediction markets are projected to reach $240B in 2026 trading volumes, expanding to $1T by 2030 at roughly 80% CAGR per Bernstein. Drivers include post-2024 election surges, CFTC regulatory progress, and AI agent dominance in high-volume trading. Elastics capitalizes by bridging crypto-native (Polymarket) and regulated (Kalshi) venues non-custodially.
Ex-Goldman Team Builds Quant Edge
CEO Szymon Pawica brings experience from Goldman Sachs and NYU Stern, while CQO Mateusz Brodowicz is a quant mathematician and former SIAM contributor. CTO Wojciech Kulma hails from CERN, and general counsel Jan Czarnocki held roles at ElevenLabs. The team has secured a pilot with Everhaven Securities and hosted events featuring Prof. Robin Hanson.
Kalshi Partnership Drives Growth
With private beta underway, Elastics plans targeted hires in AI and quants, leveraging its Kalshi Builders Program partnership for institutional execution. Funds enable expansion beyond core prediction markets, targeting U.S. priorities amid regulatory tailwinds.