Quantitative Trading: A First Look with QuantConnect and Python

Welcome to our next Python Meetup! Whether you're a seasoned developer or just beginning your Python journey, this event is designed to help you dive deeper into the language, meet fellow enthusiasts, and share insights. We’ve lined up an exciting main technical talk that will showcase innovative ideas in Python, followed by lightning talks where community members present quick, interesting projects or tips. It’s a great opportunity to learn, network, and collaborate.

Feel free to grab some refreshments, get comfortable, and get ready for an engaging evening of Python!

Date: 17 February, 2026
Time: 6pm-8pm
Location: Improving, 10111 Richmond Ave. # 100, Houston, TX 77042

### Welcome and Networking

• Time: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
• Description: Attendees check in, grab refreshments, and network with fellow Python enthusiasts.

### Opening Remarks

• Time: 6:30 PM – 6:40 PM
• Speaker: Dillon Niederhut
• Description: Brief introduction to the event, agenda rundown, and announcements.

### Main Technical Talk

• Time: 6:40 PM – 7:20 PM
• Title: Quantitative Trading: A First Look with QuantConnect and Python
• Speaker: Ankit Babber
• Description: Quantitative trading uses data, statistics, and automation to conduct trades. Advances in software and data availability have made quantitative trading more accessible to individual traders and small firms. QuantConnect is a semi open source platform designed specifically for quantitative trading. In this talk, we will use QuantConnect and Python to introduce core quantitative trading concepts and provide a brief demonstration of key platform features.
• Bio: Ankit Babber is a software engineer and quantitative trader with experience in blockchain based financial systems. He previously worked at FARE Protocol, where he helped launch a probabilities protocol for on chain gambling. His work at FARE Protocol sparked a deeper interest in systematic data driven trading. Ankit focuses on building robust trading systems and researching quantitative trading strategies. He actively explores emerging technologies like generative AI to improve research efficiency and trading performance.

### Lightning Talks

• Time: 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
• Description: 5-minute talks on various Python-related topics. Lightning talks are meant to be quick and informal, showcasing small projects, tools, or quick tips. Lightning talk sign-ups are at the event!
• Format: Each speaker has 4 minutes to present, followed by 1 minute for questions.