Catalyst offers trading challenges for prediction markets. Choose a challenge from $10, trade live Polymarket events in a simulated account, and reach your profit target without hitting your max loss to earn a cash payout of up to $3,000. Every challenge shows its profit target, payout and rules before you pay. The most you can lose is your entry fee. No profit split and no minimum trading days. Your payout lands in your Catalyst wallet the moment you pass.
Catalyst (tradecatalyst.com) has 15 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 2.9 out of 5.
Also known as
tradecatalyst.com
Website
tradecatalyst.com
Category
Investments & Wealth
Location
Dover, Delaware
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 33% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: August 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Their support service is highly unprofessional and unable to accept criticism.
Getting kicked out of the Discord server simply for asking about the requirements for a challenge account shows just how unprofessional your service is.
What is the point of your support service? You are supposed to answer members' questions, not just kick them out at a whim.
I am certain no one would want to join your company given this kind of service; you deserve a 1-star rating—or a 0-star rating, if that were even an option.
You consistently ignore questions from the community; how do you expect to attract investors?
Thank you, Trustpilot, for allowing me to voice my opinion here so everyone knows the current state of Catalyst. If they are in the right, why don't they reply to comments on Trustpilot? Are they afraid their lies will be exposed?
If the team or the CEO/management is truly transparent and has nothing to hide, please reply to this review publicly right here.
RO
Robert
Real-Life Experiences Regarding Corporate Lack of Transparency
Real Experience Regarding Lack of Transparency and Neglect of Catalyst Contest Winners
Now I am writing a review on Trustpilot because Catalyst has not replied to my emails. I initially chose to remain silent in hopes of good faith, but there has been no response or accountability. Waiting has proven to be more exhausting than speaking up.
I am sharing my actual experience here, and I invite everyone to judge for themselves.
I was introduced to Catalyst by a friend, which led me to look into Catalyst on Twitter. It was true that Catalyst was hosting a free demo contest posted on their official Twitter account on 08/07/2026.
I noticed on Catalyst's official Twitter page that there were 6 username changes, which made me hesitant to join. However, my friend advised me not to buy a challenge account right away and to participate in the free prediction contest using a demo balance first.
The rules for participating in the contest were as follows:
CATALYST WORLD CUP 2026
1. Free to enter. One entry per email.
2. Pick one side per match, only one side.
3. Win a pick and you double your stake. Lose it and you lose your stake.
4. Picks are final once you submit them.
5. Each match closes 1 minute before kickoff.
6. Join late anytime. You can still pick future matches.
7. Picks settle on the result at the end of regulation, 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties don't count, so a draw can win.
After participating in the demo contest, the system was straightforward: pick which team wins, loses, or draws. We were provided with an initial free balance of $25,000 without any deposit requirement. We were free to place bets with maximum limits per round:
* Quarterfinal: Max $2,000 Per Match (Bet $2,000 | Win +$2,000)
* Semifinal: Max $3,000 Per Match (Bet $3,000 | Win +$6,677)
* 3rd Place: Max $3.000 Per Match (Bet $3,000 | Win +$9,240)
* Final: Max $3,000 Per Match (Bet $3,000 | Win +$8.769)
* Bonus The Final Score: $25,000
For example, in the Quarterfinal between Norway VS England, I chose England and placed the maximum bet of $2,000. Correct predictions yielded +$2,000, while incorrect ones resulted in -$2,000.
In the Final round (Argentina VS Spain), alongside the regular maximum bet of $3,000, there was a $25,000 bonus for predicting the exact score. A correct score prediction (e.g., Spain 1 - 0 Argentina) awarded a $25,000 bonus. If the score prediction was incorrect but the selected team won, the main bet was still settled as a win. The contest format was a combination of Survival + Balance Race.
Eventually, the demo contest concluded, and Founder & CEO of Catalyst (Melissa Footlick) made an official announcement on Discord:
"All cash prizes winners have been contacted and we'll be reaching out to challenge winners tomorrow. thank you for your patience!" (Melissa Footlick - 07/21/2026)
Indeed, on 22/07/2026 I received an official email from Melissa Footlick (sent on 21/07/2026 at 04:37) stating that I won the Catalyst World Cup. To claim my prize, I was instructed to reply to the email with my personal details (name, phone number, etc.) to be added to the Dots system.
The email also encouraged joining Catalyst and leaving a brief review on Trustpilot to help other traders discover Catalyst. Therefore, I am now writing this review based on my genuine experience so other traders can read and understand the situation.
My confidence was further strengthened by a statement from Catalyst's Head of Growth & Moderator (Michael):
"I believe everyone should have already been contacted" (Michael - 07/22/2026)
This was followed by an announcement from Melissa Footlick:
"the email for challenge winners will be sent in the next 20 min" (Melissa Footlick - 07/22/2026)
Based on these facts, on 23/07/2026 I replied to Melissa Footlick's email with my details. However, to this day (August 25, 2026), there has been no reply or follow-up from Catalyst. Upon further investigation, I found numerous similar complaints on Trustpilot, which prompted me to share my voice as well.
I am deeply disappointed by the lack of transparency from this company. Following the winner announcement on 21/07/2026, the website became completely inaccessible. Here are the concrete facts observed:
1. The Catalyst World Cup Win website suddenly became inaccessible / shut down / removed.
2. The Legends Cup Prediction website suddenly became inaccessible / shut down / removed.
3. No official announcement of winners on the website or Twitter/X (only text notifications on Discord).
4. Ignoring communication / no responses to official emails.
5. Community suppression & unilateral actions (Censorship).
6. A history of repeated Twitter/X username changes.
7. Indications of stalling tactics (Stalling Strategy).
BA
Badol
Thank You Catalyst For The "Fun" $15,000 Prize... That I Never Got
Good afternoon everyone,
This is a personal experience of mine that is extremely improper to follow, and I feel compelled to reveal it here so that everyone knows.
I received an official email from Catalyst stating that I had won the Catalyst World Cup competition on July 21, 2026. I was thrilled because I am passionate about football—and beyond just being a football enthusiast, I am also active in market prediction.
My excitement grew even further on July 22, 2026, when I received another email announcing that I had won the Legenda Cup Prediction Competition, earning a free $15,000 Catalyst Challenge balance.
I then gladly completed my KYC verification on July 23, 2026, which was fully approved. I also made sure to register an account with Catalyst to claim the $15,000 challenge account prize, and I expressed my deep gratitude to the Catalyst team.
After that, there was radio silence, which instantly shattered my excitement. I sent an email query on July 29, 2026, asking about the prize. They finally replied on August 3, 2026, claiming that I had violated their rules.
This clearly shows that Catalyst as a company completely lacks deep empathy and plays with the emotions of their winners.
How can a company of this stature officially announce a winner via email, only to accuse them of rule violations weeks later? What kind of system are they running? Is this just a facade to generate hype and make participants happy initially, only to end in disappointment?
My experience feels just like a Hollywood movie plot—thoroughly disappointing. I am certain many others are just as disappointed as I am.
My message to Catalyst: thank you for the superficial prize that brought me joy at first, only to leave me grieving in the end.
I do not accept this at all. After going through all the trouble to participate in the demo competition, my efforts were not valued in the slightest. I hope my personal documents remain secure on your platform. Keep your promises, or many more people will see the true quality of your company!
BU
Busks
No Proof Of Any Winner - I Was Told I Won, Then Disqualified
My personal experience with Catalyst has left me very confused because there is no proof that any winner has actually received a prize.
I tried to search for information but could not find out who the winners were. Now I am starting to believe that maybe the prize does not exist at all. I have not found a single person who claims to have received it. I don't know if it is a privacy issue or what, but there is zero transparency.
Here is what happened to me:
On July 21, 2026, I received an email stating that I had won. After that, I was directed to fill out a form to claim the prize.
Then I was directed to complete KYC.
However, I decided NOT to complete KYC because I was afraid my identity would be misused. I wanted to find out who the previous winners were first.
After searching, I found many comments on Trustpilot from people who also did NOT receive their prize even after completing KYC. In my opinion, this violates the company's own rules.
So my gut feeling was right. I had to find information first before doing KYC. And Trustpilot really helped me a lot to avoid this.
I urge everyone to be careful. Ask for proof of payment to real winners before you give away your personal documents.
TH
Themond
Catalyst Announced Me As Winner, Then Disqualified Me With No Proof
I have noticed that many people here have raised complaints due to the lack of a quick response from the Catalyst team regarding transparent prize distribution.
I am also experiencing the same issue as the friends commenting about unpaid demo contest prizes.
Here is the chronology, which I am sharing here so that the Catalyst team can see it.
I received an official email from the Catalyst team on 21/07/2026 stating that I won the contest, and I then tried to fill out the Google Form to submit my data.
Then, on 23/07/2026, I received an email from the official company, Dots, instructing me to complete my data through KYC.
I completed all of those steps, but strangely, after waiting until 04/08/2026, there was no reply at all from the Catalyst team. I then sent a message to Catalyst asking about the next process.
Here is where my suspicion lies: they immediately replied that my entry was under review and deemed ineligible for the reward, adding that completing the verification would not change the eligibility status and that this decision was final.
My question is, what kind of procedure allows their company to make a valid decision and send an email confirming I am the winner, only to later disqualify a winner without any prior notice? If I hadn't emailed Catalyst, how would I have known that my entry was flagged as a violation?
From this, we can see that their procedures are fabricated to make it look like they have solid rules when, in fact, they do not.
Let this be a lesson for all of us to always be careful when participating in any contest or project with online companies.
We do not know whether a company is legitimate or not, and if our documents are misused, who is to blame?
I am commenting here so that many others know that their procedures violate fair practices, which naturally raises suspicion among many people.
MI
Minham
Catalyst Demo Contest: Winner Disqualified Without Proof After KYC Approval
Dear Catalyst Company,
I have been waiting for news from you for a long time. Since the announcement that I won the football prediction demo contest on Monday, July 21, 2026, until now, Saturday, August 16, 2026, there has been no reply from your support team. Whether your system is outdated or something else, it is completely confusing to me.
I have completed the KYC process as requested and have been waiting for a very long time without any news at all. Your support system is extremely disappointing.
On Saturday, July 25, 2026, I sent a message to your support service. Unfortunately, you replied on Monday, July 27, 2026, alleging that I violated the rules by using multiple accounts.
I then submitted an appeal via email stating that the accusation was false. However, on Monday, August 3, 2026, you replied that it was a final decision, without providing any clear evidence.
Now I understand why you stalled for time with the promise of KYC and the notification that I won the football prediction contest.
If there was indeed a technical error on your network/system side, why did your system instruct me to complete KYC and confirm my win in the first place? This is carelessness on your system's part that has wasted my time and compromised my personal data.
Is my personal data safe from misuse, and what guarantee do I have that my documents are secure?
Your procedure is completely wrong. If it was not proven that I won, why did you send a message stating that I won, requiring me to complete KYC, submit detailed personal information, and perform facial verification?
It sounds absurd that a company of your scale follows procedures that are so unreasonable and improper.
I do not know where else to submit my complaint because my replies to your messages have gone unanswered to this day. Therefore, my final recourse is to express my complaint here so that everyone can read about the true quality of your company, which sets a terrible example.
A company of your scale should have a solid team that carefully verifies winner announcements before issuing them.
Please improve the quality of your company so that you do not cause losses to others in the future and can maintain people's trust.
I hope to see changes in your company moving forward. I expect you to honor my rights by paying out my reward, and I demand accountability regarding my prize and the documents I have submitted.
Thank you.
Update: Saturday, November 26, 2026
I have not yet been paid what I am owed by Catalyst. I am disappointed because they failed to fulfill their payment obligations. I hope everyone reading this message exercises caution.
BO
Botond
Great opportunity for everyone
Great opportunity for everyone, clear rules, fast payouts. Would recommend.
MA
Mardiyan
The contest winner's prize was not paid.
I have a short story to share, friends. If any of you have experienced something similar, please don't hesitate to leave an honest review here so the Catalyst team understands the situation.
On July 8, 2026, I participated in the "Predict the Champion" Demo contest, which offered a real cash prize pool of $20,000.
This was a football prediction contest where we guessed which country would win by placing prediction bets using a demo account with virtual balance.
As time went on, starting from the initial $25,000 virtual balance, my total balance including profit reached over $53,363. If I am not mistaken, I ranked in the top 3 or 4 based on my football prediction results.
Unfortunately, the contest website became inaccessible for some reason, even though the winners had not yet been announced or paid.
Then, on July 21, 2026, I received an email from the CEO of Catalyst, Melissa Footlick, stating that I had won the contest and asking me to fill out my details to claim the prize.
On July 23, 2026, I successfully completed my KYC process, and all my documents were approved.
However, by July 28, 2026, I still had not received my prize. I decided to take the initiative and email Catalyst support to ask about the next steps.
By July 30, 2026, I had not received any reply from Catalyst, so I sent another follow-up email on July 31, 2026.
Finally, on August 3, 2026, I received an email accusing me of having prediction choices identical to another participant.
In reality, the predictions were simply about guessing which team would win. For example:
France vs. Morocco
I chose France and placed a $2,000 bet to win $2,000, as $2,000 was the maximum allowed bet per match. If you bet less, say $1,000, you would only win $1,000 if successful, but you would also fall behind hundreds of other participants, because the winner of this tournament was determined by who had the highest final balance.
Since there were only 8 matches in total—Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, Third-place play-off, and the Final—and the contest rules allowed any bet amount within the minimum and maximum limits for each match, using the maximum bet was the only competitive strategy.
In standard contest rules at any company, once the winners are determined, the company notifies you via email, asks you to complete your details, and requires a KYC verification. Following that, the company sends out the prize based on the total prize structure and final rankings.
However, Catalyst did the exact opposite. After I submitted all the required documents and my data was fully approved, they leveled accusations against the contest winner instead.
I hope the Catalyst team sees this comment, honors my rights by paying what I earned, and improves their system so that mistakes like this do not happen again in the future.
To everyone out there, I strongly advise you to always be cautious when choosing a platform. Always check company reviews, research their background, and look into how their community operates.
I hope this serves as a lesson for all of us to remain vigilant so that our hard work doesn't go to waste.
Thank you.
Update: Saturday, August 22, 2026
I am still awaiting a response from the Catalyst Team to resolve the issue.
Update: Sunday, August 30, 2026
There is still no response from Catalyst via email or on Trustpilot, but I noticed a recent post on Twitter indicating that they are still actively promoting.
Update: Sunday, September 25, 2026
There is no good faith effort to resolve the issue; they are using a "silent treatment" tactic to stall for time, acting as if nothing has happened.
Update: Thursday, October 15, 2026
The Catalyst side did not respond to my review on truspilot and they chose to remain silent. What is going on? Are they not ashamed? There are many unresolved complaints. If they are truly legitimate, they should resolve this issue. This is proof that they are ignoring community complaints.
I urge everyone to be vigilant and choose companies wisely.
I will continue to post updates here until they honor my rights and so that all prospective new members can see the quality of their service.