Most prop firms talk about scaling. Few lay out exactly what it takes, month by month, to grow your account. At Dolvero, our scaling plan is not a vague incentive — it is a structured pathway with clear milestones, objective criteria, and a terminal destination that no other retail prop firm offers: management of real institutional capital through Divitae Assets.
This article walks you through every tier, the exact numbers you need to hit, realistic timelines, and the institutional track that awaits at the end of the journey.
The Three Scaling Tiers
Dolvero's scaling plan has three tiers. Each builds on the previous one, and the criteria are identical across all account sizes — whether you start with a $25K evaluation or a $200K Instant Funding account.
Tier 1: +25 % Capital Increase (Month 3)
| Requirement | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Minimum profitable months | 3 consecutive |
| Average monthly return | +3 % or higher |
| Maximum drawdown (trailing) | Below 5 % |
| Capital increase | +25 % |
Let us put concrete numbers on this. If you hold a $100,000 funded account and you average +3.5 % per month for three months while never exceeding 5 % trailing drawdown, your account scales to $125,000. That is $25,000 of additional buying power — and 80 % (or 90 % with the Boost Add-on) of every dollar you earn from that larger base goes to you.
What "profitable month" means: Your account must close the calendar month with a higher equity than it started. A month where you finish +0.1 % counts. A month where you finish -0.1 % does not. There is no minimum profit target per month — only the 3 % average across the qualifying period.
What "below 5 % drawdown" means: At no point during the three-month window should your trailing drawdown exceed 5 %. This is measured from your peak equity, not from your starting balance. If your account peaks at $108,000 and then drops to $102,800, your drawdown is 4.8 % — you are within limits. If it drops to $102,500 (5.1 %), you reset the clock.
Tier 2: +50 % Capital Increase (Month 6)
| Requirement | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Minimum profitable months | 6 consecutive |
| Average monthly return | +3 % or higher |
| Maximum drawdown (trailing) | Below 5 % |
| Capital increase | +50 % (from original) |
After six consecutive profitable months meeting the same criteria, your account scales to +50 % of the original funded size. For a $100K account, that means $150,000. Note that this is calculated from the original account size, not from the Tier 1 balance. The jump from Tier 1 to Tier 2 adds another $25,000 on top of what you already gained.
Tier 3: Institutional Capital via Divitae Assets (Month 12)
| Requirement | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Minimum profitable months | 12 consecutive |
| Average monthly return | +3 % or higher |
| Maximum drawdown (trailing) | Below 5 % |
| Outcome | Institutional capital management |
This is the tier that separates Dolvero from every other prop firm in the market. After 12 months of consistent, disciplined performance, you become eligible to manage real institutional capital through Divitae Assets — a regulated asset management firm with $12.4 million in assets under management.
What does this mean in practice? You transition from trading simulated prop-firm capital to managing actual investor funds. The compensation structure shifts from a profit split to an institutional fee arrangement. The amounts of capital available are significantly larger than anything a prop firm can offer. And your track record — twelve months of audited, verified performance — becomes your professional credential.
The Math: What 3 % Monthly Actually Looks Like
Let us model a realistic $100K scaling journey with conservative assumptions.
Months 1-3 (Pre-Tier 1)
| Month | Starting Balance | Return | Profit | Your Share (80 %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | +3.2 % | $3,200 | $2,560 |
| 2 | $100,000 | +3.8 % | $3,800 | $3,040 |
| 3 | $100,000 | +2.9 % | $2,900 | $2,320 |
After three months: $7,920 paid out to you (at 80 % split). Average monthly return: 3.3 %. Drawdown stayed below 5 %. You qualify for Tier 1, and your account scales to $125,000.
Months 4-6 (Post-Tier 1, Pre-Tier 2)
| Month | Starting Balance | Return | Profit | Your Share (80 %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $125,000 | +3.5 % | $4,375 | $3,500 |
| 5 | $125,000 | +3.1 % | $3,875 | $3,100 |
| 6 | $125,000 | +4.0 % | $5,000 | $4,000 |
After six months: cumulative payout of $18,520. Account scales to $150,000. You are now trading 50 % more capital than you started with, and every percentage point of return generates proportionally more income.
Months 7-12 (Post-Tier 2, Road to Institutional)
At $150,000 with a 3.3 % average monthly return and 80 % split, each month pays roughly $3,960. Over the remaining six months, that is approximately $23,760 additional payout. Your 12-month cumulative earnings: roughly $42,280 from a single funded account — before the institutional opportunity opens.
With the 90 % Boost Add-on, every number above increases by 12.5 %. The 12-month cumulative becomes approximately $47,565.
What Resets the Clock?
Transparency requires us to explain not just how you win, but how the clock resets:
- A losing month resets the consecutive count. If you are in month 5 of a 6-month qualification and month 5 finishes negative, you restart from month 1 of the count (though your account size does not decrease if you already scaled).
- Exceeding 5 % drawdown resets the clock immediately. Your account may also be subject to standard drawdown breach rules depending on the severity.
- The average return requirement is cumulative. If months 1-4 average 4 % but month 5 averages 1 %, your 5-month average drops to 3.4 %. You still qualify as long as the average across the full qualifying period remains at or above 3 %.
The Institutional Track: Divitae Assets
Divitae Assets is not a marketing invention. It is a registered asset management company with $12.4 million in assets under management. The firm manages capital for institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals across multiple asset classes.
When a Dolvero trader qualifies for the institutional track, the process works as follows:
- Track record audit: Your 12-month trading history is independently reviewed for consistency, risk management, and strategy robustness.
- Strategy assessment: The Divitae Assets investment committee evaluates whether your strategy is scalable to larger capital pools — strategies that work at $100K do not always work at $5M.
- Capital allocation: If approved, you are allocated a portion of institutional capital to manage. The amount depends on your strategy profile, risk metrics, and the current portfolio needs of Divitae Assets.
- Compensation: You transition from a prop-firm profit split to an institutional arrangement, typically involving a management fee component and a performance fee. The exact terms are negotiated individually.
This pathway exists because Dolvero was built by Divitae Assets — not the other way around. The prop firm serves as a talent pipeline for the institutional business. When we identify traders with genuine edge and professional discipline, we want to deploy them on larger capital — not lose them to a competing fund.
Practical Tips for Hitting Scaling Targets
1. Target 3.5 %, not 3 %
Build a buffer above the minimum. If you target exactly 3 %, one bad week pushes you below the threshold. Aim for 3.5 % and you have room for drawdowns without losing qualification.
2. Reduce size during drawdown
The 5 % drawdown limit is a hard ceiling. If you are down 2.5 %, you have 2.5 % of room left. That is not the time to increase position size to "make it back." It is the time to cut size in half and protect your scaling eligibility. Read our article on the psychology of drawdown and position sizing for a detailed framework.
3. Think in terms of monthly contracts
Each month is a standalone evaluation. You need to end positive. This means taking profits when they are available, not holding positions through month-end hoping for more. Close your winners before the month closes, lock in the positive result, and start fresh.
4. Journal and review weekly
You cannot manage what you do not measure. Track every trade, calculate your rolling drawdown daily, and review your average monthly return every Friday. If you are falling behind the 3 % pace, adjust your approach mid-month rather than hoping for a recovery in the final days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the scaling apply to all account types?
A: Yes. Whether you entered through the 2-Step, 1-Step, or Instant Funding path, the same scaling criteria apply.
Q: Can I lose my scaled capital?
A: If you breach the drawdown rules on your scaled account, standard breach policies apply. However, your original funded account size is preserved — you revert to the pre-scale level and can re-qualify.
Q: Is the institutional track guaranteed after 12 months?
A: Meeting the 12-month criteria qualifies you for review. Allocation is subject to the Divitae Assets investment committee's assessment of strategy scalability and current portfolio needs.
Q: What if my strategy requires holding positions for weeks?
A: Swing and position trading strategies are fully supported. The monthly return is calculated on closed and unrealized P&L at month end. You do not need to close all positions before each month ends.
Conclusion
Scaling is not about having one great month. It is about proving, through sustained performance, that you can generate returns while controlling risk. Dolvero's three-tier system rewards exactly that — and the institutional track through Divitae Assets gives you something no other prop firm can: a career path that extends beyond the prop-trading model into professional asset management.
Multiple Accounts and Combined Scaling
A common question from experienced traders: can you run multiple funded accounts simultaneously and scale each independently? At Dolvero, yes. Each funded account has its own scaling track. If you pass a $100K 2-Step evaluation and a $50K Instant Funding account, both accounts scale independently based on their respective performance. Your combined capital under management grows as each account hits its milestones.
This matters for traders with diversified strategies. You might run a trend-following system on one account and a mean-reversion approach on another. If both strategies perform consistently, both accounts scale — and you maintain strategic diversification rather than concentrating all capital under a single approach.
What the Institutional Track Looks Like Day-to-Day
Traders who reach the 12-month institutional milestone often ask: what actually changes? The day-to-day experience shifts in several ways. First, the capital you trade is real — it belongs to Divitae Assets' investors, not to a simulated prop-firm pool. This changes the emotional weight of each decision, but it also validates your professionalism. Second, reporting requirements increase. Institutional capital management involves monthly performance reports, risk attribution analysis, and periodic strategy reviews with the investment committee. Third, your compensation structure evolves from a simple percentage split to a more sophisticated arrangement that may include base fees, performance fees with high-water marks, and clawback provisions that are standard in institutional asset management.
The traders who thrive in this transition are the ones who have already been treating their prop-firm account with institutional discipline — meticulous record keeping, systematic risk management, and strategy documentation. The scaling journey is not just about hitting return targets. It is about building the operational habits of a professional money manager.
Start with discipline, maintain consistency, and the capital follows. That is not a slogan — it is the math.
