How many strategies did you backtest before finding a profitable one?

### Summary

• Post asks about the number of backtests before discovering a profitable algorithmic strategy, seeking community experiences.
• The author’s thesis is that finding a winning strategy often requires testing dozens to hundreds of ideas, with the top comment reinforcing that simplicity and human observation can outperform complex backtesting.
• Quality assessment: Noise – the post is a general discussion thread with no data, analysis, or specific financial thesis; it reflects anecdotal experiences rather than researched DD.