Ballista Holdings announced it has received a minority investment from securities firms including International Securities Exchange (ISE), Knight Capital Group, Morgan Stanley, Susquehanna Growth Equity and existing investors.

Ballista Holdings owns Ballista Securities, which operates the Ballista Alternative Trading System (ATS) for block trading in options, delta-neutral strategies and other complex options transactions.

The investment will help with continuing technology innovation and enhancing client service, as well as more aggressive sales and marketing to further develop its liquidity pool.

In a statement, Robert Newhouse, founder and CEO of Ballista Securities, said, "Ballista ATS has experienced consistent growth since our launch in late 2008. The investment from such a distinguished and diverse group of industry leaders will provide Ballista a strong base of strategic resources in the quest to become the premier destination for institutional block trading of equity options and volatility."

A representative from each of the four new investors will join the Ballista board as part of the investment.