Anyone knows any firms (pro or retail) that do not require the 25K minimum? If pro, ones that don't require series 7.
AFAIK, you have to be registered (pass the 7 and be subject to an SRO's jurisdiction) in order to trade other people's money, which is what you are doing at a pro firm. For retail daytrading, the 25K rule is the SEC's. You're unlikely to find a brokerage firm that will violate it, at least not for very long. If you want to avoid the 7 and the 25K minimum, learn to trade options, futures, or wait for single-stock futures.