Toptal, LLC
Private
FoundersTaso Du Val
Breanden Beneschott
Foundation2010 (age 16)
IndustryFreelance
Professional services
Area servedWorldwide
Key peopleTaso Du Val (CEO)
Websitewww.toptal.com

Toptal is a global remote company that provides a freelancing platform that connects businesses with software engineers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers. The company has no headquarters.[1]

History

Taso Du Val and Breanden Beneschott founded the company in 2010.[2] Du Val was previously an engineer at Fotolog and Slide.com[3][4] while Beneschott was an undergraduate at Princeton University.[5] The name stands for "top talent", and it began as a virtual company with no dedicated offices.[6][7]

Toptal had more than $1 million in revenue when Beneschott graduated from Princeton.[5] The co-founders moved to Budapest, Hungary, to access software developers with fewer employment options than in the United States.[5] During the company's early years, the founders lived in various countries while building the initial freelance developer network.[8]

In 2015, it expanded to include freelance design.[9] In 2016, it acquired the freelancer platform, Skillbridge, which offered freelance accountants, statisticians, and consultants in market research, financial modeling, and due diligence.[10] In 2017, the company launched a vertical specializing in software engineers and designers for the automotive industry.[11] It also launched a vertical for blockchain engineers in February 2018.[12] In 2024, Toptal acquired Growth Collective, a freelancing platform that provides freelancers specializing in marketing.[13]

Talent sourcing

The firm developed personality, language, and skills testing to screen candidates remotely, and accepts the top 3% of several thousand monthly applicants.[3][4][14] The company's vetting process includes multiple stages, such as interviews with Toptal subject matter experts and completion of a test project, among other steps.[15] The firm matches business engagements with developers from its network and brokers the terms of each job.[4]

Funding

Toptal accepted a $1.4 million seed round of financing from Andreessen Horowitz and angel investors, including Quora founder Adam D'Angelo.[9] The company is said not to have raised additional funds since its seed round because it has been profitable.[9] In 2015 and 2016, Toptal's annual revenue was $80 million and $100 million, respectively.[4][5] By 2021, Toptal's annual revenue surpassed $200 million, and it was conservatively valued at $3.6 billion.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ "Toptal". Remote.co. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  2. ^ Jon Fortt, Paige Tortorelli (2025-01-07). "Jury finds a Silicon Valley financial backer orchestrated a plot to take down a rising startup". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  3. ^ Soshana, Solomon (19 March 2017). "Dropout turned entrepreneur helps find talent amid engineer squeeze". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. ^ Ankeny, Jason (8 September 2015). "Why a High School Dropout's Staffing Company Is in a Class of Its Own". Entrepreneur Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  5. ^ Hartmans, Avery (17 September 2016). "This startup has no offices and unlimited vacation, and its cofounder has lived in more than 30 countries in 5 years". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  6. ^ Rockwood, Kate (26 October 2017). "How to Build a $100 Million-Revenue Business With Zero Offices". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  7. ^ Caminiti, Susan (3 April 2018). "The dream job that's all the rage across America". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  8. ^ Hartmans, Avery (2016-09-17). "This startup has no offices and unlimited vacation, and its cofounder has lived in more than 30 countries in 5 years". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  9. ^ Constine, Josh (7 October 2015). "Massive Freelance Engineer Marketplace Toptal Now Sells Designers". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  10. ^ Taft, Darryl (6 April 2016). "Toptal Buys Skillbridge to Advance Freelance Tech Market". eWEEK. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  11. ^ Winter, Drew (28 November 2017). "Supplier Toptal to Fill ‘Extreme High-Skilled Talent Gap’". WardsAuto. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  12. ^ Stein, Samantha (14 February 2018). "Blockchain engineers are in demand". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  13. ^ "Toptal acquires Growth Collective". Staffing Industry Analysts. 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  14. ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (5 November 2014). "How To Build A Killer Team--Sight Unseen". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  15. ^ Fairlie, Mark (2015-07-16). "Best Websites for Finding Developers". business.com. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  16. ^ Jon Fortt, Paige Tortorelli (2025-01-07). "Jury finds a Silicon Valley financial backer orchestrated a plot to take down a rising startup". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  17. ^ "Inside a startup takedown plot". CNBC. 2025-01-07. Retrieved 2026-05-28.