Toptal

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a cryptocurrency company. We create cryptocurrency coins such as bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We needed experienced people to do what we needed for certain parts of our business. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially explained to Toptal what we needed, and they contacted me back and organized a Zoom call. They asked me a lot of questions and asked what we were trying to achieve. From there, they scouted applicants suitable for our work. 

In our first project, we needed a candidate with either banking or venture capital experience and who was knowledgeable about raising funds and approaching high-wealth individuals. They should also have connections. Toptal sent us four people, and we selected one from them. 

At present, we still work with Toptal. We tell them what we want, and then they supply us with candidates from their talent pool. For instance, if we want two people to consult with us on two sections of the business, we tell this to Toptal. They then help us find candidates from their talent pool. 

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Jamie (Director of Finance & Consulting). 

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I searched for the best places to hire experienced people, and Toptal came up. They met the requirements that I was looking for, so I contacted them. I saw other teams, but I didn’t think they were professional. 

Meanwhile, I liked how they presented themselves. Other teams only claimed to have done the project, but Toptal proved their work. Their website was in-depth and explained things well. It was also built professionally; it was a cut above the rest. 

As a result, I went ahead and found their contact page. From there, I gave them the project brief, and they responded within 24 hours. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve only spent around $3,000, but this will increase and become a large amount. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in February 2023, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We don’t have specific metrics for this partnership, but the quality of work that’s come out of it has been exceptional. Toptal has been able to find the right candidate for us. The candidate has integrated into our team without any problem. He has a lot of experience in venture capital and fundraising, and he talks to a lot of new people — he’s truly professional. 

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is truly responsive, and I can communicate with them in any way I want. We’ve used calls and emails, but I usually like to email because I like going back and getting the answers I’ve asked. I only do calls when we need to cover something that might take 5–10 emails but only takes 10 minutes over the phone. We’ve also used Zoom and one other tool. 

Toptal is exceptional. They took control of everything, so they’re amazing. They don’t charge us every time they write an ad or interview a candidate. The team simply does what we need them to do. W

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only do they behave professionally and efficiently, but they also have the credentials to back them up. They can do what they claim they do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Explain your business and goals clearly. That’s all your need to tell Toptal. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup called Wimake. We’re developing a SaaS storyboarding site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We needed a full stack developer to create our product’s MVP.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal has helped us recruit a full stack developer and create our product’s MVP. We had an initial call with a teammate from Toptal with whom we’ve only interacted once. Then, we interacted with a second teammate who posted our job in Toptal’s portal, and all candidates that applied to our project were pre-screened by Toptal. 

We asked Toptal for a full stack developer to build our product’s entire backend infrastructure, which we had previously started developing since my company’s co-founder and I were our product’s main developers.

Toptal forwarded us one particular candidate, and after we interviewed him, we decided he was the perfect fit because of his work experience. After Toptal found the developer for our project, they assigned us an account manager that checks in with us to verify our needs are being met. 

Our project uses current technologies like a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) program and Stable Diffusion for image generation. While we didn’t require a developer with experience in these technologies, we did need a specialist with a general understanding of these platforms.

Additionally, Toptal is helping us with our funding strategy and has contacted us with different talents and funding experts to assist us in the startup’s next stages. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve had contact with two teammates from Toptal, including an account manager. Additionally, we’ve interviewed two consultant candidates besides the full stack developer Toptal has helped us find. 

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I found Toptal through an online search. I had been looking for a full stack developer for a while since we had an unsuccessful relationship with a previous development company. After discussing our project’s requirements with Toptal, we decided to go with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have a $20,000 budget that we haven’t reached yet. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Toptal in March 2023, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The developer found by Toptal is the perfect fit for our project and works fast. We’re happy with his work, he’s independent and has taken a lot of responsibility away from us. We can now focus on the business side of our startup instead of our product’s development.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Toptal is always looking after us. They meet deadlines and stay on budget. Toptal has a platform where we can set a limit for the project’s budget. We use Asana for project management and communicate through Slack and daily video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Toptal’s developer talent. Toptal’s slogan says they find the top talent, and I can say that assessment is definitely correct. 

I’ve worked with other developers in the past and always had to worry about their performance. Toptal’s developer has delivered what he promised.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for Toptal to improve. Toptal is a big company,  and their workflow can sometimes be bureaucratic. However, every teammate I’ve spoken with has been friendly and nice. I guess this is necessary to find the right talent for our project. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend being honest and upfront about your project’s needs and budget. Toptal will be happy to help you find the right talent for any problem you need to resolve. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a department manager at an industrial manufacturing company in Fribourg, Switzerland. In my role, I manage the portfolio of energy businesses in our city.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

For this project, we had different challenges. Our main challenge was building a network of third-party service providers I could trust and work with in the long term on our different projects. Moreover, we were looking for several resources with different skills to augment our team and work on our different projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal provides us with professionals with different skills to work on our projects remotely. They have a large pool of talent we can access depending on our needs. We also have an in-house team, so we consider Toptal’s resources part of that team.

These resources complement our in-house skills for positions we don’t need to hire full-time employees. Whenever we need a new resource, Toptal first understands our needs and communicates them with the key account manager. Then, he proposes some candidates for me to interview based on budget, availability, and project requirements.

We work with Toptal several times a year on different projects within our marketing department, so the skills we look for vary depending on the assignments. Most of the time, the skills we look for are 3D rendering, volume drawing, and product rendering, which are the most difficult ones to find. Additionally, we also require graphic and web design skills from time to time.

At the beginning of each year, we plan which would be our projects. From there, Toptal simply helps us get talent and kickstart those projects. As for specific projects, Toptal’s resources have worked with us on one or two marketing campaigns and created graphic designs for a white-paper brochure of case studies. We’ve also hired them to create 3D renders of entire product families, as well as all the visual elements needed for a big event that we organized recently.

What is the team composition?

Thus far, we’ve worked with four talents from Toptal, all of whom have worked within the product and graphic design fields. Additionally, we work with a key account manager, who is my main point of contact whenever we need new talent or reengage with a resource we worked with in the past.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I found them through an online search. We had to find service providers with different skills for several projects, so I started searching for agencies that provided freelancers with those skills. I came across Toptal, and when I read about how they worked, it made sense to me.

For large companies like ours, listing new service providers is very complicated. Therefore, we found out that working with Toptal would be a very good solution because we would have access to several different resources while going only through one listing process. Therefore, I reached out to them, and we started working with them on one project to see how it went.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around August 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Working with Toptal to find resources with different skills has helped us solve a big challenge — finding new resources — and it’s very practical. Depending on the project, we can reach out to them and find new teammates.

Moreover, their team is very easy to work with. Thanks to their flexibility, we’ve removed several administrative steps from our side. The main one is that I don’t have to go through a listing process for a new vendor every time we need a new resource.

In addition to that, we’ve been more efficient and worked on projects faster by collaborating with Toptal. Thanks to their help, we stuck to an ambitious editorial calendar for 2022.

Overall, we’re very happy with Toptal’s work because they’ve expanded our capabilities and reach as a team. Internally, we’re a team of three people. Still, by onboarding Toptal’s resources, we’ve been able to grow our team up and down as needed, depending on the requirements of our ongoing projects. That’s one of the key benefits of working with them.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

As previously mentioned, registering a new service provider takes us a while. However, Toptal was in constant communication with our commercial team throughout that process, so the integration was very easy.

Once we went through that process, Toptal was extremely fast in getting new talent on board. Now, whenever I need new talent, it takes them less than 10 days to onboard someone new.

We’ve reached a stage in our relationship where our account manager is very familiar with the project. We have calls from time to time to align and talk about what’s coming next, which is very efficient.

Moreover, Toptal’s resources have met our deadlines and stayed on budget. As for collaboration tools, we use Webex and a Webex-Box integration to interact. Toptal’s resources are integrated within our Webex network, so we constantly chat with them and have video calls.

Our collaboration is 100% remote, so we have resources from the US, China, and Europe. Those resources are extremely autonomous and keep up with us within our timelines. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of Toptal’s resources is impressive. They provide us with very experienced and efficient professionals that require low management and maintenance, which makes us even more efficient. These resources are mature and know what to do, so they manage themselves.

In addition to that, Toptal’s business model is extremely convenient for large companies like ours. We have access to several types of skills under one roof, so we don’t have to do additional administrative work to search for new talents and list new service providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Toptal could improve on. Although our collaboration was a bit challenging in the beginning, they changed our account manager, making our partnership much easier since then.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know very well the specifications of the project you need help with. This requirement also includes understanding very well the talent you’re looking for. If you’re clear on what you want, Toptal will be more efficient in finding the right talent for you. Additionally, be very clear and realistic about your budget and deadlines. Those are key elements for the collaboration to go well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for Adaptive Investment Solutions, LLC, an early-stage fintech company. We’ve built a product in the wealth space that enables one-click downside protection for investors or advisors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We had a complex application with banking and brokerage integrations that were both real-time and asynchronous because we had to automate trading in order to provide one-click downside protection for our investors’ portfolios. We also had a complex API, so our development team was struggling. We needed someone with experience in Python development, trading systems, and building into the interactive brokers API.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal provided staff augmentation services. They came in, solved our issues, and then brought the rest of the team up to speed on what they did. It was a finite assignment; we continued with the deployment and ongoing maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We only worked with a consultant.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I heard about Toptal before we had the need for this project. I knew they were the gold standard for finding people with expertise because I knew their vetting and onboarding processes were very rigorous.

We searched for candidates on Upwork and similar platforms, but we struggled to find somebody that could hit our narrow needs. Although Toptal was more expensive, we knew they’d have a couple of good candidates within 1–2 weeks. The first candidate they presented could do the job at a high level, so we went with Toptal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $13,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July 2022–February 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Since it was staff augmentation, we didn’t have metrics. We only looked at the code, and it certainly worked.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

They didn’t manage the project; I was essentially the project manager. However, Toptal met the deadlines and accurately projected when they’d achieve the tasks.

We primarily communicated through Google Meet; sometimes we had one-on-ones, and sometimes they joined the daily stand-up meetings. We also used Slack for asynchronous communication, and they joined our Jira for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their vetting process was strong, so we knew there was a high probability that their candidates would fit the bill. Moreover, their services were precise and well-thought-out. They were on top of their game; they were helpful and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly can’t think of anything; their operation was pretty slick. Our only tongue-in-cheek improvement would’ve been to lower their prices. However, they’re in a good market position because they offer quality, so they charge for it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as specific as possible with the assignment you want to fulfill. Toptal has many people on their roster; if you’re looking for specific skill sets, you should provide details to help them find somebody best suited to your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Downriver Bound, a mobile app development company. Our startup organization specializes in developing applications designed to simplify modern life and make it more convenient and exciting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Toptal?

I come from a different background in another industry, so I needed help starting my business from the ground up through a designer that could make my idea come to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal has provided staff augmentation services for us. They’ve connected me with a UX designer that is collaborating with me to bring my product to life based on the idea I’ve given them. I’ve asked them for someone experienced with startup companies and a good reputation. We also need a candidate with an innovative approach because we want to present this product to potential capital investors.

Regarding the process, we signed an NDA, so I am comfortable emailing them my ideas. They’ve also set me up with an account manager, who has interviewed me to review those ideas thoroughly. Based on what I want to do, Toptal has set interviews with 2–3 candidates for me to choose from, and after I decide on a candidate, we go through a trial period so we can determine if we want to move forward on the contract or not based on the candidate’s work.

What was the team composition? 

We’ve been working with Dobs (UX Lead), who is the candidate they found for us. In addition, we’ve been working with an account manager, a hiring specialist, and a fundraiser person from Toptal’s team.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I found Toptal through Google and chose them because I looked at their site and liked what they stood for, what they could provide for us, and their potential for future engagement, and I felt safe with them. They also seemed empathic and encouraging and could elevate my language and needs.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent a bit over $5,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2023, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our engagement with Toptal has been an incredible learning experience for us. Working with them has been exciting, thrilling, and confidence-building. I feel confident I’m in capable hands with Toptal because they’ve given me much more than most companies we’ve worked with.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Toptal’s project management is great. They’re prompt, on time, and open about our comments. In addition, Dobs has been fantastic in setting up weekly meetings, I absolutely trust him, and his work is impeccable. Dobs’ work has blown my mind, and he’s been able to polish my ideas and make them something tangible — it’s beautiful to see what he does.

Regarding tools and communication, we use Figma, Zoom, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love Toptal’s dedication to global work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Depending on the project, they could verify the available funds before starting the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of safety and security backend systems — which just means the director of software engineering — at a global security and safety surveillance company. We provide solutions to various market sectors, including public safety and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We engaged Toptal to find expert frontend developers to implement enhancements for our cutting-edge surveillance application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed our company, including the function of our software application and our high-level requirements; we were seeking a .NET engineer with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) experience. Toptal had a thorough vetting process for all the developers that worked with them and found independent contractors that fit our needs. They provided several resumes from their database of developers and included a brief overview of each one. 

We identified one that would be a good fit and held a meet-and-greet to ensure they would be a good match. We didn’t need to provide much documentation; we just told the developer our requirements and explained the scope of work.

Then, we started working with a developer from Eastern Europe who executed iterative development to improve our existing feature set.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one expert engineer for this engagement. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and the project ended in July 2022.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

Throughout my career, I had known of Toptal; I reached out to them after seeing their advertisements on Google. 

I selected Total because we recognize the benefits of hiring industry experts. Optimized time to market and code quality were key reasons we wanted an expert software engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We started using the software in production, and the customer reception was very good. At the conclusion of the project, there were no known software defects; we’re very satisfied with their work.

The initial candidates they found were perfectly aligned with our requirements, which enabled us to choose a developer quickly; I don’t think we could have found a developer with a better skill set. The developer was extremely talented and professional; they were definitely an expert and did an exceptional job. 

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really easy to work with Toptal. They were willing to work with a loose set of requirements; we’re really busy, so it was refreshing not to dive into a lot of technical documentation.

They met and exceeded our expectations in terms of time and budget. We used Azure DevOps to manage the project and Microsoft Teams to communicate. The communication was top-notch, and there were no language barriers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Total has a large pool of associates and was able to provide candidates within just hours of learning about our requirements and desired skill sets. This was exceptional and refreshing because it allowed us to move forward quickly.

I appreciated that they provided additional details on their website about the questions they ask, and I liked the technical articles they provided. These lent weight to their argument that they provided properly vetted candidates to their partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you’re willing to work with talent from other parts of the world and meet at different times, that’s a cost-saving opportunity. Toptal had a wide range of candidates in the US and abroad; they were very flexible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an independent entrepreneur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

I needed to develop a custom mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal is developing an iOS mobile application. I first sent Toptal a general description of the required services, and they then contacted me with a sales representative. We discussed the project’s scope and technical aspects in greater detail, and with that information, Toptal contacted me with a developer. 

I had already developed a prototype when I first contacted Toptal, and they’ve rebuilt the app almost completely on top of that prototype. The app is a niche product that generates textures used in 3D rendering. Essentially, it’s an image editing app that combines 3D features and custom image filters and algorithms. Toptal is using Xcode since we’re only developing the app for Apple products at the moment. They also use other tools available in Xcode, including SwiftUI as a programming language and SceneKit as a 3D rendering engine.

What is the team composition?

I work with one developer from Toptal, and I’ve been in touch with two other representatives. One of them is the representative I discussed the project’s scope with initially, and the other is the project manager, whom I reach only when I have questions about services or payments — they’re not involved in the development process.  

How did you come to work with Toptal?

I had reached out to other developers that might be able to do the project, but they weren't available. Eventually, one of the developers I talked to recommended Toptal, so I called them to discuss their services.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around $13,000 with Toptal.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with Toptal since January 2023, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Toptal’s developer has been fantastic. They’ve anticipated bugs before we started development, so we’ve identified the process difficulties in advance. The developer I work with is very experienced, they’ve taken a couple of days to develop what I thought would take weeks. 

Moreover, there will always be bugs in a development project, but Toptal’s developer always solves them in 1–2 hours. Nothing has really held us back or delayed the project in the long term. Toptal provides an excellent service. 

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Toptal meets deadlines and stays on budget. We use Trello for project management, and we communicate through iMessage and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Toptal’s range of staff and their developer’s expertise — they’re both fantastic. Toptal has a wide range of developers available; I searched for a developer for a long time and couldn’t find the right one. When I contacted Toptal, they got back to me with an appropriate candidate in a week. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Toptal commission’s rates aren’t transparent, and I’d like to know what my developer is actually being paid. This isn’t a necessity and hasn’t hindered the project in any way, so it’s not really an issue. However, I think having more transparency on that end would be nicer. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend being prepared to start working once you contact Toptal. Have a clear and thorough idea of your project’s requirements because otherwise, your project will take longer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a net revenue management lead at a Fortune 500 animal pharmaceutical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

At a very high level, my department supports pricing for all of our products sold across the US. Additionally, we provide our largest clients with exclusive contracts, which include various conditions and discount prices, so my department is in charge of defining those discounts. Moreover, we’re involved in marketing programs, including offers and promotions, which we also oversee.

Ours is a very analytical and modeling-intensive job and requires poring through large amounts of data. However, back in 2022, the market for data engineers, pricing experts, and data scientists had gotten very competitive. At the time, a full-time employee who had been working with us for around 3–4 years left us, so it became incredibly difficult for us to find someone else to work with us full-time for the budget we had. Therefore, we relied on Toptal to help us find a new resource.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toptal has helped us find a new resource to help us with our pricing efforts. Although they didn’t find exactly the resource we were looking for, we noticed that this person would be able to do the job right with the right amount of training, so we decided to take him on. We’ve been working with this person since then. In addition to that, Toptal has helped us find new talent for other areas of our business.

What is the team composition?

Raj (Senior Client Partner - Healthcare & Life Sciences) is my main point of contact. Additionally, they provide us with one resource to support my particular function. As mentioned above, my company also uses Toptal to augment the teams of sister functions. In total, we work with around 10 talents from their team.

How did you come to work with Toptal?

Our company was already using Toptal for other functions, and we heard that they were able to provide very strong candidates with excellent technical backgrounds.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Toptal to find this particular resource around May 2022, and our engagement is ongoing. However, I don’t know exactly when my company originally started working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The resource that Toptal has found for us has been excellent to work with. Last year, my company was working with 1–2 talents from Toptal across other functions. The fact that we’re currently working with around 10 talents from their team across our company is a testament to the great work that Raj has done for us. That’s why I wanted to leave this review.

We have internal KPIs, goals, and objectives that these resources need to meet. If our business managers weren’t happy with the service level we’re getting, we wouldn’t be working with them.

What I really like about Toptal — and about Raj specifically — is their uncanny ability to know what I’m looking for. I’ve tried the same approach with other recruiting companies, and it hasn’t worked out. These other companies have sent us people who won’t get the job done. However, Raj finds fitting resources quickly, and he understands my needs almost as if he’s reading my mind.

Raj has also done the same great job for 4–5 different people from our company. The resources we’ve asked from him have similar functions but require different focus areas. Still, he has been able to keep everything together and organize their recruiting process to find the best candidates for each role, keeping our hiring managers happy. That’s a true skill.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Toptal’s resources have met our deadlines and stayed within budget. We communicate via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and phone, and we recently started using Asana for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Toptal’s business model is very interesting. They employ and manage a lot of freelancers, and they’re also willing to assign those freelancers to their clients so that they can work as internal employees. On the other hand, they can source talent from places others don’t have access to — that’s their competitive advantage. Additionally, they have a rigorous interviewing and screening process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I would have Toptal do differently — they’re very strong on what I need them for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come in with a clear vision of what you want. If you provide Toptal with a clear vision, they’ll execute it perfectly. Execution is their strength.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner and co-founder of a digital products development company called NGSENS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Toptal?

We hired them for their staff augmentation services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Toptal on various development and consulting projects. The way we worked together depended on the needs of the project. Whenever we needed a specific set of skills to accomplish a project, they came back to us with someone who matched the requirements. For instance, during our last app development project, their team provided resources to help us with the design work. That app was developed using Laravel and MySQL.

What was the team composition? 

We mainly worked with one person from their side, but we also got support from 2–3 people from their management team. 

How did you come to work with Toptal?

We found them through a Google search. We decided to work with their company because we knew we could reach out to them anytime whenever we needed help with anything. 

How much have you invested in them?
 
We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We worked together from January–September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We didn’t do any analysis of our target market, so we didn’t get the expected results. However, Toptal did a good job of always finding the right people who best fit the requirements of our projects. One of the experts they provided was really skilled and asked a lot of things before starting with the work.

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication skills were excellent. We interacted with them using Zoom and Slack. We also used Google Drive to manage tasks.

It was hard to calculate the budget since we kept requesting changes along the way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to find resources that matched our needs was impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
 
They could’ve directly told us that some tasks might take more time or are harder to achieve; it would’ve given us a clearer picture of the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Providing a good description at the beginning of the project is very important. Also, make sure to have a discussion with their management so that they can find the right person for your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Cabinet Ltd, a software company specializing in designing mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toptal?

We engaged Toptal to provide us with development and consulting services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company is founded upon improving the connectivity between Apple and Android devices. One of the apps we’re currently designing revolves around file-sharing between Apple and Android smartphones. We use Toptal’s expertise in this field because they have freelancers who’ve worked in this specific field before. 

The Toptal team has advised me on how we can build the products, what tech stacks we should use, and how we should use them. On top of that, we’ve used their expertise in UI/UX design and in building a business plan and financial forecast for launching the product. 

In terms of acquiring resources from Toptal, I first give them details on what I need from the freelancer. I send them a short paragraph about needing a person with mobile network experience, for example. Then, they find resources who have substantial experience in that field. From there, I’ll interview the resources and hire them if they’re a good fit for the project. 

The resources then develop what we need them to develop for a few weeks or months. After that, I’ll review their work and end the engagement. Toptal then asks me to review the engagement and tell them everything about the freelancers’ work. 

What is the team composition?

Toptal allows us to have as many people working on our project simultaneously. I can also have an entire Toptal team to work for me — I’ve had as many as five people working for me during the full build, including a CTO, a CEO, a lead developer, and a lead UI/UX designer. All of these have been temporary roles. 

How did you come to work with Toptal?

Toptal was a recommendation. My brother found them on Google. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our investment has been around £115,000 (approximately $140,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in October 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Toptal sees my vision and has delivered a great first version of the product. It’s not launched yet because of some accountancy issues, but it’s essentially finished. Overall, the team has given a great product, and we’ll continue developing it once I get customer feedback. 

How did Toptal perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is one of their strong points. The project manager has developed sprints to ensure the work is done on time. Even if we’re put back a few weeks, we have regular team meetings to discuss how we can get back on track. 

Moreover, the team’s communication has been great with everyone. We’re always talking on Slack, and we use Google Meet for meetings. To store code, we use GitHub. Apart from those, our team uses Adobe quite frequently and other pieces of graphic design software. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with the talent they have. When Toptal initially talks to you, you get an account manager who’ll assign a hiring manager in your field. You tell the hiring manager your criteria, and from there, you can interview a bunch of people.

Simply put, they truly search for the best bespoke talent fit for your company. This is what Toptal has that others don’t — they can find great resources for your company in a matter of hours or days. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had a slight problem with getting resources to sign NDAs. Since all of them are from around the world, some people can get quite nervous when they don’t understand what they’re signing. Toptal’s legal team could help a bit more in ensuring their talent understand the legal side of the engagement. Other than that, the team has done great so far. Everything is solved quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to Toptal and their hiring manager and see whether you need a whole Toptal team or just 1–2 people. 

In my case, I need an entire team because I have a whole development project. If you already have a few people working for you and you just want to bring in additional people, you don’t need an entire team from Toptal; you only need 1–2 people on your payroll from them.