Topl

Founded in 2017 by Chris Georgen, James Aman, and Matthew Kindy, Topl is a blockchain technology company that originated from Rice University. The founders' journey began with a focus on leveraging technology for social and environmental good. Chris Georgen, the Managing Director, has a background in Mathematics, Chemical Physics, and Philosophy from Rice University, where his research on complex systems informed Topl's blockchain approach. James Aman, the CTO, holds a PhD in experimental atomic physics from Rice and brought his problem-solving skills to the technical development of the company. The firm is focused on the impact economy, providing a purpose-built blockchain to help companies track, prove, and monetize their ethical and sustainable practices.

Topl operates on a Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) model, offering its protocol to a diverse client base that includes companies in supply chain management, carbon credit registries, agribusiness, healthcare, and fashion. The company generates revenue by providing organizations with the tools to build on its blockchain, including software development kits (SDKs) and simplified APIs, which reduce the costs and complexities associated with certification and verification processes. Use cases have included tracing conflict-free diamonds, ensuring fair-wage cocoa, verifying water usage in industrial processes, and confirming the cold chain for COVID-19 test kits.

The company's core offering is the Topl Blockchain, a protocol designed to be energy-efficient and accessible, even on feature phones, which is a key differentiator for its work in emerging markets. A significant development is the "Topl Thunder" network, a Layer 2 protocol built on Bitcoin, designed to enhance functionality, speed, and affordability. This network allows developers to build applications in their preferred programming languages without needing to write complex smart contracts. Topl's architecture supports the tokenization of various assets, including non-carbon impacts like gender equity and public health, turning them into quantifiable and monetizable units. The protocol utilizes a dual-token model: the TOPL token for staking and governance, and LVLs for transaction fees, which are designed to be semi-stable.

Since its inception, Topl has achieved several milestones, including raising a $3 million seed round in 2020 and a $15 million Series A round in 2022, co-led by Mercury Fund, Republic Asia, and Cryptology Asset Group. The company has also launched a grant program to support developers building impact-focused applications on its platform. Now headquartered in Austin but maintaining a presence in Houston, Topl is focused on expanding its ecosystem with a goal of decentralizing its protocol. Keywords: blockchain for good, impact monetization, ESG tracking, supply chain transparency, sustainable finance, Bitcoin Layer 2, asset tokenization, regenerative finance, ethical sourcing, Blockchain-as-a-Service