Toptal helps WaitWhat turn its award-winning podcast into a mobile app for entrepreneurs.
Toptal delivered a mobile app in less than seven months for WaitWhat, creators of the award-winning Masters of Scale podcast. The platform transforms entrepreneurial insights into daily practice, making world-class business wisdom accessible to leaders everywhere.
120
Episodes Launched
1,000+
Downloads at Launch
100%
Positive Reviews
Every figure shown is based on actual results we’ve delivered
Client
WaitWhat is a media invention company founded in 2017 by June Cohen and Deron Triff, former TED executives. Its portfolio spans award-winning podcasts, mobile applications, and live experiences designed to spark curiosity and daily learning habits.
Industry
Media and EntertainmentDelivered Services
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Schedule a CallChallenge
WaitWhat sought to extend its hit podcast into a high-quality mobile experience on a lean budget and timeline.
WaitWhat, the media invention company led by June Cohen and Deron Triff, found rapid success with Masters of Scale, a podcast hosted by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Featuring leaders from Netflix, Slack, Starbucks, and other global brands, the show won multiple Webby Awards and became a trusted resource for entrepreneurs worldwide.
To expand the impact of this content, WaitWhat envisioned a mobile app that distilled long-form interviews into short, actionable practices. But with limited engineering resources, a short deadline, and exceptionally high quality standards, the company needed a partner who could quickly assemble and integrate a world-class team.
Solution
A fully integrated Toptal team designed, built, and delivered the Masters of Scale app.
Toptal assembled a multidisciplinary team—including back-end and front-end developers, a mobile-experienced Agile project manager, and a design lead—to work as an extension of WaitWhat’s staff. In early discovery workshops, the team refined requirements into a budget-conscious MVP that preserved the creative ambition behind the app.
They leveraged React Native to achieve iOS and Android parity faster than expected and customized a CMS to manage content scheduling, push notifications, and emails. Accessibility and empathy shaped the product: features included offline listening for users with limited connectivity and WCAG-compliant design to support people with vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments.
Outcome
Toptal delivered WaitWhat’s most effective tool for entrepreneurial learning in less than 7 months.
The Masters of Scale app launched with a library of 120 episodes distilled into 10-to 12-minute daily practices. It provided founders and executives at Fortune 1000 companies with access to the key ideas and richest learning moments. Adoption was strong from the start, with thousands of downloads and no negative reviews in app stores after the initial launch.
Beyond the initial release, the app became a model for expanding premium content into interactive experiences. WaitWhat continued working with Toptal to enhance features and develop a white-label version of the platform for other podcasts, beginning with the award-winning On Being.
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Schedule a CallReinventing Podcasts for a Unique Mobile Experience
A world-class team of mobile developers, designers, and an Agile project manager partnered with WaitWhat to create a mobile app that distilled long-form interviews into short, actionable practices.
Netherlands
Member since June 7, 2019
Brian is a human experience designer focused on healthcare, sustainability, fintech, and IoT. For 20+ years, Brian has helped startups and businesses like Philips, ING, Land Life Company, and WaitWhat turn innovation strategies into award-winning products and services. His specialties include prototyping, behavioral design, and UX strategy. Brian has given talks and workshops in 12 countries. His first book, The Creative Empathy Field Guide, is available in e-book and paperback.
