Toptal Management Consulting Expert
Amazon vs. Walmart: Bezos Goes for the Jugular With Whole Foods Acquisition
Through its acquisition of Whole Foods, Amazon is not only likely to disrupt the grocery shopping experience but is perhaps embarking on a grander push that could change the entire retail landscape, leaving Walmart on the back foot.

Toby Clarence-Smith
Toby has deep financial experience across investment banking, VC investing, and PE. He most recently founded and sold a VC-backed company.
3 Core Principles of Venture Capital Portfolio Strategy
Many newcomers to venture capital fail to appreciate some of the nuances that distinguishes venture investing from traditional forms of financial investing. This article delves into three areas in particular that new venture investors should look to understand.
Toptal Talent Network Experts
Private Equity Outlook 2017: Signs of Fatigue
The private equity industry is showing signs of maturity as record competition amongst funds and record-high levels of dry powder, combined with strong competition from cash-rich corporates, have driven valuations to levels that make it difficult to see how returns could remain competitive.

Anuar Heberlein
Anuar has executed $1bn+ worth of transactions across the Americas. He’s an expert in growth strategy, M&A, and valuation.
Selling Your Business? Stop Leaving Money on the Table
When looking to sell your business, you will want to maximize its value through a combination of planning and timing. This article runs through some of the most important considerations to keep in mind when preparing for a sale.

Jeffrey Mazer
Jeff has extensive experience within the financial services industry, excelling in a number of roles ranging from portfolio manager to CFO.
The Greek Debt Crisis Explained
After several months of relative quiet, Greece is back in the spotlight as the latest repayment deadline on its bailout debt comes due in July. We take the opportunity to review the root causes of the crisis, what has been happening since it kicked off, and what needs to be done to resolve the situation.

Solon Molho
Solon is a top rated sell-side equity analyst, with deep experience in financial analysis and valuation work.
World-class articles, delivered weekly.
By entering your email, you are agreeing to our privacy policy.
Is a Cashless Society the New Reality?
A cashless society is approaching, with progress particularly pronounced in certain parts of the world. This piece examines global payment trends, as well as benefits and drawbacks of a cashless economy. It also includes case studies on India and Sweden, two countries already transitioning to a cashless future.

Melissa Lin
Melissa has worked in ECM, tech startups, and management consulting, advising Fortune 500 companies across multiple sectors.
The State of Fintech in 2017
The financial services industry is seeing a wave of innovation that is bringing with it new technology, but also a need to attract and develop talent that have the skillset needed to operate in this changing environment. This article delves into some of the most important trends affecting the industry.

Rajeev Jeyakumar
After working as a management consultant with clients like AIG, Ameriprise, and Santander, Rajeev successfully founded and sold a company.
Choosing the Right E-commerce Business Model to Sell Your Product
As retail continues to shift online, businesses and manufacturers are faced with ever-growing pressures to build serious online presences and distribution. This article looks at the different options available, and assesses their merits and considerations from a financial standpoint

Martin Smith
Martin works with large, PE-owned and quoted companies, as well as startups. He is particularly strong in growing top line and margins.
Has the US Equity Crowdfunding Market Lived up to Expectations?
Four years on from the signing of the JOBS act, equity crowdfunding remains a small, niche market. In this article, we take a look at the current state of equity crowdfunding in the US and assess some of the challenges the market faces if it wants to grow into its potential.

Toby Clarence-Smith
Toby has deep financial experience across investment banking, VC investing, and PE. He most recently founded and sold a VC-backed company.
The Importance of Customer Retention: An Empirical Study
Startups nowadays are hyper focused on growth at all costs, a practice which often undermines the fundamental health of the business. This article takes an in-depth look at the importance of focusing on customer retention from day one and the practical benefits it can provide in the medium to long term.
Toptal Talent Network Experts
What is the Border Adjustment Tax? Potential Benefits and Risks
With tax reform discussions likely to rise to the national forefront, this article provides analysis regarding border adjustment taxes and the recent House proposal. It assesses economic implications and historical comparisons to help you understand how you and your business might be impacted.

Melissa Lin
Melissa has worked in ECM, tech startups, and management consulting, advising Fortune 500 companies across multiple sectors.
Power Pivot for Excel Tutorial: Top Use Cases and Examples
With the arrival and growing ubiquity of big data, Excel, as a data-mining and processing tool has been pushed to its limits—reflected in its dated 1,048,576 row hard limit and the application’s processing speed slowing to a crawl. As of 2010, Microsoft released a Power Pivot function that transformed the scope and usefulness of Excel where the extraction, combination, and analysis of large datasets are concerned.
Using live cases, Management Consultant Ellen Su explores in detail how to master Power Pivot and explores its hidden advantages as a big data tool.

Ellen Su
Ellen’s extensive experience in fixed income trading and portfolio management make her an unparalleled expert in analytics and modeling.
SaaS Pricing Models: Pricing Strategy Examples and Best Practices
Pricing strategy is one of the most important financial levers that companies have at their disposal to influence the financial success of their business. However, it is not an easy task. This article analyzes SaaS software pricing strategies and finds that several of the operational characteristics of the business model generate some very useful pricing advantages that can help drive financial performance.

Tayfun Uslu
Tayfun is a management consultant and co-founder of a $500 million e-commerce company. He enjoys startup-oriented work across finance and strategy.
Open-source Software: Investable Business Model or Not?
Open-source software is a catalyst for growth and change in the IT industry, and one can’t overestimate its importance to the sector. In recent years, there has been a surge in venture capital dollars pouring into the sector. In this article, we analyse whether recent valuations make sense, and whether the open-source model lends itself to the returns profile that venture capital investors look for.

Natallia Chykina
Natallia has extensive experience with investments and M&A deals across a range of industries (oil & gas, consumer & retail, FIG, TMT).
World-class articles, delivered weekly.
Toptal Management Consultants
- 409A Valuation Consultants
- Bankruptcy Consultants
- Blockchain Consultants
- Business Consultants
- Business Plan Writers
- Cash Flow Consultants
- CFO Consultants
- Corporate Finance Consultants
- CPAs
- Crowdfunding Consultants
- Excel Experts
- Financial Consultants
- Financial Managers
- Financial Modelers
- Financial Planning Consultants
- Fintech Consultants
- FP&A Analysts
- Fractional CFOs
- Fractional COOs
- Fundraising Consultants
- Hedge Fund Consultants
- Interim CFOs
- Interim COOs
- Interim Financial Controllers
- M&A Consultants
- Market Research Analysts
- McKinsey Consultants
- Part-time CFOs
- Pitch Deck Consultants
- Pricing Consultants
- Private Equity Consultants
- Quantitative Analysts
- Salesforce Consultants
- Small Business Operations Consultants
- Startup Consultants
- Startup Funding Consultants
- Stock Market Experts
- Tax Professionals
- Virtual CFOs
- View More Freelance Consultants
Join the Toptal® community.














