• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

This E-Commerce Startup Is Profitable and Raised New Cash

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 11, 2017, 10:00 AM ET

Early stage startups that achieve profitability are a rarity in Silicon Valley. Tophatter, a startup you have probably never heard of, may be an exception.

The San Francisco-based startup, which has quietly been building a mobile e-commerce marketplace, says it’s profitable but declined to say by how much.

Tophatter expects to make $100 million in revenue this year. It netted nearly $40 million in revenue in 2016.

Founded in 2012, Tophatter has had flown under the radar compared to its contemporaries such as shopping app Wish or grocery delivery company Instacart. Kumar has avoided press coverage, instead focusing on building the business.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Tophatter’s service is similar to eBay in that buyers bid for items via an auction and is a marketplace where sellers can put everything from tennis rackets to jewelry up for sale. Although it has a website, the company’s shoppers primarily buy via Tophatter’s mobile site and app, said CEO and co-founder Ashvin Kumar.

Kumar likens Tophatter to more of a shopping mall than e-commerce giant Amazon. “You go to Amazon (AMZN) if you know what you want, and you come to Tophatter to browse and buy things you didn’t know you wanted,” he said.

Tophatter says that it uses an algorithm to deliver more personalized recommendations of items to buy. So buyers who click on tennis rackets will be served more tennis-related items or sports gear on the home page the next time they visit. The app has has 12 million shoppers to date, and 85% of items sell within 90 seconds of being listed on the site.

Tophatter makes money by taking a cut on each sale. Kumar declined to reveal the exact amount, but he said it was a double digit percentage of each sale.

For more on Amazon, watch:

Kumar likens Tophatter to a next generation QVC or Home Shopping Network.

In addition to Amazon and eBay, Tophatter also competes with mobile shopping marketplace Wish.

Tophatter’s funding and news of profitability comes at a time when many Silicon Valley companies are burning through cash. Food delivery startup Munchery was forced to lay off employees as it struggled with mounting expenses. And one-time e-commerce darling Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2016.

Kumar says his company has deliberately kept expenses down and is “actually” profitable, meaning the company is earning more money than it is spending, including operating expenses such as marketing.

Tophatter has recently raised $21 million in Series B funding from Goodwater Capital,Fortune has learned exclusively. Previous investors August Capital and Charles River Ventures also participated in the round.

Kumar said he’s choosing to raise more money because the company wants to expand internationally.

“We are the anti-Amazon,” Kumar said.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Sarandos
Arts & EntertainmentM&A
It’s a sequel, it’s a remake, it’s a reboot: Lawyers grow wistful for old corporate rumbles as Paramount, Netflix fight for Warner
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 13, 2025
3 hours ago
Oracle chairman of the board and chief technology officer Larry Ellison delivers a keynote address during the 2019 Oracle OpenWorld on September 16, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
AIOracle
Oracle’s collapsing stock shows the AI boom is running into two hard limits: physics and debt markets
By Eva RoytburgDecember 13, 2025
4 hours ago
robots
InnovationRobots
‘The question is really just how long it will take’: Over 2,000 gather at Humanoids Summit to meet the robots who may take their jobs someday
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressDecember 12, 2025
17 hours ago
Man about to go into police vehicle
CryptoCryptocurrency
Judge tells notorious crypto scammer ‘you have been bitten by the crypto bug’ in handing down 15 year sentence 
By Carlos GarciaDecember 12, 2025
18 hours ago
three men in suits, one gesturing
AIBrainstorm AI
The fastest athletes in the world can botch a baton pass if trust isn’t there—and the same is true of AI, Blackbaud exec says
By Amanda GerutDecember 12, 2025
19 hours ago
Brainstorm AI panel
AIBrainstorm AI
Creative workers won’t be replaced by AI—but their roles will change to become ‘directors’ managing AI agents, executives say
By Beatrice NolanDecember 12, 2025
19 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
3 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.