{"id":29443,"date":"2025-09-19T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T07:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scroll.media\/2025\/09\/19\/toloka-interview\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T13:02:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T11:02:38","slug":"toloka-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scroll.media\/en\/2025\/09\/19\/toloka-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Toloka Syndicate: $20M in Deals, 18 Investments, and a Bet on Scale AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Toloka syndicate team has closed over $20 million in deals in just two years. In 2025, they also became part of a major success story<\/a>: Meta invested in Scale AI at a nearly $30 billion valuation, in which Toloka had backed earlier. While Toloka didn\u2019t exit the investment, the syndicate received over $2.3 million in payments as part of the deal, while still retaining its full stake. The team expects the startup\u2019s valuation to potentially double.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll.media spoke with managing partners Igor Shoifot, Oleksandr Kolb, and Taras Kyrychenko about Toloka\u2019s results and plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation took place with all partners together, but for clarity, their answers are presented here as a dialogue between two people.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve reached a new milestone \u2014 congratulations! Over $20 million in two years?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, we\u2019ve calculated that as of now, we\u2019ve invested $20.2 million. Toloka turns two on October 10<\/strong>, and we\u2019re keeping a pretty solid pace \u2014 comparable to an average VC firm in the US or Europe. Plus, we\u2019re quietly working on another direction that we haven\u2019t announced publicly yet \u2014 more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We haven\u2019t had any write-offs so far. There haven\u2019t been exits yet, but the Scale AI story has been a great success and generated solid returns for our syndicate members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many deals have you closed?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of now, 18 deals have been completed. Two more are being finalized. We expect to close them by the end of October, bringing the total to 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, we haven\u2019t closed as many deals as last year, but that\u2019s part of how we operate. We don\u2019t just throw money at everything that moves. It\u2019s important to us that our members actually make money. To make 6\u20138 solid investments, we review about 600 companies. That way, members know we\u2019re selecting truly high-potential startups, and they\u2019re ready to invest alongside us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the average ticket size now? Last time you mentioned $1+ million.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ran the numbers for this conversation \u2014 it\u2019s $1.283 million. That\u2019s significantly higher than what we expected when we started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more importantly, we\u2019re seeing an increase in repeat investors: individuals joining multiple deals, reinvesting, and supporting new projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, we always remind everyone \u2014 invest only when your other financial priorities are covered and you understand the risks. We don\u2019t promise mountains of gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the Scale AI story help boost interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were already growing actively, but of course, big success stories increase visibility. After Scale AI, we\u2019ve seen around 100 new members joining every month \u2014 not just watching, but ready to invest. Now we have almost 1,600 syndicate members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u0421\u0438\u043d\u0434\u0438\u043a\u0430\u0442 Toloka \u0434\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0435 \u0437\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0431\u0438\u0432 \u043d\u0430 \u0443\u0433\u043e\u0434\u0456 Meta \u0442\u0430 Scale AI. \u0406 \u0437\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0431\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0449\u0435 \u2014 \u0447\u0438\u043c \u0443\u043d\u0456\u043a\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u043a\u0435\u0439\u0441<\/a><\/blockquote>