View source for Topcoder

{{Short description|Crowdsourcing company in Indiana, US}}
{{Self-published|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Topcoder, Inc.
| logo = Topcoder_Logo.svg
| vector_logo = 
| type = 
| genre = 
| foundation = April 2001
| founder = Jack Hughes
| location_city = Indianapolis, IN
| location_country = USA
| origins = 
| key_people = 
| area_served = 
| industry = [[Employment agency|Information Technology Staffing]] <br /> [[Software industry|Software]] <br /> [[Outsourcing|Outsourcing services]]
| products = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| parent = [[Wipro]]
| subsid = 
| owner = 
| slogan = 
| homepage = {{URL|www.topcoder.com}}
| dissolved = 
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Topcoder''' (formerly TopCoder) is a [[crowdsourcing]] company with an [[Commons-based peer production|open global community]] of designers, [[Software development|developers]], [[Data science|data scientists]], and [[Competitive programming|competitive programmers]]. Topcoder pays community members for their work on the projects and sells community services to corporate, mid-size, and small-business clients.<ref name=":0"/><ref name="HuffPost-founding">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-diamandis/topcoders-5-steps-to-buil_b_2916499.html|title=TopCoder's 5 Steps to Building a Global Workforce Community|last1=Diamandis|first1=Peter|date=March 20, 2013|website=The Huffington Post|accessdate=15 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwinsor/2019/02/20/dont-retrain-your-team-instead-tap-the-expertise-of-gig-workers-on-demand/#13344ecd8960|title=Don't Retrain Your Team - Instead, Tap The Expertise Of Git Workers On Demand|last=Winsor|first=John|date=February 20, 2019|website=Forbes|access-date=February 21, 2019}}</ref> Topcoder also organizes the annual [[Topcoder Open]] tournament and a series of smaller regional events.

==History==
Topcoder was founded in 2001 by Jack Hughes, chairman and Founder of the Tallan company.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|vauthors=Lakhani KR, Garvin DA, Lonstein E|date=January 2010|title=TopCoder (A): Developing Software through Crowdsourcing|url=https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=38356|journal=Harvard Business School Case|pages=610–032}}</ref><ref name="HuffPost-founding" /> The name was formerly spelt as "TopCoder" until 2013. Topcoder ran regular competitive programming challenges, known as Single Round Matches or "SRMs," where each SRM was a timed 1.5-hour algorithm competition and contestants would compete against each other to solve the same set of problems. The contestants were students from different secondary schools or universities. Cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per match were secured from corporate sponsors and awarded to tournament winners to generate interest from the student community.<ref name=":0" />

As the community of designers, developers, data scientists, and competitive programmers involved in Topcoder grew, the company started to offer software development services to 3rd party clients, contracting individual community members to work on specific tasks. Most of the revenue, though, still came from consulting services provided to clients by Topcoder employees.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sramanamitra.com/2018/01/02/genesis-to-acquisition-mike-morris-ceo-of-topcoder-part-1/|title=Genesis to Acquisition: Mike Morris, CEO of Topcoder|last=Mitra|first=Sramana|date=January 2, 2018|website=One Million by One Million Blog|access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref> From 2006 onwards, Topcoder held design competitions, thus offering design services to their clients.<ref name=":0" /> In 2006 Topcoder also started to organize Marathon Matches (MM) – one week long algorithmic contests.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/marathon-match-how-it-all-began/|title=Marathon Matches: How They All Began|date=April 10, 2018|website=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 12, 2018}}</ref><ref group="note" name=":0">The first Marathon Match at Topcoder took place from May 10 to May 17, 2006: https://community.topcoder.com/tc?module=MatchDetails&rd=10015</ref>

In an attempt to optimize expenses, Topcoder introduced new competition tracks in 2007-2008 and delegated more work from its employees to the community. By 2009, the size of Topcoder's staff had been reduced to 16 project managers servicing 35 clients, while the community did most of the actual work via crowdsourcing. Topcoder representatives claim that at this point their community had about 170k registered members, and the company's annual revenue was approximately $19 million.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/2653445/applications/topcoder-eyeing-smb-market.html|title=TopCoder eyeing SMB market|last=Kanaracus|first=Chris|date=October 15, 2008|work=InfoWorld|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>

In 2013, Topcoder was acquired by [[Appirio]], and the Topcoder community (of around 500 thousand at the time), was merged, under the Topcoder brand, with the 75k member crowdsourcing community Cloudspokes, created and managed by Appirio.<ref name=":2">TechCrunch report {{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/17/appirio-buys-topcoder-to-add-more-crowdsourcing-and-500k-developers-and-designers-to-its-cloudspokes-network|title=Appirio Buys TopCoder To Add More Crowdsourcing, And 500K Developers And Designers, To Its CloudSpokes Network|last=Lunden|first=Ingrid|date=September 17, 2013|website=TechCrunch|accessdate=2014-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/appirio-officially-unifies-cloudspokes-and-topcoder/|title=Appirio officially unifies CloudSpokes and topcoder|last=Clancy|first=Heather|date=January 21, 2014|work=ZD Net|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.itnews.com/article/2115211/development/topcoder-merges-appirio-cloudspokes.html|title=Topcoder lets developers compete to build the best app for your business|last=Weinberger|first=Matt|date=January 15, 2014|work=IT News|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, Topcoder, along with Appirio, was acquired by [[Wipro]] as a part of a $500 million deal and continued to operate as a separate company under its brand.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/deals/-ma/Appirios-TopCoder-too-is-a-big-catch-for-Wipro/articleshow/54970568.cms|title=Appirio's TopCoder too is a big catch for Wipro|last=Phadnisi|first=Shilpa|date=October 21, 2016|work=The Times of India|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3133413/wipro-is-buying-cloud-consultant-appirio-for-500m.html|title=Wipro is buying cloud consultant Appirio for $500M|last=Sayer|first=Peter|date=October 20, 2016|work=PCWorld|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www2.staffingindustry.com/row/Editorial/Daily-News/India-Wipro-to-acquire-cloud-services-company-Appirio-39788|title=India - Wipro to Acquire Cloud Services Company, Appirio|date=October 24, 2016|work=Staffing Industry Analysts|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.horsesforsources.com/abid-HfS-interview_301116|title=Wipro bids for As-a-Service... with Abid|last=Fersht|first=Phil|date=November 29, 2016|work=Horses for Sources|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/with-the-acquisition-of-appirio-wipro-expects-to-stay-ahead-of-the-game/articleshow/55020652.cms|title=With the acquisition of Appirio, Wipro expects to stay ahead of the game|last=Mendonca|first=Jochelle|date=October 24, 2016|work=The Economic Times|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref>

Since the end of 2017, Topcoder has continued to offer its enterprise clients the Hybrid Crowd platform, as a way to protect intellectual property in crowdsourcing projects. In addition to the public Topcoder community, the Hybrid Crowd platform allows for the creation of certified and private crowdsourcing communities. Its certified communities include members of public Topcoder communities who are vetted for a customer's specific requirements, such as signing an additional [[Non-disclosure agreement|NDA]], completing a background check, or meeting any other particular certifications. The private communities may include an enterprise's employees and contractors. As the first user of Hybrid Crowd, Wipro integrated its internal (employee-only) crowdsourcing platform TopGear with Topcoder.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://smartinvestor.business-standard.com/market/interviews-438102-interviewsdet-We_have_put_in_the_basic_ingredients_to_execute_well_Wipro_COO.htm#.WtJt6nVuYUE|title=We have put in the basic ingredients to execute well: Wipro COO|last1=Peermohamed|first1=Alnoor|date=January 25, 2017|work=SmartInvestor.in|access-date=April 14, 2018|last2=Krishnan|first2=Raghu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://research.nelson-hall.com/sourcing-expertise/it-services/?avpage-views=blog&type=post&post_id=722|title=Wipro Converging its Crowdtesting Activities Around QaaS & Topcoder|last=Raviart|first=Dominique|date=October 4, 2017|work=Nelson Hall|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/LNwDEZfTOVghZcdibAJypM/Wipros-Top-Gun-A-new-work-construct-in-the-digital-age.html|title=Wipro's Top Gear: A new work construct in the 'digital' age|last=Pai|first=Siddharth|date=June 6, 2017|work=Live Mint|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterbendorsamuel/2017/12/18/wipro-launches-hybrid-crowd-in-move-to-capture-digital-expertise/#7155a586732a|title=Wipro Launches Hybrid Crowd In Move To Capture Digital Expertise|last=Bendor-Samuel|first=Peter|date=December 18, 2017|work=Forbes|access-date=April 29, 2018}}</ref>

== Topcoder community ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible floatright"
|+
Estimated size of Topcoder community
!Date
!Num. registered members
|-
|2002
|10 000<ref name=":1" /> – 20 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2003
|~30 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2004
|~40 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2005
|~60 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2006
|~90 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2007
|~120 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2008
|~160 000<ref name=":0" /> – 170 000<ref name=":5" />
|-
|2009
|~220 000<ref name=":0" />
|-
|2013
|~500 000<ref name=":2" /><ref group="note">In 2013, ~500k registered members was the estimated size of Topcoder community before its merge with ~75k members strong CloudSpokes community. Hence, after the merge the size of resulting community became ~575 000 registered members.</ref> – 600 000<ref name=":21">{{Cite news|url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/leaders-in-change-and-innovation-to-keynote-topcoder-open-innovation-summit-1841086.htm|title=Leaders in Change and Innovation to Keynote TopCoder Open Innovation Summit|date=October 15, 2013|work=Market Wired|access-date=April 18, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2014
|~700 000<ref name=":20">{{Cite news|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/appirio-and-industry-leaders-host-2014-topcoder-open-to-celebrate-how-developers-are-changing-the-world-280765642.html|title=Appirio and Industry Leaders Host 2014 Topcoder Open to Celebrate How Developers Are Changing the World|date=October 29, 2014|work=CISION PR Newswire|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2015
|~850 000<ref name=":18">{{Cite news|url=https://hub.appirio.com/news/top-programmers-and-designers-travel-to-compete-in-the-2015-topcoder-open-india-regional-event|title=Top programmers and Designers Travel to Compete in the 2015 Topcoder Open India Regional Event|date=August 20, 2015|work=Appirio Newsroom|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|~1 000 000<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/1-million-members-strong/|title=Topcoder Community: 1 Million Members Strong|date=May 8, 2016|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2018
|~1 200 000<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/business/we-are-banking-digital-drive-our-growth-668438.html|title=We are banking on digital to drive our growth|last1=Kannan|first1=Uma|date=May 5, 2018|work=Deccan Herald|access-date=May 9, 2018|last2=Vijayakumar|first2=N V}}</ref>
|-
|2024
|~1 900 000<ref>[https://www.topcoder.com Home | Topcoder]</ref>
|}
Topcoder community is the primary source of the workforce behind all Topcoder projects. It is open and global: anybody, with a few legal restrictions dictated by US laws, and listed in Community Terms, can join and compete, without any financial commitment to Topcoder. Also, participation in challenges organized in the interests of commercial clients generally requires the community member to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Intellectual property for the winning submissions to commercial challenges is passed to the client, in exchange for monetary prizes paid to the winners.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us|title=Topcoder Help Center|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/community/how-it-works/terms/|title=Terms & Conditions of Use at Topcoder|website=Topcoder|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

While the majority of community members participate in Topcoder challenges as regular competitors, those who become recognized for their performance, and involvement in community life (via communication in Topcoder forums, attending Topcoder events, etc.), are offered additional roles in the community, which include: copilots (technical coordinators of challenges), problem writers, reviewers, etc.<ref name=":3" /> Since the end of 2014 till the end of 2017, a Community Advisory Board (CAB) was selected from active community members for a one-year term to help improve communications between Topcoder company and its community.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/the-topcoder-community-advisory-board-is-finally-here/|title=The Topcoder Community Advisory Board is Finally Here!|date=October 31, 2014|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001040628-Topcoder-Community-Advisory-Board|title=Topcoder Community Advisory Board|date=February 9, 2018|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/community/member-programs/topcoder-community-advisory-board/|title=2017 Community Advisory Board|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/community/member-programs/cab-yearbook/|title=Community Advisory Board Yearbook|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref> In 2018 the CAB was replaced by the Topcoder MVP (Most Valuable Player) program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/introducing-2018-topcoder-mvp-members/|title=Introducing the 2018 Topcoder MVP Members!|date=January 25, 2018|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/community/member-programs/mvp-program/|title=MVP Program|access-date=April 15, 2018}}</ref>

There are four primary segments of each Topcoder community, open to every member: Design, Development, Data Science, and Competitive Programming.<ref name=":3" /> Also, since the end of 2017, Topcoder, as a part of their Hybrid Crowd offering, creates sub-communities dedicated to specific clients/projects. The sub-communities may require members to meet additional eligibility criteria before joining.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url=https://www.wipro.com/newsroom/press-releases/2017/topcoder-launches-hybrid-crowd-to-deliver-new-levels-of-on-demand-talent-to-the-enterprise/|title=Topcoder Launches Hybrid Crowd to Deliver New Levels of On-Demand Talent to the Enterprise|date=December 12, 2017|work=Wipro Newsroom|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref>

=== Design ===
Topcoder design community is focused on:<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us/articles/217481388-Choosing-a-Design-Challenge|title=Choosing a Design Challenge|date=January 19, 2018|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

* '''[[Information architecture|Information Architecture]]'''
** '''[[Website wireframe|Wireframes]]''' – With customer ideas, application and business requirements as input, competitors are challenged to create a black-and-white interactive user experience guide, able to showcase the logic and user-experience with the further application, without spending time on the exact [[look and feel]].
** '''Idea Generation''' – Competitors are asked to develop an idea proposed by the customer, with a written report or visual presentation as deliverables.
* '''[[User interface|UI]]/[[User experience|UX]]/[[Customer experience|CX]] Design'''
**'''[[Web design|Applications and Web Design]]''' – Competitors develop graphical designs for customer application or website; the deliverables are the actual design specifications (graphical images with associated measurements, font details, etc.) for software developers.
** '''Design Concept''' – More informal design challenges, where participants should turn client idea into a design, which is not meant to be used for the actual development without further processing.
** '''[[Icon (computing)|Icons]]''' design
** '''Presentation Design''' – [[Infographic]]s, print materials, PowerPoint presentations.

Two particular types of Topcoder design challenges are LUX (Live User Experience, 24 – 48 hours long) and RUX (Rapid User Experience, three days long). In both cases, more substantial prizes compared to regular design challenges with the similar goals, are offered in exchange for the shorter timeline. Short timelines allow Topcoder managers to demonstrate to customers how crowdsourcing works on real cases, during live, and few-days meetings with the clients.<ref name=":4" />

=== Development ===
Software development segment of Topcoder community is focused on:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us/articles/217481558-Development-Challenge-Types|title=Development Challenge Types|date=July 20, 2017|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

* '''Bug Bash''' – Challenges concentrate on fixes of numerous small bugs in an existing software product.
* '''Code''' – Generic software development challenges, typically with five day competition phase, and four more days for review, appeals and appeal responses. Usually, two prizes are offered, ~$600 - $1200 for the winner, and half of that for the second place.
* '''First-to-Finish (F2F)''' – Rapid software development challenges with no fixed timeline for the competition phase. The first participant who submits a solution satisfying the specifications wins the only prize. In case of defects in a submission, that competitor is provided with review feedback as soon as possible, and allowed to submit again, with no penalty for the failed submission. Typically, such challenges have a small scope, compared to other challenge types.
* '''Quality Assurance''' – Challenges focused on testing and search for bugs in the provided software products.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-qa-challenges/|title=What is QA?|website=Topcoder|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>
* '''UI Prototype''' – Challenges focused on [[Front and back ends|frontend]] development. Typically, they are reviewed by scorecards paying more attention to the exact match with provided visual design specifications, and include additional phases for final fixes, compared to the regular code challenges.

=== Data science ===
There are several types of data science challenges at Topcoder; typically, they are longer than software development challenges and focused on data science and algorithms, rather than on end-user software products:<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us/articles/230881408-Data-Science-Challenge-Types|title=Data Science Challenge Types|date=March 3, 2017|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

* '''Marathon Match''' '''(MM)'''<ref name=":8" /> – A week-long algorithmic contest, in which submissions are judged objectively by an automated scoring function that feeds a live leaderboard, and multiple submission from the same competitor is encouraged during the match with no penalty. Programming languages allowed in MMs are [[C++]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#.NET]], [[Visual Basic .NET|VB.NET]]. Topcoder has organized Marathon Matches since 2006,<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":0" group="note" /> and 100th MM was held in April 2018.<ref name=":19">{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/marathon-match-100-prizes-t-shirts/|title=Marathon Match 100 with Prizes & T-Shirts|date=April 11, 2018|work=Topcoder Blog}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/marathon-match-100-winners/|title=Marathon Match 100: Winners and More!|date=May 4, 2018|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=May 8, 2018}}</ref> There are few similar types of challenges ('''Banner Match''', '''Mini-Marathon Match'''), different by length and allowed programming languages.
* '''Data Science First to Finish''' – Algorithmic contests scored by an automated scoring function, where the first competitor that reaches the specified score thresholds wins.
* '''Data Science Sprint''' – A series of rapid data-science challenges, scored by a manual scoring function, and with no leaderboard.
* '''Data Visualization''' – Subjectively-judged competition that asks to analyze data and propose the best way to visualize them, along with trends and/or peculiarities in data that should be highlighted. The output of such challenges serves as input into design competition that outputs the actual visualizations of the data.
* '''Data Science Ideation''' – A challenge to discover new data/approaches/ideas for a problem with the help of a community.

=== Competitive programming ===
The Competitive Programming track of Topcoder community rotates around Single Round Matches (SRMs) – timed 1.5-hour competitions in which all participants compete online trying to solve the same set of problems as fast as possible. These were the first type of challenges at Topcoder.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite web|url=https://help.topcoder.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006162527-SRM-Overview|title=SRM Overview|date=April 25, 2017|website=Topcoder Help Center|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

=== Specialized sub-communities ===
The following table includes the list of Topcoder sub-communities dedicated to specific technologies and/or clients (within their Hybrid Crowd offering). See {{slink|TopCoder#Notable_Clients_and_Projects}} section for further information on these sub-communities.
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Partners
!Type<ref group="note">'''public''' = any Topcoder member can join; otherwise additional eligibility conditions</ref> 
!Focus
|-
|Blockchain Community<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=http://blockchain.topcoder.com/|title=Topcoder Blockchain Community|access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" />
|[[ConsenSys]]
|public
|[[Blockchain]] technology projects, with focus on [[Ethereum]] platform
|-
|Cognitive Community<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=https://cognitive.topcoder.com/|title=Topcoder Cognitive Community|website=cognitive.topcoder.com}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/topcoder-and-ibm-partner-to-bring-watson-to-the-topcoder-community/|title=Topcoder and IBM Partner to Bring Watson to the Topcoder Community|date=November 10, 2016|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref>
|[[IBM]]
|public
|[[Cognitive computing]], with a particular focus on [[Watson (computer)|IBM Watson]] services.
|-
|Veterans Community<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|url=http://veterans.topcoder.com/|title=Topcoder|website=veterans.topcoder.com}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite news|url=https://www.wipro.com/newsroom/press-releases/2017/topcoder-launches-crowdsourcing-community-to-help-us-military-veterans-transition-to-technology-jobs/|title=Topcoder Launches Crowdsourcing Community to Help U.S. Military Veterans Transition to Technology Jobs|date=December 14, 2017|work=Wipro Press Release|access-date=April 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":17" />
|Operation Code
|Only for US military veterans
|Educational and paid software development projects for US military veterans.
|}

== Topcoder Open ==
[[Topcoder Open|Topcoder Open (TCO)]] is an annual design, software development, data science and competitive programming championship, organized by Topcoder, and hosted in different venues around the US. Each year, the most successful participants of each competition track included into TCO are selected and invited for a free one-week trip to on-site finals, where they compete for prizes, and also socialize with each other, helping to build community spirit among the most active members. In the first two years, 2001 and 2002, the tournament was titled TopCoder Invitational.

In addition to the main championship, from 2001 to 2007 Topcoder organized an annual TopCoder Collegiate Challenge tournament, for college students only. Also from 2007 to 2010, a TopCoder High School competition was held.

Since 2015, Topcoder Regional events have been held through the year in different countries.

== Notable clients and projects ==

=== ConsenSys ===
In 2017, Topcoder entered into a partnership with [[ConsenSys]], an incubator of [[Ethereum]] projects, to promote the Topcoder Blockchain Community, and provide ConsenSys with design and development support for their [[blockchain]] projects.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=http://www.computerworld.in/media-releases/topcoder-consensys-partner-create-blockchain-engineers-community|title=Topcoder, ConsenSys partner to create blockchain engineers community|date=September 29, 2017|work=ComputerWorld|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite news|url=http://blocktribune.com/consensys-topcoder-partner-create-ethereum-engineering-community/|title=ConsenSys, Topcoder Partner to Create Ethereum Engineering Community|last=Pimentel|first=David|date=September 29, 2017|work=Block Tribune|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

=== Eli Lilly and Company ===
It was reported in 2008 that [[Eli Lilly and Company|Eli Lilly and Co.]] would use Topcoder platform to crowdsource development of IT applications for its global drug discovery operations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2535921/app-development/eli-lilly-aims-to-tap--rock-star--programmers.html|title=Eli Lilly aims to tap "rock star" programmers|last=Havenstein|first=Heather|date=May 18, 2008|work=Computerworld|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>

=== Harvard Medical School ===
In 2013, it was reported that researchers from [[Harvard Medical School]], [[Harvard Business School]], and [[London Business School]] successfully used Topcoder Community to solve complex biological problems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130207141448.htm|title=Solving big-data bottleneck: Scientists team with business innovators to tackle research hurdles|date=February 7, 2013|work=Science News|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref> Researchers say that Topcoder competitors approached the biology-related [[Big data|big-data]] challenge, and managed to create a more accurate and 1000 times faster alternative of [[BLAST (biotechnology)|BLAST algorithm]].<ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Lakhani KR, Boudreau KJ, Loh PR, Backstrom L, Baldwin C, Lonstein E, Lydon M, McCormack A, Arnaout RA, Guinan EC|date=February 7, 2013|title=Prize-based contests can provide solutions to computational biology problems|journal=Nature Biotechnology|volume=31|issue=2|pages=108–111|doi=10.1038/nbt.2495|pmid=23392504|pmc=4527172}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Eisenstein|first=Michael|date=July 9, 2013|title=Crowdsourced contest identifies best-in-class breast cancer prognostic|journal=Nature Biotechnology|volume=31|issue=7|pages=578–580|doi=10.1038/nbt0713-578b|pmid=23839130|s2cid=885686 }}</ref>

=== IARPA ===
[[Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity]] organization collaborates with Topcoder to create innovative algorithms for [[Intelligence assessment|intelligence applications]]. From July 2017 to February 2018 it ran the Functional Map of the World challenge to develop [[deep learning]] algorithms capable of scanning and identifying in satellite imagery different classes of objects, such as airports, schools, oil wells, shipyards, or ports .<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoint/2018/09/18/differentiating-a-port-from-a-shipyard-is-a-new-kind-of-problem-for-ai/|title=Differentiating a port from a shipyard is a new kind of problem for AI|last=Cebul|first=Daniel|date=September 18, 2018|website=C4ISRNET|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.executivegov.com/2018/09/iarpa-lockheed-researchers-prepare-to-retrain-algorithms-for-government-use/|title=IARPA, Lockheed researchers prepare to retrain algorithms for government use|last=Jackson|first=Monica|date=September 19, 2018|work=ExecutiveGov|access-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> In the ongoing Mercury challenge it aims to create [[Artificial intelligence|AI methods]] for automated prediction of critical events, involving military action, non-violent civil unrest, and infectious diseases in Middle East.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topcoder.com/mercury-challenge|title=Mercury Challenge Data Science Match|website=Topcoder|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref>

=== IBM ===
Since 2016 [[IBM]] has been collaborating with Topcoder to promote their cloud platform, [[IBM cloud computing|IBM Cloud]], and [[Watson (computer)|IBM Watson]] services, in particular.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sdtimes.com/ai/ibm-watson-topcoder-bring-ai-capabilities-1-million-developers/|title=IBM Watson, Topcoder bring AI capabilities to more than 1 million developers|last=Moore|first=Madison|date=November 10, 2016|work=SD Times|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/article/ibms-watson-cloud-now-available-to-topcoder-community-cm707062|title=IBM's Watson & Cloud Now Available to Topcoder Community|date=November 10, 2016|work=Nasdaq|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://icrunchdata.com/blog/109/ibm-launches-experimental-platform-to-embed-watson-in-any-device/|title=IBM Launches Experimental Platform to Embed Watson in Any Device|date=November 9, 2016|work=iCrunchData}}</ref> Within this partnership, Topcoder has created a dedicated Cognitive sub-community and run numerous educational and customer-oriented challenges.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.imwuc.org/blog/build-better-government-on-blockchain---topcoder-challenge|title=Build Better Government on Blockchain - TopCoder Challenge|last=Meren|first=Kathryn|date=July 20, 2017|work=IBM Middleware User Community Blog|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thenewstack.io/ibm-brings-low-code-app-development-bluemix/|title=IBM Brings Low-Code App Development to Bluemix|last=Taft|first=Darryl|date=April 13, 2017|work=The News Stack|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref>

=== NASA ===
In 2010, [[NASA]] asked the Topcoder community to optimize the contents of medical kits for future human space exploration missions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.solardaily.com/reports/TopCoder_Community_Refines_Medical_Kits_For_Future_NASA_Space_Missions_999.html|title=TopCoder Community Refines Medical Kits For Future NASA Space Missions|date=July 28, 2010|work=Solar Daily|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

In 2013, NASA Tournament Lab cooperated with Topcoder to run data-science challenges targeting to improve [[computer vision]] algorithms for their [[Robonaut|Robonaut 2]] humanoid robot;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/nasa-and-topcoder-to-issue-robonaut-2-sight-challenge/2013/03/29/5e513c16-989a-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_blog.html|title=NASA and TopCoder to issue Robonaut 2 "sight" challenge|last=Kolawole|first=Emi|date=March 29, 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.topcoder.com/blog/nasa-topcoder-team-up-on-an-advanced-robotics-algorithm-challenge/|title=NASA + Topcoder Team-Up on an Advanced Robotics Algorithm Challenge|date=February 6, 2016|work=Topcoder Blog|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/514/20130118/nasa-topcoder-contest-power-output-iss.htm|title=NASA, TopCoder Announce $30,000 Contest to Maximize Power Output to ISS|last=Miller|first=Sarah|date=January 18, 2013|work=Nature World News|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref> in another challenge, Topcoder members were asked to develop algorithms for optimization of ISS solar arrays usage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sylvainzimmer.com/2013/02/06/optimizing-the-iss-solar-arrays-a-python-solution-to-the-nasa-longeron-challenge/|title=Optimizing the ISS solar arrays, a Python solution to the NASA Longeron Challenge|last=Zimmer|first=Sylvan|date=February 6, 2013|work=Sylvan Zimmer's Blog|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref> Also in 2013 Topcoder helped NASA to develop a software solution for tracking food consumption by astronauts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2013/02/26/nasa-asks-the-crowd-to-help-track-what-astronauts-eat/#793c1ef24780|title=NASA Asks The "Crowd" To Help Track What Astronauts Eat|last=Burke|first=Adrienne|date=February 26, 2013|work=Forbes|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

In another challenge, Topcoder community helped NASA and [[National Geographic]]'s explorer [https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/explorers/4642934E/albert-lin Albert Lin] to develop an algorithm to identify human-built structures in [[Genghis Khan]]'s homeland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/topcoder-teams-with-nasa-and-national-geographic-emerging-explorer-albert-lin-to-create-a-powerful-algorithm-that-identifies-human-built-structures-in-genghis-khans-homeland-223508431.html|title=TopCoder Teams with NASA and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Albert Lin to Create a Powerful Algorithm that Identifies Human-Built Structures in Genghis Khan's Homeland|date=September 12, 2013|work=CISION. PR NewsWire|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://chei.ucsd.edu/2013/09/13/calit2-research-scientist-albert-lin-teams-with-topcoder-nasa/|title=Calit2 Research Scientist Albert Lin Teams with TopCoder, NASA|last=Ramsey|first=Doug|date=September 13, 2013|work=CHEI|access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref>

In 2014, Asteroid Data Hunter, Asteroid Tracker, and many other challenges were carried on to develop better algorithms for asteroids detection in space images.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nasa.gov/content/asteroid-data-hunter-challenge-0|title=Asteroid Data Hunter Challenge|date=March 17, 2014|work=NASA|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/asteroid-data-hunter-app/|title=Asteroid Data Hunter App|work=Solar System Exploration Research. Virtual Institute.|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.space.com/25029-nasa-dangerous-asteroid-contest-prizes.html|title=NASA Offers Cash Prizes for Help Hunting Dangerous Asteroids|last=Wall|first=Mike|date=March 11, 2014|work=Space.com|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/10/nasa-asteroids-data-hunter-dinosaurs-sxsw|title=Nasa Asteroid Data Hunter contest hopes humans will outsmart dinosaurs|last=Dredge|first=Stuart|work=The Guardian|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fedscoop.com/nasa-topcoder-challenge/|title=NASA taps massive coding community for deep space solutions|last=Otto|first=Greg|date=August 12, 2014|work=FedScoop|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/with-help-from-topcoder-nasa-is-contestsourcing-its-deepest-problems/|title=NASA Is Contest-Sourcing Solutions to Its Deepest Problems|last=Teitel|first=Amy Shira|date=August 10, 2014|work=Motherboard|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.aticourses.com/blog/index.php/2014/10/16/name-nasanew-free-flying-robot-and-win-1000/|title=Name NASA New Free-Flying Robot and Win $1,000!|date=October 16, 2014|work=Applied Technology Institute|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3034090/nasa-plans-to-deploy-these-crowdsourced-projects-in-space|title=NASA Plans To Deploy These Crowdsourcing Projects In Space|date=July 8, 2014|work=Fast Company. Fast Feed.|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

In 2015, the Topcoder Data Science community was challenged by NASA, [[QuakeFinder|Quakefinder]], [[Harvard innovation lab|Harvard Crowd Innovation Lab]], and [[Amazon Web Services]], to come up with an algorithm that finds correlations between ultra-low frequency electromagnetic signals emanating from the earth, and subsequent moderate and large earthquakes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://phys.org/news/2015-07-nasa-hosts-quest-quakes.html|title=NASA hosts "Quest for Quakes" data challenge|date=July 27, 2015|work=Phys.org|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, NASA, HeroX, and Topcoder announced a challenge to optimize their computational-intensive software solution for fluid dynamics, FUN3D,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.i-programmer.info/news/204-challenges/10746-nasa-high-performance-fast-computing-challenge.html|title=NASA High Performance Fast Computing Challenge|last=Gee|first=Sue|date=May 8, 2017|work=I Programmer|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.universetoday.com/135414/faster-supercomputer-nasa-announces-high-performance-fast-computing-challenge/|title=Faster Supercomputer! NASA Announces The High Performance Fast Computing Challenge|last=Williams|first=Matt|date=May 5, 2017|work=Universe Today. Space and Astronomy News|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.space.com/36755-nasa-supercomputer-software-coding-contest.html|title=NASA Wants Your Code! Boost Supercomputer Software Speed and Win $55,000|last=O'Neill|first=Ian|date=May 8, 2017|work=Space.com|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nasa.gov/aero/nasa-issues-a-challenge-to-speed-up-its-supercomputer-code|title=NASA Issues a Challenge to Speed Up Its Supercomputer Code|date=October 1, 2014|work=NASA|access-date=April 6, 2014}}</ref> which was cancelled later due to a high number of applicants (more than 1,800) during the registration, coupled with concerns about control over the public distribution of the software to optimize.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.herox.com/HPFCC/updates|title=NASA Cancels its High Performance Fast Computing Challenge|last=Murtha|first=Maureen|date=June 16, 2017|work=NASA Tournament Lab|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, a data science challenge is running currently to develop better algorithms for tracking of [[Radio-frequency identification|RFID]]-tagged items within the [[International Space Station]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-international-space-station-rfid-localization-challenge|title=NASA International Space Station RFID Localization Challenge|date=September 27, 2018|website=NASA|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://solutions.topcoder.com/nasa-iss-rfid-localization|title=NASA International Space Station RFID Localization Challenge|website=Topcoder|access-date=September 28, 2018}}</ref>

=== Topcoder Veterans Community ===
At the end of 2017 Topcoder, together with Operation Code [[Nonprofit organization|non-profit charity]], announced the launch of Topcoder Veterans Community, that will focus on helping US military veterans to make their way into tech careers in software development via education programs and paid crowdsourcing challenges.<ref name=":17">{{Cite news|url=http://www.computerworld.in/media-releases/topcoder-provides-employment-oppurtunities-us-military-veterans|title=Topcoder provides employment opportunities for US Military veterans|date=December 18, 2017|work=Computer World|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref>

== See also ==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
* [[ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest]] 
* [[CodeSignal]]
* [[Codeforces]]
* [[Facebook Hacker Cup]]
* [[Google Code Jam]]
* [[HackerRank]]
* [[ICFP Programming Contest]]
* [[Internet Problem Solving Contest]]
* [[Kaggle]]
* [[Online judge]]
* [[SPOJ]]
* [[UVa Online Judge]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.topcoder.com}}
{{Finance links
| name =  Topcoder, Inc.
| symbol =
| sec_cik = 1156077
| hoovers = TopCoder_Inc.1b2bee26272178e8
| google = 5757753
| yahoo = 125/125740
}}

[[Category:Wipro]]
[[Category:Companies established in 2001]]
[[Category:Programming contests]]