The New York Times – Business & Technology
Kerala, India — In an industry where credibility is often measured by skyscraper offices, billion-dollar venture rounds, and glossy advertising campaigns, one company has quietly rewritten the playbook.
Toks Enterprise, a fully remote creative and AI consultancy founded by Syino C. Mathew, has achieved what few traditional agencies could imagine: supporting 9,932 startups worldwide in a single year, an achievement now recognized by the Book of World Records.
And it did so without the trappings of modern corporate growth: no headquarters, no venture funding, no advertising budget.
“We didn’t have the access others did,” Mathew reflected. “But we had intent. That changed everything.”
A Startup Agency Without Borders
What began as a modest experiment in AI guidance has become a global operation. Toks Enterprise launched in 2023 with the simplest of offerings: helping founders understand and apply AI tools to branding and marketing.
Within months, the consultancy had turned into a grassroots engine of referrals. Clients, mostly early-stage entrepreneurs and small businesses, arrived seeking logos, marketing campaigns, and automation strategies. They told others. The model scaled itself.
The agency’s services evolved into a suite of low-cost, high-impact solutions:
5,000+ AI-generated logos, delivered in rapid creative cycles
Project Star Seed, a campaign offering 30 custom posters for the cost of a single meal
Nova Imperium, an AI-powered commercial video platform now used across India, Africa, and parts of Europe
A founder-focused AI training primer, ensuring every client not only received assets but also the knowledge to replicate them
Everything—from design to delivery to training—was executed remotely by a workforce spread across multiple time zones and disciplines.
Lean, Fast, and Relentlessly Practical
Unlike traditional agencies burdened with hierarchy and overhead, Toks operated lean. Its 100+ team members coordinated through lightweight digital systems, emphasizing speed and affordability over bureaucracy.
This efficiency became a competitive advantage. The agency could produce for one founder what larger firms might take weeks—or charge thousands more—for.
“The focus was always practical: help more people, faster, and with real value,” Mathew said.
The results drew attention. In the space of one year, Toks was featured in over 500 international media outlets, becoming one of the most recognized startup support consultancies in the Global South.
Knowledge Without Gatekeeping
Behind the company’s explosive growth lies a deliberate philosophy. Toks does not merely deliver assets—it teaches clients how to use AI themselves.
“Many firms promise empowerment but gatekeep knowledge,” Mathew explained. “We offer it freely. Especially AI. If founders don’t learn it now, they risk being left behind.”
That ethos resonated deeply. From bootstrapped entrepreneurs in Africa to small businesses in rural India, clients valued not only the services but also the education woven into every project.
Partnerships and the Road Ahead
Following its record-setting year, Toks Enterprise is entering a new phase. It is developing partnerships with global creative agencies and educational institutions focused on applied AI and digital entrepreneurship.
The company is also expanding its remote workforce, while building regional outreach programs designed to reach underserved founder ecosystems in Asia and Africa.
“Scaling sustainably matters,” Mathew said. “We want to grow, but also ensure we’re building ecosystems—not just delivering projects.”
A Model for the Future
Toks Enterprise’s story is more than a business case study. It is a quiet challenge to an industry obsessed with funding rounds and offices as status symbols.
By proving that nearly 10,000 startups could be empowered in a year—without capital, ads, or a headquarters—Mathew and his team raise a larger question:
If this is possible under constraints, what else might be?
