# Top Hat

> Top Hat is a Toronto-based higher education software company combining live classroom polling, attendance, interactive course materials, assessment and AI study support. Instructors adopt it for individual courses, while institutions can license it across campus; the company reports serving more than three million students annually.

- **Founded:** 2009
- **Headquarters:** Toronto, Canada
- **Founders:** Mike Silagadze (Co-founder; former CEO), Mohsen Shahini (Co-founder)
- **Products:** Top Hat student engagement platform, Interactive eTexts and course authoring, Top Hat Ace, Ace Content Enhancer, Aktiv Chemistry
- **Notable:** Company reports more than three million students annually in January 2026 releases., Raised a US$130 million Series E from Georgian in February 2021., Completed acquisitions of Nelson’s Canadian higher education business, bluedoor and Fountainhead Press in 2020.

## Products & services

- **Top Hat student engagement platform** — Live polls, discussions, attendance, quizzes, assignments, gradebook and learning management system integration.
- **Interactive eTexts and course authoring** — Digital textbooks, OER resources and tools to edit, rearrange or create multimedia course materials.
- **Top Hat Ace** — AI question generation and course-linked student study assistance; expanded with examples and personalized practice in July 2025.
- **Ace Content Enhancer** — Scans course materials and recommends accessibility improvements, including image alt text; also supports interactive content creation.
- **Aktiv Chemistry** — Discipline-specific chemistry learning and assessment tools; acquired by Top Hat in 2022.
- **Institutional implementation services** — Campus licensing, onboarding, faculty training, migration and instructional design support, depending on contract.

## Achievements

- Company reports more than three million students annually in January 2026 releases.
- Raised a US$130 million Series E from Georgian in February 2021.
- Completed acquisitions of Nelson’s Canadian higher education business, bluedoor and Fountainhead Press in 2020.
- Reported inclusion in TIME and Statista’s 2026 World’s Top EdTech Companies list.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Announced three 2026 Shannen’s Dream Scholarship recipients with the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.
- **2026-07** — Announced inclusion in TIME’s 2026 World’s Top EdTech Companies list.
- **2026-01** — Announced Wiley content partnership and UW–Madison licensing results.
- **2025-10** — Launched Ace Content Enhancer for course material accessibility improvements.
- **2025-07** — Expanded Ace with examples and personalized practice; acquired OpenClass intellectual property and added founder Alec Kretch to engineering.

## Links

- Website: https://tophat.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/925855
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/tophat
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TopHatHQ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tophat/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopHatHQ

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/top-hat
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16