Toku Co-Founders Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2024: Redefining Crypto Payroll and Compliance

In an industry where innovation rarely sleeps, recognition from Forbes is a powerful validation of both vision and execution.

Toku’s co-founders — Kenneth O’Friel and Dominika Stobiecka — have officially been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2024 in North America, joining a distinguished group of founders and innovators reshaping the future of finance and technology.

Toku’s inclusion on the list is more than an accolade — it represents a milestone for the broader Web3 and digital asset ecosystem, which continues to evolve toward greater compliance, accessibility, and operational maturity. 

Under O’Friel and Stobiecka’s leadership, Toku has positioned itself as the world’s first fully compliant crypto-native Employer of Record (EOR), making it easier for companies to hire, pay, and reward global teams in tokens — legally, securely, and seamlessly.

Founded with a mission to bridge the gap between traditional employment structures and decentralized organizations, Toku now operates in over 100 jurisdictions and supports leading blockchain pioneers such as Protocol Labs, Mina Foundation, dYdX Foundation, Filecoin Foundation, Gnosis, Hedera Hashgraph, and Safe.

The company’s products — covering token payroll, grant administration, and tax compliance — have quickly become the industry standard for Web3-native HR and compensation infrastructure.

The Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition celebrates this pioneering impact. It underscores how Toku is not only solving compliance and tax challenges in crypto but also shaping the future of global work — one where compensating in digital assets is as simple and compliant as paying in fiat.

A Milestone Moment for Web3 Leadership

Recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30 isn’t simply about youth — it’s about redefining industries, creating frameworks that didn’t exist, and solving problems others haven’t dared to touch. For Kenneth O’Friel and Dominika Stobiecka, this honor represents the culmination of years of innovation at the intersection of blockchain, finance, and global employment compliance.

Speaking on the recognition, Kenneth O’Friel, Co-Founder and CEO of Toku, said:

“Being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list recognizes Toku’s role in driving innovation in the blockchain and financial industry. From the very beginning, our goal wasn’t just to make crypto payroll possible — it was to make it compliant, scalable, and effortless for every organization building the future of the internet.”

O’Friel’s vision for Toku stemmed from a problem he witnessed firsthand: companies struggling to reward international teams with tokens while meeting legal, tax, and employment standards across multiple jurisdictions. By building Toku’s infrastructure around regulatory clarity, transparency, and automation, the company effectively transformed one of the most complicated operational challenges in crypto into a turnkey service.

Dominika Stobiecka, Co-Founder and COO of Toku, emphasized the collective effort behind the company’s success:

“We’re here thanks to our team and our clients. This recognition belongs to every person who believed that Web3 could be built responsibly — that innovation doesn’t have to come at the expense of compliance. Our mission has always been simple: to help organizations hire and compensate anyone, anywhere, using crypto, on one platform, with one click.”

Why Forbes Recognized Toku

Each year, Forbes profiles the world’s most promising entrepreneurs and visionaries across industries such as technology, finance, energy, and healthcare. The 2024 North America class is described by Kristin Stoller, Senior Editor of Forbes Under 30, as:

“One of the most diverse and ambitious Under 30 classes to date — particularly in the scope of their work and the impact of their leadership.”

Forbes’ editorial team evaluates thousands of nominations annually, selecting founders whose innovations deliver scalable real-world impact. Toku’s recognition reflects a growing acknowledgment that Web3 compensation and compliance are not fringe topics — they’re essential building blocks of the next global economy.

Toku’s platform allows blockchain organizations to manage token grants, payroll, and taxation across more than 100 jurisdictions, ensuring complete regulatory alignment. By merging the operational rigor of fintech with the flexibility of decentralized finance, Toku has become a vital partner to many of the most influential names in crypto — including Protocol Labs, Gnosis, Hedera Hashgraph, Mina Foundation, Filecoin Foundation, dYdX Foundation, and Safe.

Redefining Compliance in the Age of Crypto Work

For much of the past decade, crypto compensation has lived in a gray area. Employers struggled with payroll logistics, employees faced uncertainty around tax liabilities, and global regulators offered limited guidance.

Toku changed that landscape.

Under O’Friel and Stobiecka’s leadership, the company pioneered crypto-native EOR (Employer of Record) and token grant administration models that allow organizations to remain compliant with local labor, tax, and securities laws while compensating employees in tokens or stablecoins.

This innovation didn’t just make life easier for payroll teams — it established an entirely new compliance framework for Web3 employment, now referenced by global accounting and law firms.

For many in the industry, Toku represents what the next evolution of blockchain infrastructure looks like: technology that’s as robust and compliant as it is innovative.

A Recognition that Reflects a Movement

While the Forbes 30 Under 30 acknowledgment shines a spotlight on two founders, it also highlights a broader shift in the Web3 economy. The inclusion of Toku’s co-founders signals that the crypto industry is no longer defined solely by speculation or innovation in isolation — it’s now about sustainable, compliant growth.

By simplifying how teams are hired, paid, and rewarded in digital assets, Toku is empowering thousands of builders, contributors, and organizations to operate confidently in the global market.

As O’Friel summed up in a recent internal note to the team:

“This recognition is a milestone — but it’s also a reminder that our mission is far from over. The future of work will be crypto-native, borderless, and compliant by design — and Toku will help make that happen.”

Toku Is Shaping the Future of Global Crypto Work

Toku’s inclusion in Forbes 30 Under 30 North America 2024 is more than a personal milestone for its founders — it’s a signal that the world is recognizing the importance of compliance-first innovation in the crypto economy.

As blockchain technology continues to transform how value, ownership, and employment are defined, the next great challenge isn’t building faster protocols or new financial products — it’s making global work seamless, lawful, and human-centered. That’s exactly where Toku leads.

By combining the precision of traditional finance with the flexibility of Web3, Toku is proving that compliance and creativity can coexist. Its platform empowers organizations to:

• Hire and pay anyone, anywhere in crypto or fiat while staying fully compliant.
• Administer token grants and tax obligations across 100+ jurisdictions.
• Protect employees and contributors through transparent, secure, and regulation-aligned systems.

For founders and finance teams, this means removing the operational friction that once made token-based compensation difficult or risky. For employees, it means clarity, fairness, and confidence in every payment.

The Forbes 30 Under 30 honor validates what Toku’s clients and partners already know: the company is setting the global standard for compliant crypto compensation. But for Kenneth O’Friel, Dominika Stobiecka, and the entire Toku team, this recognition is not a finish line — it’s a call to accelerate.

“We’re building the infrastructure that will support millions of people working in Web3,” said O’Friel. “Compliance shouldn’t be a barrier to innovation — it should be the foundation that allows it to scale.”

As more organizations transition toward tokenized economies, Toku will continue to lead with transparency, security, and an unwavering commitment to regulatory excellence.

Build smarter. Pay compliantly. Grow globally.

Make token compensation simple — partner with Toku and future-proof your crypto payroll and compliance operations today.