Virtyt Pula founded TOML Collective in London in 2019 as a deliberate alternative to the traditional agency model. A creative lead by background, he built the company around a curated collective of independent designers, directors, animators, strategists and visual storytellers, brought together for each brief rather than kept on a permanent bench.
Growing that lean, people-led studio into a global creative business has made him a finalist for The Cazenove Capital Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards.
A different kind of creative company
TOML Collective helps ambitious brands, organisations and cultural movements build distinctive stories, identities and digital experiences across branding, marketing strategy, campaigns, content and digital products. Rather than relying on bloated processes or templated teams, Pula blends a senior core team with bespoke line-ups of specialists, production partners and independent talent for each project. The result, he argues, gives clients the focus and accountability of a boutique studio with the range of a global creative partner.
That work now spans the UK, Europe and North America. According to the business, TOML has supported organisations including UBS, Siebert Financial, UKRI, ETH Zürich, Save the Children and Ashoka Changemakers, while collaborating with production and innovation partners such as UNIT9, Waste Creative, Red Bull Media House and IDEO.
Growth on his own terms
Pula has scaled the company without external investment. The business reports that consolidated turnover has grown by more than 65 per cent over two years, alongside a fourfold increase in annual projects and significant expansion in direct client relationships, with the UK operation more than doubling in size over the past year while delivering consistent margins.
A wider mission
What distinguishes Pula’s approach is how the commercial model funds a broader creative mission. Alongside client work, he is building an ecosystem that includes TOML Journal, a creative and marketing platform; Children’s Planet, a children’s education platform the business says has passed eight million views; and an AI production vertical.
In June 2026 he opened House of TOML in Prishtina, a 500 square metre creative studio, co-working and learning hub designed to develop emerging talent and create a pathway for Kosovo-based creatives to reach international opportunities. That combination of lean commercial discipline and purpose is the kind of leadership the entrepreneur category recognises. Finalists across the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards will hear the outcome at Grosvenor House, London on 10 November 2026.
