TopCoder is a company which administers contests in computer programming. TopCoder hosts fortnightly online competitive programming competitions — known as SRMs or "single round matches" — as well as weekly competitions in design and development. The work in design and development produces useful software which is licensed for profit by TopCoder. Competitors involved in the creation of these components are paid royalties based on these sales. The software resulting from algorithm competitions — and the less-frequent marathon matches — is not usually directly useful, but sponsor companies sometimes provide money to pay the victors. Statistics (including an overall "rating" for each developer) are tracked over time for competitors in each category.
Read more about TopCoder: Types of Competitions, Algorithm Competitions, Component Design and Development Competitions, Marathon Matches, Tournaments, Prizes, Statistics, Competitions, Ratings, and Divisions, Past Tournament Winners, TopCoder As A Business