Community spotlight: Frontly

The Victoria Tech Community Awards showcase the community of 1,000 companies and 17,000 workers who push innovation forward, and drive the city’s $4 billion tech economy. Our spotlight series highlights award finalists and winners so you can get to know them a little bit better. Read about other community members here.

Today, we’re featuring Patrick Kelly, CEO of Frontly.

Describe your company.

Frontly turns regular spreadsheets into internal business tools in one click, to help teams move faster.

What problem is your company solving and how is it solving it?

Companies still use spreadsheets because they are lightweight and low risk, but they are often not the best tool for the job and hold teams back. Frontly solves this by turning your spreadsheet into a visual web app with powerful features like login, user permissions, and analytics, out of the box. You can share parts of your sheet with specific users without sharing everything, while keeping your sheet as the single source of truth.

What’s a recent milestone or breakthrough your company is proud of?

Frontly recently surpassed 4,000 signed-up users within two months of our public launch.

What makes Victoria a great place to build a technology business?

Victoria is the perfect-sized city. It's big enough to have a tech association and lots of great companies, but small enough that you constantly run into people you know on the street. Great for community-building and making friendships!

What is Victoria tech’s biggest hidden secret?

I think that due to the size, at least in my experience, getting into the industry has a bit of a snowball effect. It may seem intimidating from the outside if you grew up in a smaller city, but once you start meeting people you realize everyone knows each other and if you bring a genuine positive energy, people will help you find your place.

What is your number one Victoria tech prediction for 2023?

In Victoria, a rising tide lifts all boats. We have some great companies here making big names for themselves and putting us on the map, and I can only see that accelerating more in 2023. Maybe even a unicorn?

What local tech company or product excites you the most right now?

I'm lucky enough to know a lot of great founders in Victoria, so it's a tough choice but my vote goes to Certn. Having been employee #9 there before starting my own companies, I'm continually in awe of their success, and very happy to watch my friends there do amazing things.