After years working in technology, Eric Crane and David Boskovic were all too familiar with the problems that plague data importing.
They had seen it all, from the issues with matching rows to the numerous error messages found common in traditional import methods.
“This has been an oft-accepted problem in the software space,” Crane said.
So, the duo began working on a solution as a side hustle in 2018. They built Flatfile, a startup providing tools to import, clean and organize customer data.
The company’s tools take messy spreadsheets that weren’t designed with a database or product in mind, and make the data accessible.
When the company soft-launched earlier this year, Crane said he was shocked by the widespread interest from companies small and large.
“We were getting outreach from businesses that we have no business talking to at that stage,” he said. “We saw how folks were desperately searching for the solution we were providing.”
Flatfile was working with software companies like Blackbaud, emergency responders, accountants, real estate professionals and even a sports gambling group in the U.K.
Crane said this was the moment he knew the company had legitimacy.
“After seeing that initial traction, we said 'this is fundable,'” he added.
Earlier this month, the Denver-based company announced its first outside funding round, a $2 million pre-seed round led by Afore Capital, with additional financing from Founder Collective, Designer Fund, Liquid2 and Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture fund.
The company will use this round to boost its marketing efforts, driving awareness that data import headaches are a thing of the past.
In addition, Crane said Flatfile will look to expand its product offerings, especially for those not well-versed in coding.
“We have a product that works really well for a software developer, but we might need a standalone solution,” he said.
The company has already worked with tens of thousands of users and has processed over 100 million rows of data imports for companies just this year. With more users on the platform, Crane said the company is able to tailor features to meet customer needs.
"As they're making changes in the app and they’re validating app, we’re learning from the changes they’re making," he said.
The 11-person company is spread across the globe, with a few, including Boskovic, working in Denver and Crane in Atlanta.
As it continues to grow, Crane said Flatfile is looking for additional ways to glean data and insight from messy spreadsheets.
“There is so much enterprise business data that is locked away in spreadsheets,” he said.
