How SpreadSimple helped to save weeks while building the PH Startup Online platform

Meet Janni Boydon, a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines and Ph.D. candidate at National Taiwan University. Janni is also the founder of Start Up Podcast PH, where he features Filipino startup founders weekly, sharing their inspiring stories of growth, advice, and innovative ideas.

Using SpreadSimple, Janni created PH Startup Online, an online platform for Filipino startup founders to connect, gain visibility, and find partnerships and networking opportunities. The platform helps not only the founders but also podcast listeners and anyone looking for services, events, job opportunities, and products from local Filipino businesses—all in one place.

With SpreadSimple, it took just a few days to go from idea to the launch of the first MVP—instead of the months it could have taken.

The Story of Start Up Podcast PH

The Start Up Podcast PH kicked off in 2021 as a side project for Janni, originally created just for his students. But what started as a small passion project quickly gained traction.

In the following two years, the podcast’s popularity soared. With a growing audience on platforms like YouTube and Apple Podcasts, it eventually became the #1 Filipino entrepreneurship podcast on the official podcast charts.

But the impact didn’t stop there. Startup founders featured on the podcast began reaping the rewards, from attracting new customers to catching the eye of investors and even international media.

With the podcast’s success came a flood of requests from founders eager to join the conversation. This sparked an idea in Janni: why not create a dedicated platform? A space where founders could network, showcase their startups, post job vacancies, and where listeners could easily discover all the startups, products, and services mentioned on the podcast—all under one roof. And of course, stay updated on the latest episodes.

That’s how the concept for the PH Startup Online platform was born.

The first website—and the first challenges

To kickstart the creation of the platform’s first website, Janni turned to a trusted friend—a professional web developer. The friend suggested building the site on Bubble. However, what seemed like a straightforward plan quickly turned into a marathon—and even after a year, the site still wasn’t ready.

That’s when Janni lost his patience and decided to take matters into his own hands and create a website by himself using SpreadSimple, a no-code website builder. He first learned about SpreadSimple from one of his podcast guests who praised it for its ease of use.

“And he said that all I need is to have a spreadsheet filled with all the information, and with a just one click I can have my website up and running.”

Intrigued, Janni gave it a shot—and it turned out to be exactly what he needed.

Building a website with SpreadSimple

Janni rolled up his sleeves and dove headfirst into learning SpreadSimple. After spending a day thoroughly studying the instructions, he created his first website the very next day. He picked a template, meticulously prepared his Google Sheet with all the necessary content, and—voilà!—the website was live. A few design tweaks later, the site was polished and ready for launch in just a few days, with content prep taking up most of the time.

Once Janni got the hang of SpreadSimple, creating websites became a breeze. What had initially taken a day or two was now a quick sprint—each subsequent website took him just about an hour to create.

“I spent two days building the first website, and after that, each website took just a few hours. After I learned how SpreadSimple works, I spent about an hour on each website. Because it is actually very easy.”

In a few days, Janni had his first four websites ready to launch.

Results and achievements

Using SpreadSimple, Janni has created the PH Startup Online platform, which is made up of eight distinct websites, each serving as a specialized catalog. All these catalogs are seamlessly integrated under one domain and connected via intuitive navigation menus. This well-thought-out structure allows visitors to effortlessly hop between catalogs, making it simple to find exactly what they need.

The platform’s main page highlights a curated list of podcast partners, while the other pages dive deeper into key resources. From a comprehensive directory of startups featured in the podcast to a calendar of events that are shaping the Filipino startup scene, there’s something for everyone. The marketplace showcases Filipino-made products and services, and the job board keeps users up-to-date with the latest job and internship openings within local startups. There’s also a collection of episodes, a guide to facilities hosting startups and offering business development services, and—last but not least—a brand-new “idea matching” page currently in beta.

Even in its MVP stage, the platform is already attracting hundreds of visitors each week. It’s become a go-to resource for startups looking to land clients, find co-founders, and promote their events. Moreover, the community has rapidly expanded, now including 30 tech business incubators and 57 student organizations, each contributing to the platform’s thriving ecosystem.

The key to Janni’s PH Startup Online Success

As the platform continues to grow and evolve, Janni believes that his success can be attributed to his strategic approach of building a community first. Reflecting on his experience, he shares valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs:

“If you're planning to start a business online, focus on building a community around your brand. My biggest advantage was having an existing community through my podcast when I launched the platform—it saved me so much time. Without a community, you're left wondering who your market is. Having an engaged audience means you don’t have to worry about marketing as much. I’m essentially converting my podcast listeners into potential customers, and that’s a powerful foundation for any business. Starting with a community gives you the market you need to thrive.”

This approach not only helped Janni launch a successful platform, but it also reinforced the importance of cultivating meaningful connections with an audience—a lesson that can benefit any startup looking to make its mark online.