The Origin of Vertical City

Condominium living comes with familiar challenges: high costs, aging infrastructure, unclear investment strategies, and reactive management. Vertical City began as a way to solve these problems—not by adding more complexity, but by offering better tools, grounded in data and practical experience.

It all started in 2019, when our founder joined the board of his condominium. Like many new board members, he stepped into the role out of a desire to contribute to the place he called home. But unlike most, he brought a unique mix of experience in software development, finance, and mathematics. That perspective would soon prove invaluable.

The $100,000 Question

In one of his early board meetings, our founder overheard a conversation about an unexpected spike in a utility bill. The explanation? “It must have been the weather.”

That might have been true. But how could they know for sure?

Instead of settling for a guess, he wrote a program that compared the building’s historical utility usage to weather patterns—using a regression model to quantify how external temperature affected energy consumption. The result was striking: the increase wasn’t due to the weather at all. It was caused by a mechanical fault in the steam system that had quietly cost the building over $100,000.

That software became the foundation of our Energy Analytics Tool, now part of the Vertical City Toolkit. But more importantly, the experience underscored something bigger: there was a clear opportunity to improve condo management using data-driven tools.

A Broader Perspective

Soon after, the treasurer role changed hands, and our founder stepped into the role of board president. That meant getting familiar with the building’s reserve fund, investment portfolio, and financial policy.

With his background, he was well-equipped to assess the situation. He reviewed the investment strategy, developed a new policy aligned with long-term goals, and proposed improvements. When the updated plan was brought to a financial advisor, the feedback was telling: this was one of the most detailed and thoughtful investment conversations they’d had with any condo board.

The resulting changes significantly improved the reserve fund’s returns. But more importantly, they raised another question: why weren’t other boards doing the same?

From Tool to Toolkit

As our founder reached out to other buildings and board members, a pattern emerged. Most boards weren’t using data-driven tools—not because they didn’t care, but because the tools simply didn’t exist. Boards often relied on manual spreadsheets, generic advice, and ad hoc decision-making. Turnover was common. Documentation was scattered. Institutional memory was fragile.

So the idea took shape: what if there were a system that could outlast any one board member? A digital toolkit that gave future board members—and property managers—a better, smarter starting point?

That vision became Vertical City.

Today, the Vertical City Toolkit includes a suite of applications designed to help boards manage reserve funds, forecast future expenses, optimize investments, monitor utilities, and more. Each tool is designed to reduce guesswork, surface valuable insights, and empower communities to make better decisions.

A Foundation for Tomorrow

Vertical City was founded with a simple goal: to support the legacy of care, responsibility, and stewardship that board members and property managers bring to their communities.

Whether it’s a new board stepping in or a long-serving manager looking for efficiencies, the Toolkit is here to help navigate the complexities of condo management with clarity, confidence, and data.

On a mission to provide every Condominium Owner in Ontario the tools they need to protect their home and grow their investment