Helpful but some students need constant instructions and reminders compared to others, which can make it difficult at times to keep things moving forward.

First and foremost, I want to commend you on a valuable and well-conceived program. Advance Ontario provided us with access to a group of talented and motivated students who delivered excellent work. The opportunity for students to gain practical, real-world experience is invaluable, and for employers like us, it's a fantastic way to connect with emerging talent and get meaningful projects completed. The entire experience with the students was positive, and the project's outcome met our expectations. My feedback for improvement relates specifically to the administrative interaction from the employer's perspective. While the portal is efficient for managing the project milestones and communicating with students, the process was entirely self-serve. Throughout the entire project lifecycle—from posting to completion—there was no direct communication or touchpoint with the program's administrative staff. While not a critical issue, a small amount of human interaction would significantly enhance the experience. For instance, a simple automated welcome email upon project approval, a designated contact person for potential queries, or even a brief mid-project check-in email could make a substantial difference. This would help employers feel more connected to the program itself, rather than just the portal, and would foster a stronger sense of partnership. Please accept this feedback in the constructive spirit it is intended. We are strong supporters of the Advance Ontario program and believe it serves a vital role for both students and businesses in the province. We were very pleased with the outcome of our project and look forward to the possibility of participating again in the future. Thank you for the opportunity.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to Advanced Ontario for their support and belief in women entrepreneurs like myself. Their approval of my application made it possible to bring on three outstanding student interns, whose work resulted in over 180 hours of productivity, including prototypes, documentation, and workflows across multiple platforms and tools. This type of backing not only accelerates impact but also provides women-owned businesses with access to resources that are often out of reach through traditional channels. Thank you for making innovation more accessible.

its a great program to source new talent.

Working with the administrators of Advance Ontario during the June 2025 cohort was seamless and genuinely supportive. Communication was clear and timely, and they created a framework that made it easy to focus on the creative collaboration itself. I appreciated their responsiveness and the way they structured the experience—it felt organized yet flexible enough to allow meaningful, student-led exploration. Overall, it was a positive and well-managed partnership that truly amplified the success of our project.

This experience project moved my project forward significantly thanks to the help of the students and the creative solutions they came up with.

It was great working through Advance Ontario: June 2025 cohort. The students quality have been great.

Kevin has truly excelled with this project! His contributions have been nothing short of remarkable, and I wholeheartedly recommend him for any future endeavours.

Our experience with Advance Ontario during the June 2025 cohort was smooth and well-supported. The communication was timely, expectations were clear, and the program structure allowed our student to contribute meaningfully to a technical project. We appreciated the opportunity to collaborate and look forward to future partnerships.

Great program to support student tech workers in Ontario

Advance Ontario has been a true game-changer for us. As a startup, finding skilled talent while staying within budget is one of the biggest challenges—and this program solved that by connecting us with bright, driven students who brought fresh ideas and real impact to our project. Through Advance Ontario, we successfully developed an AI-powered multilingual chatbot —milestones that would have been difficult to achieve on our own. What makes this program stand out is how it benefits everyone: startups gain the support they need to grow, and students gain paid, hands-on experience that builds their confidence and careers. Programs like Advance Ontario don’t just create opportunities—they build a stronger future for Ontario’s innovation ecosystem. We’re proud to be part of this initiative and would love to continue working together to create even more success stories.

Good

Working with students from Advance Ontario has been amazing!

Dazia Inc. is delighted to express its sincere appreciation for the invaluable partnership with the Riipen platform. Our experience leveraging Riipen to connect with talented students has been nothing short of transformative, significantly contributing to the enhancement of our educational materials and overall operational efficiency. The students engaged through Riipen have played a pivotal role in several key areas, demonstrating exceptional skill and dedication: Slide Improvement: Their fresh perspectives and keen eye for detail have been instrumental in refining our presentation slides, making them more engaging, visually appealing, and effective in conveying complex information. Course Enhancement: The contributions of these bright minds have led to substantial improvements in our course content, ensuring its relevance, comprehensiveness, and alignment with current industry standards. Their research and insights have enriched our offerings immensely. Question Development: The students have also been invaluable in crafting thoughtful and challenging questions for our assessments, which are crucial for evaluating comprehension and reinforcing learning. This collaboration has not only provided Dazia Inc. with high-quality work but has also offered an excellent opportunity to support the next generation of professionals. We are deeply impressed by the caliber of talent available through Riipen and the seamless process facilitated by the platform. Thank you, Riipen, for fostering such impactful connections and for being a crucial partner in our continuous pursuit of excellence. We look forward to future collaborations and highly recommend the platform to other organizations seeking to innovate and grow.

We had a great experience with the students. All work was completed professionally and on time. Very pleased.

Students had a great range of relevant skills

My experience with the administrators of Advance Ontario has always been smooth and seamless. Whenever I had questions they were answered right away by email or when needed we jumped on a call.

The team was very helpful and they were quick in responding

Thank you for the opportunity to work together.

Sanjana supported our team with social media content creation and blog writing, and we’re so grateful for her creativity, adaptability, and attention to detail. From researching timely topics to creating engaging videos and articles, she brought fresh energy to every task.

it was the first program we participate in, it was a good experience and learned a lot for next time.

Great communication with administrators!

Great program but some difficulties

Good program but condensed timelines made it less effective.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this cycle.

Outside of the initial post, it would be helpful to have a bit more ongoing interaction or updates from the team. For example, friendly countdowns or reminders about key upcoming timelines for our learners could be a great support for employers trying to stay aligned.

The team worked really hard and delivered on the project expectations. We are truly grateful to have worked with them.

Working with the April 2025 Advance Ontario cohort was an excellent experience. The students brought fresh ideas, strong research capabilities, and real enthusiasm to the table. They tackled a complex project, developing an AI-driven business assessment tool, with professionalism and curiosity. Their ability to collaborate, meet deadlines, and integrate feedback made a real difference. I appreciate the structure provided by Advance Ontario, which made it easy to mentor the students while gaining valuable support for my business.

Great experience with very talented motivated students.

Excellent platform!