What We Learned at U of T’s LAUNCH Co-op and CS Career Fair

What We Learned Meeting Students at U of T This Fall

Hiring at a startup is a bit like dating. You can post all the job listings you want, but at some point, you have to leave the house. So this fall, we left the house. As Nini grows, we need more people who are ready for startup life. In our eyes, the best way to find them is face to face. No catfishing here, folks.

Students in computer science, business, finance and beyond are learning skills that will shape fintech. We're getting out to universities and colleges across the GTA. We want to meet the next gen of talent, and tell them who we are and what we're building.

Our first stop: the University of Toronto.

DavidU of T Scarborough Campus

Back on Campus at UTSC's LAUNCH Co-op Event

We kicked off the quarter at the University of Toronto Scarborough's LAUNCH co-op event. It was a chance to meet arts and science students looking for their next co-op placement.

For some of our team, this was a return trip. They studied at this campus, so showing up here felt like a natural first step.

This event was big. We were among 30+ companies looking to get the word out about our open roles. It was our first career event of the year, and it set the bar high. Shout out to the UTSC team. You guys hosted one hell of an event.

MaggieNini Activation Booth

What Students Asked Us at the U of T CS Career Fair

In October, we joined the University of Toronto Computer Science Student Union's Career Fair.

It was a smaller event. We're not complaining. Fewer people meant we got real time with third- and fourth-year students who are eager to get their foot in the door.

U of TDowntown Campus

We heard what they're interested in, what they want from a first role, and what they wonder about working in fintech. A few asked what fintech even is. Fair enough. It's a new and growing space.

To every student who walked up to our table: we see you. We know four of us standing behind one table can be a lot. Walking up to the team takes guts.

But a career fair booth isn't the only way in. Send a LinkedIn message with a clear ask. Email someone whose work you admire. Find a mentor in your field. But more importantly, go out to a workshop, event, hackathons, ect. Build something before these events and bring it to show us. Get creative about how you start the conversation.

And one more thing. Skills are amazing, but everything is teachable. What we value is having someone eager to learn and ready to show up everyday and do the best they can. So take it easy on yourself.

HeadlampNini Workshop

Headlamp: A Free AI Workshop Where Students Build a Finance Agent

Career fairs are great, but a booth only gets you so far. We wanted to give students something to build ad a way to connect in person. So we made Headlamp, a free workshop series that Nini runs with student clubs.

What students build in 90 minutes

In our first session, students pair up ( or can brave it alone) and start with an empty folder. That's it. No starter code. Using an AI coding assistant, and with a Nini engineer teaching live, each student/pair builds:

• The agent. A small Python program that reads sample transactions, sorts spending into categories and writes a short summary of where the money went.
• The dashboard. A simple local web page that shows transactions, category totals, a chart and the agent's insights.
• The live update. Students change the data and watch the totals and summary update in real time.

They go from an empty folder to a working finance tool in about the length of a movie.

Why we're doing it

AI tools are fast becoming part of work in finance, business, engineering and beyond. Headlamp is how we get to know students, and help them build skills they can use wherever their careers go.

After the career fairs, we also noticed how shy a lot of students are. It's scary putting yourself out there. Some of the most talented people are the quietest ones in the room.

We all started somewhere, and confidence takes time. So why not learn a skill while you come out of your shell?

We're planning our first sessions for the new year, and we can't wait to meet you.

UTSCEvent

Student Clubs and Career Offices: Let's Team Up

We're not done. Over the next few months, we'll be at more career fairs, co-op events and industry meetups.

If you run a student club or work in a university career office and want to partner up, we'd love to hear from you. Email maggie@nini.io. We'll bring the engineers and the plan. We just need help finding the space.

And to every student who stopped by our booth, asked a question or sat down to chat this fall: thank you. We can't wait to see what you build.

Want to know when Headlamp comes to your campus? Subscribe to Nini News, or follow @ninifintech on Instagram, LinkedIn and X.