You can also follow this process in a step-by-step video here.
1. Visit Expressway Cyber and click on “Sign up”.
2. In a new tab you will be prompted to complete the Employer sign up form.
3. Congratulations! Once complete, if eligible, you will receive an email inviting you to create your Riipen account and accept your portal pass.
4. Next, fill in your name, email, and password in the indicated fields and click “Create account”. If you already have a Riipen account you can click “Log in”.
5. Next, add your job title, pronouns (optional), phone number, and choose up to 5 categories that interest you.
6. Next, add your company information. If your company is already on Riipen, you can find your company by clicking the link provided in the yellow box.
7. Now you can choose which cohort you want to create projects for. If none are open, please check back for the next one to begin!
8. On joining the cohort, you will be asked to verify that you meet the Expressway Cyber eligibility criteria, as outlined in our *Terms and Conditions* here. You will be directed to our 3rd party Identification provider, Persona, to complete a 5 step identity and verification process. To complete these steps, you will be required to:
Verify your Canadian Business registration, including BN number
Verify the registered address of your business
Complete a personal identification process with government-issued ID
We recommend that you have these items available to you at sign up so that you can enter the program as smoothly as possible. For more info on the verification process, view this article here.
9. To select a program, click on “Portal Programs” under the marketplace header. Choose the program you wish to submit a project for and click “Request a match” and then “Create from an approved template”. The project templates are pinned to ensure that your project aligns with the participants' specialized skills.
10. Creating a project is a 5-step process in the project creation wizard.
Add a descriptive title, and summarize the work you want the participants to complete. Make sure the expected outcomes for your business are clear to participants, and that they can get a sense of the scope of work from your description. Please give as much detail as you can.
Given the short, remote nature of Expressway Cyber, we require a project-based experience. Make sure to provide a concrete scope for the team’s work and limit their work to a single project.
Projects should provide up to 60-80 hours of work per participant, for a team of 3-5.
Currently, there are no limitations to the number of projects an employer can submit. Employers are required to provide a minimum of five hours of mentorship to each team member. Participants, on the other hand, will only complete one project.
Continue through the steps in the wizard. If you save your project as a draft, you can return to your project at any time to make edits.
12. Before your match can be accepted, you will need to click “Sign Agreements” and formally agree to the Expressway Cyber Terms and Conditions.
A few things to note:
When you’ve completed the wizard and hit “Publish” on the last step, your project is live in the Riipen marketplace. Your project should be acknowledged within 5 business days.
Once matched to a program, an Expressway Cyber participant team will be paired with your project. You will be alerted by email and can view the team page and participant profiles from your dashboard.
COSTI projects will take place over up to 8 weeks.
Cohorts will run from November 2025 - March 2027
There is no cost for you to post an Expressway Cyber project.
Still have questions? Reach out to us via the avocado found in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen or via email at Expressway@riipen.com.