How a group of final-year students turned data into actionable insights for a Vancouver tech startup , and left the CEO speechless.
This past term, 13 students from the Management Information Systems program at Acsenda School of Management had the chance to put their learning to the test, and they delivered a project so impressive that the industry partner called it “flawless” and “beyond expectations.”
Working under the guidance of Lecturer Arunim Garg, the student team partnered with Toronto-based startup LetsPopIn.com via the Riipen platform to complete a 12-week applied data analysis practicum. LetsPopIn is a social platform designed to enhance event networking by allowing users to connect with others who share similar backgrounds and interests, even before the event starts.
The Challenge
LetsPopIn wanted to better understand two core aspects of its platform: the types of events their users attend, and the profiles of attendees engaging with these events. To tackle this challenge, students were given access to datasets collected from popular public event platforms like Eventbrite and Meetup, as well as attendee data from one of LetsPopIn’s major hosted events.
The initial goal was clear: extract insights that could inform product and marketing strategies. But what the students delivered went far beyond basic analytics.
The Process
The first few weeks were dedicated to strengthening technical skills. “Not everyone was at the same level when we started,” says Arunim, “so we focused on getting everyone comfortable with Python, data visualization, and dashboard development.”
Once ready, students dove into the data. They explored:
- Trends in event types, formats (online vs in-person), and geographic popularity
- Most and least attended events
- Thematic topics using Natural Language Processing (NLP) on event titles and descriptions
- Demographic patterns among attendees, including background and signup behaviour
All students participated in every aspect of the analysis, building both independence and collaboration skills. For each phase, midterm and final, Arunim appointed two student leads to integrate individual analyses into a cohesive, interactive dashboard using Python and Streamlit.
The Deliverable
The result? A sleek, user-friendly dashboard offering deep insights from over 450 events and 300 attendees. The NLP portion stood out especially, as students categorized event topics through text analysis , without having structured metadata available. The final product was so well-received that LetsPopIn’s CEO, Shabs Badsha, called it:
“Flawless on all metrics… It blew apart my expectations!
Students are highly motivated and open to feedback. Kudos to Prof Arunim for his excellent leadership and for bringing new talent to the workforce!”
Real Impact
LetsPopIn has already adopted the dashboard into its internal operations, and has signed on for three more student-led projects in the upcoming term. For the students, this wasn’t just a school assignment, it was a real-world consulting project that sharpened their technical, analytical, and teamwork skills while leaving a tangible impact on a growing Canadian tech company.
What’s Next?
With industry engagement on the rise and student talent shining, projects like this show the real-world power of applied education. It’s a win-win, for students, schools, and companies alike.
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