About RQ Platform
One Platform.
Zero Chaos.
The technology built for programs that create real impact.
Running awards, grants, scholarships, fellowships, or mentorship on spreadsheets is its own kind of chaos. Reviewers waiting on reviewers. Deadlines nobody agreed to. A shared drive that’s somehow overstuffed and still missing the one file you need. We watched that mess for over a decade.
RQ Platform was not built to sell technology. It was built to end that mess.
One program. One clear path.
Our Mission
We turn manual program admin into workflows that flex.
Better participation. Sharper reviews. Stronger impact.
Manual work buries good programs in chaos. RQ Platform automates it, so you spend less time managing and more time growing.
Our Story
Two people. One deadline. A problem worth solving.
In 2008, former colleagues Rishi Chandarana and Carol Ayton saw a problem worth solving: a nonprofit needed a better way to manage award nominations—and needed it quickly. Rishi brought the technical know-how; Carol focused on the people who would actually use the system. With no office, they built the first version wherever they could find a table—usually at a local Tim Hortons or library. It worked, and they quickly discovered that plenty of other organizations were wrestling with the same manual processes. Coffee shops and library tables eventually gave way to a garage office, then a bigger office, a growing team, and a platform that expanded beyond awards to scholarships, grants, fellowships, and more. Today, RhythmQ helps mission-driven organizations run programs that recognize achievement, create opportunities, and bring people together.
Rishi still runs the engine. Carol still makes sure it feels human.
2008
The first solution
Early Years
Coffee shops → library tables → garage office
Growth
Awards → scholarships → grants → fellowships
2021
Strategic investment by SfN Holdings USA - a Private Equity Investment Company
Today
RQ Platform + RQ Mentorship
What’s in a Name?
A little music. A little tech. And a name that stuck.
“Rhythm” came from our shared love of music, while “Q” was inspired by the ingenious technology expert from the James Bond films—the person behind the clever tools that helped solve seemingly impossible problems. Put them together and you get RhythmQ: a name that combines creativity and technology.
Creativity. People. Energy. × Technology. Ingenuity. Problem-solving.
Proof, Not Promises
15+ Years
Running programs that matter.
200+ Organizations
Across 20+ industries trust RQ Platform with their applications and reviews.
10M+ Applicants
Have gone through something we built.
96% Retention
Once people stop fighting their tools, they stay.
TRUSTED & RECOGNIZED
Recognized by the People Who Use Us
Independent software review platforms recognize RQ Platform for the experience, value, and support we deliver to organizations running important programs.
Trusted by organizations that expect more from their program management software.
Built to Help Programs Grow
Same job, bigger stage. We stay close to customers and pair flexible technology with fifteen years of watching programs run, so admins spend less time wrestling tools and more time doing the actual work. One form for one nonprofit became the engine behind associations, universities, foundations, nonprofits, corporations, government bodies, and STEM programs across North America and Europe.
Built to Last
Over a decade in the trenches.
Customer First
Launch day to year ten, every time.
Built Across Sectors
Associations, nonprofits, government, STEM, universities, foundations, and more.
Program Expertise
Grants, applications, scholarships, fellowships, awards, and mentorship.
Our Core Values
We Listen First
Before we build anything, we ask what the workflow really looks like. Who applies. Who reviews. What breaks. Technology should bend to the program, never the reverse.
We Build What Gets Used
No shiny features for a demo reel. Just the sturdy thing that fixes the real headache.
We Grow When You Grow
Every cycle teaches us something, and it goes straight back into the platform.
How We Work With You
Self-serve when you want speed. Human support when you need it. Same technology either way.
01
Know your program.
Your goals, your deadlines, your reviewers. We turn all of it into forms, stages, access, and reporting, built around how you actually run things.
02
Support every cycle.
Launch day, live administration, every “wait, can we change this?” Every time. No charge. No surprise support bill.
03
Grow over time.
Analytics and reporting turn every cycle into a lesson for the next one. Better participation. Sharper reviews. Bigger outcomes.
What Clients Say
Even when I came to the team with ideas or concepts that weren't yet clear on how to implement them, they translated those ideas into practical, functional solutions within the platform.
Michelle C., Program Manager, Government Relations
Our entire committee—including several initial skeptics—has been thoroughly impressed. It’s difficult to imagine how our experience could have been much better. No hesitation to recommend this software.
Peter J., Bursary Committee Secretary, Religious Institution
You didn’t sign up to fight your own tools.
Let’s fix that.
COMMUNITY & CONNECTION
More Than Software. Part of the Community.
At RhythmQ, being part of a community means contributing to it. From supporting local organizations to sharing what we’ve learned with the people and programs we serve, we believe good businesses should make an impact beyond their products.
1,000+ lbs
of food donated to our local food bank
Giving Back Locally
Our team comes together each year for our annual food drive in support of our local food bank. To date, we’ve donated more than 1,000 pounds of food — and we plan to keep that number growing.
Sharing What We Know
Experience is more valuable when it’s shared. Our team mentors students, supports local businesses, hosts educational webinars, and participates in roundtables where program leaders can exchange ideas, challenges, and best practices.
Growing Together With Our Customers
Our relationship with customers goes beyond providing software. We work alongside them as partners — listening to their needs, sharing ideas, connecting them with resources, and finding new ways to strengthen their programs and the communities they serve.
Because when the organizations around us succeed, the impact reaches far beyond RhythmQ.