On September 29, students in the 2026–27 Noodle Accelerator program sat down with Nuria Madrenas and Boyd Reid, Branksome's Entrepreneurs in Residence. It wasn’t to pitch a product, but to answer a harder question: what problem is your company actually solving?

That shift in thinking sums up the recent evolution of Noodle. For more than six years, this first-of-its-kind program in a Canadian school has inspired and developed the business ideas of Branksome Hall's young entrepreneurs. Over the years, it has grown from 13 students to more than 175 from Grades 4–12. Noodle’s track record is strong: during the 2025–26 school year, its companies generated more than $49,000 in revenue. 

Now anchored in its new headquarters in iCAST, Noodle is introducing some of its most significant changes yet, moving participants from high-volume product sales to developing true entrepreneurial and design thinking. Companies will now be selected and developed based on clear criteria: real-world problem-solving, innovation and impact on people, profit and planet.

Within the Noodle program, Branksome students aren’t just learning about entrepreneurship. They learn by being entrepreneurs. Students identify problems and learn to understand the people affected, imagine innovative solutions, and turn their strongest ideas into real ventures. 

Through this hands-on experience, students build the creativity, courage, resilience and confidence to navigate uncertainty, create meaningful value and turn ideas into action, wherever their future takes them.

One Program, Many Ways to Grow

Across every level of Noodle, the work is the same at its core: find a real problem, understand the demographic that has it and design something worth building.

Noodle Jr. (Grades 5–6) acts as an introduction, helping younger students learn to spot problems that need solving. Through conversation, observation and listening, they learn from the people who experience those problems, then design a solution and a prototype. Grade 4 students participate in an introduction to Noodle Jr. in the spring.

Noodle Incubator (Grades 7–12) is where students “build it,” moving from problem to idea, to solution, to first company, to first customers.

Noodle Accelerator (Grades 7–12) is for students with an existing company. In Part 1, they are asked to “prove it”—challenge their assumptions, validate the problem and solution, strengthen the business model and find evidence that there is a real market. In Part 2, they are asked to “grow it.” These more established companies focus on traction, revenue, impact, innovation and leadership, and decide what their next stage of growth will look like.

Noodle Design is a new offering in Club form. Middle and Senior students can join weekly meetings to explore design thinking in a flexible format without having to commit to the full Noodle program.

This new structure will help students like Alicia, founder of Gliss Lip Gloss, grow her company even further. Alicia and her friends Alyssa and Angela started their company three years ago in Grade 9 and look forward to developing it further this year in the Noodle Accelerator program. “Noodle has helped me grow my business over the years through opportunities like AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions, where I can learn directly from entrepreneurs about their experiences and advice, then apply those insights to my own business,” said Alicia. “Noodle continues to strengthen my social and entrepreneurial skills in ways that extend beyond the classroom.” 

Looking Ahead

The 2026–27 Noodle Program is already off to the races, with students participating in a six-week sprint with the theme "Find the Problem." 

On the first day, Accelerator students participated in a two-part workshop where they interviewed Nuria Madrenas and Boyd Reid, Branksome's Entrepreneurs in Residence. Nuria and Boyd took Noodle students back to the beginning of their entrepreneurial careers, providing inspiration for what their businesses could become. Students then took what they learned and reflected on their own businesses, evaluating them against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and identifying room for growth. 

Incubator participants attended an Ask Me Anything session with alums Carlee OLSEN’18 and Naomi LAU’20, who currently work in business and finance. Carlee and Naomi encouraged students to think outside the box and to not get stuck on things such as aesthetics when starting. If it solves a problem, people will embrace it. 

This is only the beginning of a year-long journey. But if the opening sprint is any indication, this year's student entrepreneurs are already learning to start where the best ventures do: with a problem worth solving and a drive for change.