Meet Our Founder

Melissa Sariffodeen is an award-winning entrepreneur — recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 and RBC Entrepreneur of the Year — with nearly two decades of building, leading, and scaling organizations that create real economic and social impact.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Canada Learning Code, she transformed a grassroots idea into one of Canada's most recognized education organizations — raising over $50 million, scaling a national team, and creating over one million learning experiences across the country. Much of that work was youth programming — workshops, camps and school partnerships that parents trusted with their kids — delivered by local instructors and teams in communities across Canada.

After almost 15 years, Melissa navigated the acquisition of Canada Learning Code by a strategic partner.

That experience gives her something most buyers don't have: she knows exactly what it feels like to be the seller.

Born and raised in London, Ontario to a blue-collar family, Melissa learned early the value of hard work, discipline, and community. She taught herself to code at 11, holds an HBA from the Ivey Business School and a Master's from the University of Toronto. She has traveled Canada and the US extensively — visiting hundreds of cities and towns, meeting business owners, operators, and community leaders along the way. That national perspective shapes how she thinks about the businesses she's looking to acquire and the communities they serve.

Now Melissa is focused on what's next — acquiring and operating one great business, and helping it grow stronger for the long term.