Creative Destruction Lab

Canada · Venture Capital & Private Equity

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. CDL's mission is to enhance the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind. The nine-month program employs an objectives-based mentoring process to enhance the performance of technical founders who learn from the insights of experienced entrepreneurs, with the goal of maximizing equity-value creation. The program combines 5 elements to help companies transition from science projects to scalable and financeable companies: - An emphasis on objective-setting, helping companies focus on what's most important to their business - Focused mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs who have founded, led, and sold significant tech companies - Technical advice from world-leading scientists, engineers, and economists - Hands-on support from top business students, who embed within the company to provide business support - Opportunities to raise capital, including angels and VCs from Europe and North America Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the University of thirteen sites across seven countries: Seattle, Oxford, Paris, Atlanta, Estonia, Madison, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Berlin, Melbourne and Halifax. The successful commercialization of cutting-edge science and technology achieved through the program has led to the creation of over CAD $28 billion in equity value. CDL alumni companies include North (Waterloo), Atomwise (San Francisco), Kyndi (Palo Alto), Xanadu (Toronto), BenchSci (Toronto), Kheiron Medical (London), and Roadbotics (Pittsburgh).