Creative Destruction Lab

Venture Capital and Private Equity PrincipalsOntario, Canada501-1000 Employees

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. 

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. 

Founded by Professor Ajay Agrawal in 2012 at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, the program has expanded and now has 11 sites across six countries: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, Paris, Madison, Seattle, Estonia, Berlin, and Melbourne.

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

The successful commercialization of cutting-edge science and technology achieved through the program has led to the creation of over CAD $35 billion in equity value.

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