Since I was invited by Barney Pell, for what will be four years this fall — I continue to be honored and challenged to be a part of the Creative Destruction Lab. My work, first as an associate, then mentor, and now, a Fellow has been immensely rewarding both personally and professionally.
CDL is a not-for-profit seed-stage program for massively scalable, science-based companies. Its nine-month program pairs founders with experienced entrepreneurs and investors to set focused, measurable objectives with the goal of maximizing equity value creation. Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, the program has now expanded with locations in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, and Oxford in the UK. Since its inception in 2012, companies that have participated in the CDL program have created nearly $5 billion in equity value. CDL Alumni include North (Waterloo), Atomwise (San Francisco), Deep Genomics (Toronto), Automat (Montreal), Kyndi (Palo Alto), and Heuritech (Paris). Our credentials in AI, Quantum Computing, and Robotics are unchallenged and with the announcement of our founding role with #LibraAssociation our role in the blockchain world is ascendant. In just a few short weeks the CDL program has gone completely virtual using Slack, Zoom, and a lot of grit and determination — without missing a…
