Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)
AcceleratorToronto · Pre-Seed–Series A · 3 people tracked
Investment thesis
CDL is a nonprofit that delivers an objectives-based, nine-month program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies, connecting founders with experienced entrepreneurs, mentors, and domain experts to increase their likelihood of success. Founded in 2012 at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, it operates across multiple sites and countries and runs specialized streams spanning areas such as AI, biotech, climate, energy, quantum, space, defence, manufacturing, and healthcare. The newly launched CDL-Cleveland site hosts a Healthcare Delivery stream anchored to a health system, giving founders access to real clinical environments to validate and scale healthcare technologies.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 57 of 399 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×20Cleantech ×15Biotech ×12Healthtech ×12Deep Tech ×11Medical Devices ×11Climate Tech ×10Advanced Manufacturing ×8
HQs:United States×31Canada×11United Kingdom×3Germany×2Australia×1
Portfolio companies · 399 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeBy year:2025 · 12024 · 22023 · 12022 · 32021 · 42020 · 12019 · 113 dated
Accelerate Wind develops edge-of-roof wind turbine technology for commercial and industrial customers globally, enabling local energy generation by harnessing wind channeled by building structures.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechEnergyHardwareSt. Louis, US
Erika Boeing(Founder & CEO)inSophie Schaffer(Chief Operating Officer)inCharlie Walch(Chief Financial Officer)
Acerta provides an industrial AI analytics platform for discrete manufacturers to identify and resolve production defects early, reducing scrap, rework, and downtime.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise Software
Advanced ManufacturingSomerville, US
Derek Stein(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMiguel Galvez(Director)Daniel Cromie(Director)
AG Data Center builds modular, containerized edge data center infrastructure for deploying AI compute directly at remote sites such as hospitals, universities, utilities, and government facilities.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate TechCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureBeaverton, US
Buchanan Eugene Robert(Executive Officer)
ai-coustics builds an audio intelligence layer for Voice AI, offering an SDK and APIs that convert raw, real-world audio into stable, machine-ready input running on-device with sub-40 ms latency.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDeveloper ToolsSan Francisco, US
Arne Corvin Jaedicke(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Fabian Helmut Seipel(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardBORIS GOLDEN(Director)Sitar Teli(Director)
Browse all 399 investments with full details →
▶199 more tracked companies
BeitBelive.ai CommerceBenchmark Space SystemsBenchsciBereda Training IncBetter DairyBiconomyBidaliBig Blue TechnologiesBig CouchBigthinxBinta FinancialBio Mimir companyBiocurieBiofect InnovationsBioform SolutionsBiohuntress TherapeuticsBiohybrid SolutionsBiointelligenceBioMBiomerenewablesBiomotumBionicaBiosense IncBiotech Squarebiotx.ai HealthBiowegBioXplorBirch BiosciencesBirdseyeview TechnologiesBittensorBlablaBlassaBlaze Energy Technologies CorporationBlockalyticsBlockscopeBlockseatBlokBloomBloomscoBlossom Microbial Technologies companyBlue CubedBlue JBlue Lion LabsBlue Mesa HealthBlue Ocean Gear IncBlue Planet EcosystemsBlueberry PrimeBluefield Technologies IncBluefinsBluegrid By RimotBluenodeBluequbitBluesonde Technologies IncBlumind companyBoonBorealis WindBoston QuantumBotlhale AiBotmindsBotpressBoxcatBrain Spec companyBrainfxBrayfoil TechnologiesBreathe Battery TechnologiesBreathesuiteBreeze TrafficBreeziBrenus PharmaBridge GenomicsBridge7BridgitBrightspaceBrilliant Matters Organic ElectronicsBrimstoneBrink BionicsBrisk SynergiesBriziBroadsight Technology Corp.Brown FoodsBubo.ai CommerceBugseqBuild BeyondBuskr MediaBx Smart LabsByosByteratC12 Quantum ElectronicsCadence Final Document ServicesCALMWAVECalogy SolutionsCalumixCambrian Works IncCanurta TherapeuticsCanvassCapacitech EnergyCapintel IncCaplyzerCapsigenCaptain T Cell GmbhCaptivate TechnologyCapturaCapture Smart MetersCapwellCarbomat IncCarbon CellCarbon FarmCarbon Upcycling TechnologiesCarbon-Block BlockchainCarbonlumeCarbonovaCarbonquestCardiaxis Medical IncCare WeatherCareteamCaristo DiagnosticsCascade AiCase45CasectrlCashewCatena BiosciencesCauraCDLCelerity Craft IncCell BauhausCell Chorus companyCellbricksCellensCellfeCellgro TechnologiesCense AgCentinelCerebri AICerecura NanotherapeuticsCeres SolutionsCetos WaterChargeLab +MoreChargespotCheckstepChemFinityChild Health ImprintsChinova BioworksChisel Artificial IntelligenceChroma TechnologiesChrysalabsCibotica IncCielara AiCipher SkinCircadian Positioning Systems IncCirce IndustriesCircuit Mind LimitedCislunar IndustriesCitizen HexClanzClarityClean O2Cleancard companyClear Cost Agtech IncClear CurrentClee MedicalClimatexCliniaClirCloreCloverleaf BioCo ReactiveCo2BrewCoalesce.ai Artificial IntelligenceCoastal Genomics IncCobionixCogitatCogniframe IncCognitive Network SolutionsCognitive SpaceCogniviveCogramCogwear LlcCohesicCohesysColab Software IncColoursmith PrimeCompass LabsCompatioCompression.ai PrimeConcarloConcha LabsConcordConnect EarthConnekticaConry TechContinuum IndustriesContxtfulConvergence Medical SciencesCooper Pet CareCopoly.ai Biomedical EngineeringCopperstoneCordance MedicalCorol
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioComcastNYSE: CCZ
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesArgo Space · fortuneindia.com · Jul 17, 2026
Axoft · mpo-mag.com · Jul 17, 2026
Brimstone · simplywall.st · Jun 26, 2026
AuX Labs · daofoods.com · Jun 9, 2026
Cogram · aiwiki.ai · Mar 25, 2026
Brown Foods · ycombinator.com · Mar 19, 2026
Ammobia · ammoniaenergy.org · Feb 26, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) invest at?
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)'s typical check size?
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) typically writes checks of $50K – $250K.
- What sectors does Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) focus on?
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Crypto & Web3, Deep Tech, Defense Tech, Digital Health, EdTech, Energy, Fintech, Healthtech, Logistics & Supply Chain, Mobility & Transportation, New Materials, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Sector Agnostic, Space Tech.
- Where is Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) located?
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is headquartered in Toronto, CA.
- Does Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) lead rounds?
- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Images
Co-investors · 20
Eclipse partners with entrepreneurs transforming the physical economy, backing innovators that rebuild and modernize the industries powering critical systems.
Builders VC is a venture firm run by operators and investors that backs founders solving complex, mission-critical problems in industries dominated by legacy systems.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies, with a strong current focus on artificial intelligence.
GV (formerly Google Ventures) is a venture investment firm that backs founders across many industries, aiming to build long-term relationships and support companies across multiple stages and milestones.
Founder Collective is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on seed and pre-seed investments across all sectors.
True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that writes the first check for founders and supports them through subsequent stages of growth.
Balderton Capital's portfolio page listing companies it has backed across stages, sectors, and geographies, primarily in Europe.
Battery Ventures is a global investment firm that has backed more than 450 companies over its 40-year history, with a team operating as a single global unit and offering focused support services in talent, business development, marketing/communications, and growth/leadership.
Madrona Venture Group is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs founding teams at seed, early, and acceleration stages, primarily in Seattle, the Bay Area, and beyond.
Flybridge Capital Partners is an early-stage venture firm backing founders building AI-driven companies, from AI infrastructure and agentic business applications to entirely AI-native products.
IA Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage software and frontier technology companies.
Costanoa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs a select group of founders solving large, difficult problems, positioning itself as a long-term, operationally engaged partner from a company's earliest days through later milestones.
▶8 more co-investors
Zetta Venture PartnersSpider CapitalWork-BenchMango CapitalPioneer Square LabsVisionaire VenturesMetamorphic VenturesOVO Fund
Firms observed investing alongside Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)'s recorded portfolio.
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