Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), an objectives-based program for massively scalable science- and tech-based companies, is partnering with the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business for its next North American location, CDL-Atlanta.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the world’s leading research universities, globally recognized for its expertise in innovation and technology.

The nine-month CDL 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 4 elements to help companies transition from science projects to scalable and financeable companies:

Focused mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs who have founded, led, and sold significant tech companies

Technical advice from world-leading scientists, engineers, and economists, leaders in their respective fields

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

“We are thrilled to welcome Georgia Tech into the CDL family. They are consistently ranked as one of the top ten engineering departments in the world. This is a significant opportunity for both parties,” said

Ajay Agrawal, founder, Creative Destruction Lab, professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Established more than a century ago, Scheller College of Business is Georgia Tech’s globally-ranked business school, strategically positioned at the intersection of business and technology. As a leader in business education and research, Scheller College is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of how ever-evolving advancements in technology affect the way business is conducted around the world.

“What excites us the most about bringing the CDL program to the Scheller College of Business is the ability to combine the research excellence of Georgia Tech with the unique CDL model to scale the next generation of startups operating at the scientific frontier,” said Alex Oettl, associate professor, Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business and CDL-Atlanta co-site lead.

Scheller College of Business Dean Maryam Alavi, added, “We are excited to partner with CDL in their expansion into the United States. As part of a world-renowned research institute, Georgia Tech Scheller College is a business school focused on innovation and technology and the impact evolving technologies have in the global marketplace. CDL offers a unique and proven opportunity for emerging science and technology-based businesses to accelerate their growth and quickly develop from market concept to market impact.”

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 Oxford, Paris, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax. The successful commercialization of cutting-edge science and technology achieved through the program has led to the creation of over $4.5 billion in equity value.

Applications for CDL-Atlanta will open in April 2020 for start-ups in the United States and beyond. Twenty-five companies will be accepted in the first cohort. CDL-Atlanta will hold four sessions over the course of the program year, culminating in a Super Session which brings to Toronto the most promising ventures from across all CDL sites.