The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a global mentorship program that helps science and technology startups scale into successful companies. Founded at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in 2012, CDL has grown internationally, including a partnership with the University of Wisconsin. I recently was able to attend the first session of CDL-Wisconsin’s 2024 cohort, where nearly 40 companies began their CDL journies. Here are some of my thoughts about the day.
The day starts early at 8:00 am. The room is full of founders (people who develop startups), and the energy and excitement is intense. It’s here that I learn the day unfolds in two critical phases: intimate small group discussions in the morning and large room discussions in the afternoon. Each of these meetings is hosted by highly experienced mentors: individuals who have built their own successful companies, experienced operators of major corporations, investors, and scientists.
The small group sessions created a focused environment where founders met select mentors to dissect their startup’s strategy. Here, probing questions revealed hidden assumptions and potential risks. Mentors provided direct, constructive feedback that forced founders to view their ventures (startups) from new perspectives, identifying critical blind spots often overlooked in traditional pitch environments.
As discussions expanded to the larger room, the atmosphere intensified. All participants—founders, mentors, and program leaders—converged in a large auditorium to begin the next phase. It was here where CDL moderators ask focused questions for the mentors that centered around each company’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall strategic direction. It seemed to be a bit intimidating from the founder’s perspective. However, multiple founders indicated that they welcomed the feedback and learned as much from watching their peers navigate challenging feedback as from their own.
As the day concluded, mentors began their deliberations to determine which companies would receive a hand-raise and advance to the next session. For context, each participating venture must secure a mentor who volunteers their time to meet with the company between sessions. If a venture fails to gain a mentor’s commitment—in CDL verbiage a “hand-raise”—it is not invited to return for the next session. Again, a very intense waiting game for founders. After deliberations wrapped up, founders headed over to a reception and I headed home. After attending my first CDL session, I can confidently tell you that it is both a transformative and nerve-wracking experience that challenges founders to reimagine their ventures through intense mentorship and collaborative scrutiny. Without this program many of these companies simply wouldn’t have access to the mentor network that CDL provides. With that said, I’m already excited about session 2.