CDL-Vancouver

🚀Applications are now open for the CDL Apprentice Program! The program is an incredible opportunity for ambitious Women+ —including two-spirit, trans, and non-binary individuals— youth (ages 14–18) to explore the world of entrepreneurship and innovation. 💡The Apprentice Program is hosted by the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) in partnership with Scotiabank. It provides firsthand insight into technology, science-based innovation, and the entrepreneurial journey. Participants may have the opportunity to attend in-person session days at the The University of British Columbia, where they’ll:  👉Observe real-world discussions about start-ups addressing Climate, Computing, Biomedical Engineering, and Minerals challenges. 👉Engage with founders and mentors who are shaping the future of deep tech and innovation. 👉Gain insights and inspiration to pursue their own entrepreneurial paths. 📅Applications are open now and close on January 12, 2025, at 11:59 PM. 🔗Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ety_Zhhj or reach out to Jordyn Flanagan or Mannat Advani if you have questions about the application process or program.

This week, we had an incredible event as part of the CDL course Applied Methods in Technology Start-ups (BAEN 508), led by CDL-Vancouver’s Site Lead, Darrell Kopke, at UBC Sauder School of Business. The cohort of 22 students from Sauder’s MBA, Professional MBA, Master of Engineering Leadership, and Master of Health Leadership Policy programs presented their investment recommendations for high-potential ventures participating in CDL-Vancouver’s 2024/25 programming cycle. Over the past 11 weeks, these talented students delved deep into the venture capital ecosystem, conducting situational analyses, market entry strategies, due diligence, and synthesizing their insights into Investment Memos. This week, they showcased their work to an Investment Committee, including: Ali Pejman, FCPA, FCA Praveen K. Varshney, FCPA, FCA Jason Robertson Jenny Yang Maria Pacella The committee provided invaluable feedback and insights while assessing the student recommendations. These presentations not only demonstrated the students’ analytical and strategic abilities but also highlighted the value of experiential learning, giving them hands-on experience in evaluating investments into real-world ventures. A huge thank you to the students, faculty, and Investment Committee for making this a success and helping to provide valuable opportunities to engage in learning about start-ups and venture capital. Follow CDL-Vancouver to hear which venture received the investment in the coming weeks!

✨Driving Health Innovation: Insights from Providence Health Care Ventures's Virtual Workshop Workshop Overview Earlier this month, Providence Health Care Ventures hosted a workshop titled "Unlocking Growth: How PHC Ventures Are Accelerating the Pace of Health Innovation to Implementation," for the ventures in CDL-Vancouver's Biomedical Engineering Stream. The session explored how PHC Ventures’ expertise in data, commercialization, and consulting can help ventures navigate their path to market success and enhance their product development strategies. 🎤 Meet the Speaker: Stuart Bowyer MSc Stuart Bowyer, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Providence Health Care Ventures, brought over 20 years of experience spanning digital health, precision medicine, and patient care to the workshop. Stuart shared practical strategies and invaluable insights to help ventures overcome challenges in health innovation. A big thank you to Stuart and PHC Ventures for their time and expertise in inspiring the next generation of transformative technologies!

Congratulations to Plantible Foods on closing their US $30M Series B funding round! This investment, co-led by Piva Capital and Siddhi Capital, includes contributions from notable partners like Betagro Ventures, Cultivate Next / Chipotle, Nourish Ventures, and Astanor Ventures. Plantible Foods graduated from the CDL-Vancouver Prime Stream in 2019/20. They are transforming the plant-based protein industry with its innovative Rubi Protein—a versatile, functional protein derived from Lemna (duckweed). Their proprietary, vertically integrated farming and extraction technologies position them at the forefront of sustainable food solutions. The funding will accelerate R&D, scale production, and expand marketing efforts, helping Plantible meet the rising global demand for healthier, environmentally friendly protein options. Read more about Plantible Foods' raise here: https://lnkd.in/gdWiuTEA

✨Legal Insights for Emerging Ventures: Highlights from Last Week’s Workshop Last week, Fasken hosted a workshop for Canadian ventures in CDL-Vancouver's Climate, Minerals, and Biomedical Engineering Streams. 💻 Workshop Highlights: "Legal 101" offered attendees a comprehensive overview of key legal considerations for startups, presented by Jon Conlin from Fasken Emerging Tech and Venture Capital team. Through the workshop, founders gained practical insights to help them navigate the complexities of the legal landscape, empowering them to make informed decisions as they grow their ventures. 🎤Speaker Spotlight: Jon Conlin, a seasoned legal expert with Fasken, brings extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and technology law. He works closely with high-growth companies, founders, and venture capital funds, advising on private financings and strategic transactions. Jon also supports CEOs and boards with corporate governance matters, making him a trusted advisor for innovative ventures. Thank you to Jon and the team at Fasken for sharing your expertise and helping our ventures build strong legal foundations for success!

Thank you to Katherine Standefer for sharing her personal journey in understanding the true impact and lifecycle of her implanted cardiac defibrillator. Katherine shared her story with the Biomedical Engineering Stream mentors, ventures, partners and guests last month, leaving the room inspired with new perspectives. To learn more about Katherine's story and discoveries, read Lightning Flowers: My Journey to Uncover the Cost of Saving a Life.

Bringing together all CDL-Vancouver mentors and partners from the Minerals, Climate, Compute, and Biomedical Engineering Streams for the annual Mentor & Partner Dinner is always a memorable evening each year! Highlights from last months dinner included a keynote presentation from Marc Stoiber, who shared insights from over 30 years of brand strategy experience. Marc’s work with brands like Bud Light and Procter & Gamble exemplifies brands' powerful role in shaping market leaders. Furthermore, CDL-Vancouver Minerals Stream Lead, Liam Hilder, hosted a panel discussion with Adam Pidlisecky, Chih-Ting L., and Gary Agnew, reflecting on CDL’s inaugural year of Minerals Stream which launched last year for early-stage ventures working on transformative solutions in mining and resource management. Thank you to all the speakers for sharing their knowledge and inspiring us to continue driving innovation! We are very appreciative of our mentor community for sharing their time and expertise with the ventures, and our partners for their continued commitment to CDL’s mission of supporting high-impact startups. We are look forward to another year with all of our stakeholders through the 2024/25 program cycle!

🌟CDL-Vancouver Session 1 Recap🌟 CDL-Vancouver kicked off the 2024/25 programming cycle last month by welcoming 80 science & technology based startups for our first session of the cycle. Each Stream admitted 20 ventures who met with a curated group of mentors and partners to discuss their industry's unique challenges and opportunities: Day 1: Minerals Stream Day 2: Biomedical Engineering Stream Day 3: Compute Stream Day 4: Climate Stream Throughout the Session day, ventures received bespoke feedback in Small Group Meetings, followed by the Large Room Discussion where the feedback was translated into actionable insights to help ventures refine their strategies and set goals. Now, ventures are focused in an 8-week sprint on meeting their Session day objectives with the support of the mentor & partner community. We want to thank all the Session day participants for sharing their expertise and time with the CDL program, and the volunteers and staff that make the days run smoothly! We're looking forward to seeing where the ventures have progressed to at Session 2 next month! #CDLVancouver #Innovation #Startups

🚀🚀 CDL-Vancouver ventures have officially surpassed $6 Billion CAD in Equity Value Creation 🚀🚀 Equity value creation represents the total value of companies that are alumni of the CDL-Vancouver program. Since CDL-Vancouver launched at the UBC Sauder School of Business at The University of British Columbia in 2016, the program has supported over 1,000 founders working to scale science and technology based businesses. CDL-Vancouver has over 175 Mentors who are supporting ventures in the 2024/25 programming cycle through four specialized streams: Biomedical Engineering, Climate, Compute, and Minerals. In reflecting on achieving this milestone, CDL-Vancouver Site Director Bree Stanlake shares: "We would like to congratulate the ventures on their successes in and out of the program, thank our mentors for sharing their time and expertise, the CDL-Vancouver staff for their dedication to excellence, and thank all of the corporate and individual partners for their ongoing support of the program." The Creative Destruction Lab program brings together a curated group of ventures to meet with experienced entrepreneurial mentors to deliver commercial and technical mentorship, guidance and advice to the next generation of venture founders. For more information about the program, visit https://lnkd.in/g6iaHQDj and stay up to date by following CDL-Vancouver

Each year, CDL-Vancouver recognizes stand-out members of the community for their contributions to the program, and their dedication in supporting ventures. At our Mentor & Partner Dinner last week, we announced the award winners for the 2023/24 program cycle: Ray Muzyka, Adam Pidlisecky, Jung Lee, Kirk Petroski and Shahrooz Nabavi! Ray Muzyka - Fellow of the Year Ray is a Fellow in the BME Stream. He is always thoughtful in his feedback to ventures, supports ventures at every session, and champions unconventional ventures where he sees potential. His feedback helped shape the BME Stream this year, and we thank him for chairing the thesis discussion. Thank you Ray! Adam Pidlisecky - Associate of the Year Adam was crucial in setting the tone for Minerals Stream in its first year of launch. He is also an outstanding mentor in both the Climate and Compute Streams. Adam supports ventures where he believes he can help and refers quality ventures to the program. Thank you for providing your technical expertise! Jung Lee - Investigator of the Year Jung has been fantastic since she joined the Compute Stream, providing excellent voice in the large room discussion from varying go to market perspectives. Jung, thank you for your genuine interest in supporting the Compute ventures! Kirk Petroski - Rookie of the Year Kirk hit the ground running in his first year with us. He provided valuable insights and connections to the industry. His passion for mentorship was apparent both during and outside of Session days, supporting ventures as they worked towards closing their early rounds of funding. Thank you Kirk for your contribution to the CDL Community! Shahrooz Nabavi - Partner of the Year Shahrooz is a Partner at Fasken. He has been contributing to CDL-Vancouver’s Climate Stream for several years and joined us in the Minerals Stream in its inaugural year. He consistently contributes thoughtful comments, leads workshops for ventures and mentors, and has supported many ventures 1:1 through legal support, bringing new opportunities to deepen learning for everyone. Thank you Shahrooz!