Creative Destruction Lab

The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a seed-stage acceleration program founded in 2012 at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto, Canada. It is dedicated to supporting massively scalable, science- and technology-based ventures by providing a unique coaching process focused on specific objectives. CDL connects startups with experienced entrepreneurs and leading scientists across various sectors, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, quantum computing, blockchain, energy, and cleantech. The program has expanded its reach, operating in six cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and New York City, and emphasizes the commercialization of scientific and technological advancements.

Ludovic ANDRÉ

Associate

Rob Barbara

Associate

Mark Blackwell

Associate

Kent Brown

Associate

Shila Nieves Burney

Associate

Neil Cameron

Associate

Charles Conn

Associate

Isabel Fox

Associate

Matt Golden

Associate

Bernard W. Gray

Associate

Gary Griffiths

Associate

Colin Harris

Founding Partner

Andrew Haughian

Associate

Mack Healy

Associate

Charles Hudson

Associate

Patricia Hume

Associate

Richard Jhang

Associate

Patrick Kappel

Venture Manager, Space stream

Patrick Keefe

Associate

Shelley Kuipers

Associate

Elaine Kunda

Associate

Nicole LeBlanc

Associate

Josh Manchester

Associate

Ashif Mawji

Associate

Adam McNamara

Associate

David Moehring

Associate

Chris Moyer

Associate

Kyle Nakatsuji

Associate

John Neis

Associate

Rich Osborn

Associate

Kaustubh Pandya

Associate

Jean-François Pariseau

Associate

Oliver Plunkett

Associate

Steve Pretre

Associate

Jay Rhind

Associate

Andre Rocha

Associate

Adam Rogers

Associate

Jamie Rosenblatt

Associate

Maryanna Saenko

Associate

Tekin Salimi

Associate

Micah Siegel

Associate

Isaac Souweine

Associate

Roy Thiele-Sardina

Associate

Claude Vachet

Associate

Chris Wake

Associate

Lucy Wang

Associate

Samuel Wu

Associate

John Yianni

Associate

Sarah Young

Associate

Past deals in Nova Scotia

Milk Moovement

Seed Round in 2021
Milk Moovement is a developer of a dairy supply chain management platform that enhances connectivity among all participants in the dairy industry. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of features, including transportation monitoring, production tracking, and quality assessment. By utilizing a cloud-based web and mobile solution, it provides real-time access to crucial information, allowing stakeholders such as producers, processors, transporters, testing labs, and cooperatives to monitor milk performance metrics effectively. This integration of data not only facilitates informed decision-making by offering insights into current production and quality but also helps reduce waste and increase efficiency throughout the milk supply chain.

3D BioFibR

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
3D BioFibR Inc. engages in biomaterial manufacturing services that produces biofibers such as spider silk, collagen, and chitosan. It provides services to global markets, which includes biomedical engineering, green textiles, defense, and aerospace engineering. It offers products for 3D tissue cultures and collagen tendons for biomedical research. The company was founded in 20202 and is based in Halifax, Canada.

Reach Orthopaedics

Non Equity Assistance in 2020
Manufacturer of an orthopedic shoulder implant intended to restore shoulder function to patients of all ages. The company's implant corrects joint imbalances of a rotator cuff tear and lessens the risk of progressive osteoarthritis, enabling patients to get minimized time in surgery and reduced wait times.

Emagix

Non Equity Assistance in 2020
Developer of algorithm-based analytics technology designed to be used for the diagnosis of retinal and brain vascular injury. The company's technology decreases the time required to capture images and identifies and quantifies critical information in the images, enabling physicians to conduct early diagnosis and follow-up treatment efficacy along with improved patient care and reduced clinical costs.

Gibli

Non Equity Assistance in 2020
Gibli Tech, founded in 2019 and based in Halifax, Canada, specializes in developing aerodynamic sensors designed to enhance athletic performance. The company focuses on providing real-time feedback for cyclists and triathletes, allowing them to validate equipment and position changes effectively. By optimizing aerodynamics, Gibli's sensors enable athletes to achieve immediate improvements without the need for additional equipment or extensive training time. This innovative approach offers athletes crucial insights during training and racing, helping them optimize their riding position and achieve significant efficiency gains.

ZeroIN

Non Equity Assistance in 2020
ZeroIN specializes in providing formulations and value-added ingredients to small and medium-sized food and beverage manufacturers, focusing on reducing sugar content while preserving taste. The company produces natural sweeteners and sugar substitutes that aim to counteract the negative effects associated with excessive sugar consumption. By offering drop-in replacements made from natural sources, ZeroIN enables the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries to incorporate healthier sugar alternatives into their products.

BlueGrid

Venture Round in 2019
BlueGrid specializes in developing advanced technologies for monitoring and managing remote business-critical infrastructure. The company's flagship platform, RimotRF, utilizes Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology to provide a comprehensive remote monitoring solution. This service is designed to minimize downtime, disruptions, and maintenance costs for vital operations. Additionally, BlueGrid is innovating in the marine sector with its vessel-to-grid technology, which enhances marine electrification by delivering real-time intelligence. This technology supports marine vessels and utilities in planning and optimizing their operations for charging and carbon credit management, thereby maximizing both environmental and economic value. Based in Dartmouth, Canada, BlueGrid is committed to providing effective solutions for diverse industries.

Motryx

Grant in 2019
Motryx provide quality assurance insights throughout the transport of blood samples.

Coloursmith

Seed Round in 2019
Coloursmith Labs Inc. is a Halifax-based company established in 2018 that specializes in developing optical filters for contact lenses. These filters are designed to enhance color saturation and improve color perception for individuals with color vision deficiencies. By focusing on innovative optical solutions, the company serves the healthcare sector, providing products that aim to aid those with color blindness.

Rayleigh Solar Tech

Non Equity Assistance in 2019
Developer of perovskite solar cells intended to accelerate the widespread implementation of sustainable solar energy. The company's cells offer a multi-junction solar cell using large-scale production methods and materials, enabling clients to get low-cost, versatile and efficient solar cell technologies.

Leap Biosystems

Non Equity Assistance in 2019
Leap Biosystems is a healthcare company focused on advancing medical technologies and astronaut medical training platforms to support future human space exploration initiatives. The organization is comprised of a team of Canadian professionals with expertise in medical, aerospace, research, and engineering fields. Leap Biosystems aims to provide innovative solutions that combine clinical medicine with technology, enabling effective medical care in remote environments. Their offerings include remote medical procedure guidance technology, designed to enhance the delivery of healthcare in challenging settings, ultimately changing lives and improving healthcare systems.

Axem Neurotechnology

Convertible Note in 2019
Developer of a portable neuroimaging system designed to track and predict recovery of movement function during the rehabilitation of hemiparesis. The company's systems utilize a proprietary optical imaging system, assessment software, and data analytics to measure neural biomarkers and aid neurological rehabilitation, enabling therapists to make sustainable treatment decisions.

Cribcut

Non Equity Assistance in 2019
Scheduling software, client acquisition, and education; empowering mobile hairstylists.

Byos

Grant in 2019
Byos is an endpoint micro-segmentation company focused on protecting organizations from the risks associated with remote, guest, and IoT network connectivity. The company's innovative Byos µGateway, which can be implemented as a portable device or embedded circuitry, creates secure micro-segments that enforce hardware protection for devices on potentially unsafe networks. This allows users—employees, contractors, and devices—to connect securely to any network while maintaining zero-trust access to corporate resources. The Byos Management Console facilitates centralized policy management and reporting across multiple µGateways. Byos serves various critical infrastructure sectors, including defense, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and financial services, ensuring asset invisibility and secure communication without data leakage. Headquartered in Halifax, Canada, Byos sources and manufactures all components in North America, enabling remote workforces to connect safely and work freely.

Jaza

Seed Round in 2018
Jaza Energy Inc. specializes in developing integrated solar energy solutions for off-grid communities. Founded in 2015 and based in Halifax, Canada, the company designs and constructs central solar energy hubs that offer affordable and reliable electricity access to hundreds of households. These hubs charge portable battery packs, which residents use to power essential devices such as lights and phones. Additionally, the energy hubs provide electricity to anchored loads, including water systems, shops, schools, and other community infrastructure. By eliminating the need for kerosene and reducing travel for charging devices, Jaza Energy aims to enhance the quality of life in underserved areas by creating a sustainable network of renewable energy resources.

Marcato

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Marcato Digital Solutions provides a comprehensive web-based management service tailored for the global music industry, addressing the significant changes brought about by internet-based music sharing. The company's platform streamlines various aspects of event management, including scheduling, promotion, and accounting, to assist artists, managers, and related organizations in navigating complex revenue streams. By consolidating event planning and management into a single interface, Marcato enables users to accept and review submissions, generate itineraries, and publish event details seamlessly. With a team of experts from the international music industry, Marcato aims to enhance efficiency and technological integration in live event management.

Graphite Innovation & Technologies

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Graphite Innovation & Technologies is a prominent Canadian materials engineering firm dedicated to advancing the use of graphene and nanomaterials. The company specializes in developing innovative applications for these materials, leveraging its proprietary "bottom up" production process to create high-quality graphene. By owning the intellectual property related to this process, Graphite Innovation & Technologies ensures that it can deliver customized engineered materials tailored to specific client needs. The firm focuses on reducing production costs while enhancing the properties of graphene, enabling businesses to integrate these advanced materials into their products. With expertise in dispersion and product integration, Graphite Innovation & Technologies provides comprehensive solutions that empower clients to enhance their offerings with the unique characteristics of graphene.

Bereda

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Bereda is focused on developing a planning software specifically designed for endurance sports, aimed at providing athletes with expert instruction and guidance. The platform simplifies the scheduling and management of training activities by collecting data from various wearable technologies. This data is organized according to an athlete's calendar events and weekly training routines, allowing both coaches and self-coached athletes to create and update personalized training plans. By offering a structured framework, Bereda ensures that athletes can efficiently navigate their training, even in the face of unpredictable seasonal changes.

Eosense

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Eosense (formerly Forerunner Research Inc., ) is a product company that designs and builds weatherproof gas monitoring devices for soil gas flux research. They are dedicated to equipping research and industry with accurate, go-anywhere tools. Their products capture concentration and flux data for greenhouses gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and perform exceptionally well in soil, mud, shallow water, and snow.

Harbr

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Harbr Inc. is a Canadian company founded in 2016, headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) software for construction management. The company develops tools designed to organize and manage data, helping construction projects stay on schedule. Harbr offers various products, including a free version that provides daily logs for users and construction sites, a pro version that connects team members on-site, and an enterprise solution that links multiple job sites and teams. Additionally, Harbr's platform facilitates the reconciliation of data from various external contractors, enabling comprehensive analytics and insights. It also features automated document evaluation and data extraction processes, aimed at enhancing efficiency and scalability while reducing the need for manual inputs and qualifications in project management.

Salient Energy

Non Equity Assistance in 2017
Salient Energy is focused on the commercialization of a novel zinc-ion battery developed from research at the University of Waterloo. This innovative battery technology is designed for electricity storage in the grid, offering a safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Salient Energy's proprietary cathode materials uniquely incorporate zinc into their crystal lattice, resulting in a relatively high energy density. This advancement allows for the use of traditional battery designs compatible with existing manufacturing processes, making it feasible to produce these batteries in current facilities worldwide. Consequently, Salient Energy's products provide a cost-effective, long-lasting solution for energy storage, catering to the needs of electric industry stakeholders.

Jaza

Seed Round in 2017
Jaza Energy Inc. specializes in developing integrated solar energy solutions for off-grid communities. Founded in 2015 and based in Halifax, Canada, the company designs and constructs central solar energy hubs that offer affordable and reliable electricity access to hundreds of households. These hubs charge portable battery packs, which residents use to power essential devices such as lights and phones. Additionally, the energy hubs provide electricity to anchored loads, including water systems, shops, schools, and other community infrastructure. By eliminating the need for kerosene and reducing travel for charging devices, Jaza Energy aims to enhance the quality of life in underserved areas by creating a sustainable network of renewable energy resources.

FundMetric

Non Equity Assistance in 2016
Fundmetric Inc. is a Canadian company that operates a donor management and communication platform aimed at addressing the challenges faced by fundraising organizations, particularly the issue of donor retention. Founded in 2013 and based in Halifax, the company employs analytics and predictive modeling to enhance the understanding of donor relationships with non-profits and charities. Its software-as-a-service platform enables organizations to segment and track donors, automate personalized communications, and analyze constituent behaviors. By providing tools that alert fundraisers to stewardship opportunities and automate routine tasks, Fundmetric allows organizations to focus their efforts on high-value donors while effectively managing the broader donor base. The platform also facilitates the acceptance of gifts and generates automated receipts, ultimately helping charities maximize lifetime giving and improve the predictability of their revenue streams.

WoodsCamp

Seed Round in 2016
WoodsCamp is an organization focused on enhancing sustainable forestry practices through innovative technology and community collaboration. It serves a dedicated community of forestry professionals, woodlot owners, and technology developers, all committed to improving forest health and supporting the families that depend on these ecosystems. The company offers an internet-based tool that streamlines mapping data and generates personalized reports for forest owners, highlighting opportunities for sustainable income generation from their properties. By fostering technical and process innovation, WoodsCamp aims to create new methods for managing forests while promoting environmental sustainability.
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