CDL-Atlanta, based at Georgia Tech, announces a new program focused on innovative technologies with the potential to disrupt online and offline retail.
CDL Commerce will operate from CDL-Atlanta, hosted by the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech. CDL Commerce will include cybersecurity, payments, fintech, point-of-sale solutions, voice-activated retail, retail analytics, logistics and inventory solutions, last-mile delivery, and warehouse robotics.
Located in the southeast US, CDL-Atlanta is situated in the heart of commerce.
“Atlanta is at the forefront of fintech innovation and is the country’s payments capital, and Georgia Tech is a world leader in research on cybersecurity, logistics, robotics, and other related fields,” says Peter Thompson, Professor of Strategy & Innovation at the Scheller College of Business. “I can’t think of a better home for CDL Commerce.”
CDL’s nine-month 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 5 elements to help companies transition from science projects to scalable and financeable companies:
- Objective-setting: helping companies focus on what’s most important
- Mentorship: from entrepreneurs who have founded, built, and sold significant companies
- Technical advice: from world-leading scientists, engineers, and economists
- Business development support: from business students who embed within the company
- Opportunities to raise capital: from top tier angels and VCs
“I am pleased to be the first Founding Partner of the Creative Destruction Lab in Atlanta. CDL is a great watering hole for entrepreneurs, allowing them to interact meaningfully with investors, industry leaders, and researchers,” says Sid Mookerji, a leader of retail innovation and Founder and Managing Partner of Silicon Road Ventures. “CDL-Atlanta's program on Commerce Tech will create a world-class environment for innovation in retail, e-commerce, and CPG.”
CDL has already supported founders working on disruptive retail tech, such as Ada, Black.ai, Discover Dollar, Fakespot, FleetOps, and WalkOut.
Applications for CDL Commerce are now open: https://www.creativedestructionlab.com/apply/.
About Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business
Innovation and technology are at the heart of Scheller College of Business. Incorporating Georgia Tech’s preeminence in innovation and technology with Scheller College’s leading-edge advancements in business and commerce, Scheller employs these exceptional strengths to develop business leaders equipped to leverage technology and create value in any global business setting.
In addition to its globally-ranked Undergraduate, MBA, and PhD programs, Scheller’s portfolio also includes the Business Analytics Center, the Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship, the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, TI:GER (Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results, CIBER (the Center for International Business Education and Research), and the Steven A. Denning Technology and Management Program.
Tech Square Innovation Ecosystem
Scheller College is located in the heart of Atlanta’s globally recognized Technology “Tech” Square, a nexus of innovation and entrepreneurship for business and technology. Honored by the Association of University Research Parks, Tech Square is a mixed-use innovation ecosystem comprising more than 1.4 million square feet with more than 100 startups and 22 corporate innovation centers, including innovation centers for Fortune 500 corporations. In addition to Scheller College of Business, Tech Square is also home to Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), VentureLab, and CODA, a 21-story 645,000 square foot center for business innovation and institutional research. CODA houses Hive, a $5.3M supercomputer that enables data-driven discoveries in data science, computational astrophysics, biology, chemistry, and materials science.
Georgia Tech has recently announced plans for Tech Square Phase III, a significant expansion to Tech Square’s present footprint. This new phase of development is directly attributable to the $25M philanthropic gift by Scheller College of Business benefactors, Roberta and Ernest Scheller, Jr. The Tech Square Phase III design includes 400,000+ gross square feet of office and retail space, including a twin tower complex. One of the high-rise towers will be dedicated to the expansion of Scheller College of Business. The newly designated Scheller Tower will substantially increase the college’s presence in Tech Square and provide additional classroom and administration space for the continuing growth of the business school. Construction is planned to begin in 2020.
About Creative Destruction Lab
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. Its nine-month program allows founders to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, increasing their likelihood of success. Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, the program has expanded to eight sites across four countries: Oxford (Saïd Business School, University of Oxford), Paris (HEC Paris), Atlanta (Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology), Vancouver (Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia), Montreal (HEC Montréal), Calgary (Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary), and Halifax (Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University). The successful commercialization of cutting-edge science and technology achieved through the program has led to the creation of over $6.7 billion in equity value. CDL alumni companies include North (Waterloo), Atomwise (San Francisco), Kyndi (Palo Alto), Xanadu (Toronto), BenchSci (Toronto), Kheiron Medical (London), and Roadbotics (Pittsburgh).
Learn more about the CDL program.