CDL Matter approaches advanced materials as an enabling technology to solve the world's most pressing challenges

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) announces the launch of CDL Matter at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. CDL Matter is a new stream that will bring together entrepreneurs, scientists and investors in a mission to accelerate the discovery, development, and commercialization of advanced materials across numerous verticals and applications. The chemical and materials industries are poised to be disrupted by frontier technologies. The integration of automation, artificial intelligence, autonomy and high-throughput computation, as well as the growth of materials databases, will greatly accelerate the pace of discovery and development of molecules and materials. 

Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik will lead CDL Matter as the Founding Fellow of the new stream. Aspuru-Guzik is a professor of Chemistry and Computer Science at the University of Toronto and is also the Canada 150 Research Chair in Theoretical Chemistry and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute. Prior to joining UofT in 2018, he was a professor at Harvard University. He received his B.Sc. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1999 and obtained a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004, where he was also a postdoctoral fellow from 2005-2006. He is also the Chief Scientific Officer and Founder of Zapata Computing, Chief Vision Officer and Founder of Kebotix, and Scientific Advisor of Kyulux.

Prof. Aspuru-Guzik's research group works at the interface of theoretical chemistry with physics, computer science, and applied mathematics, specifically working towards the acceleration of molecular discovery by the combination of robotics, artificial intelligence, and high-throughput quantum chemistry to create "materials acceleration platforms" or "self-driving laboratories". He was also the recipient of Creative Destruction Lab's 2019 Ideas award at its annual Machine Learning and the Market for Intelligence conference for his groundbreaking work in applying machine learning, robotics, and quantum chemistry to the creation of materials acceleration platforms for the hyper-efficient discovery of new materials and candidate molecules for drug discovery.

CDL Matter will provide technical and business guidance, as well as access to capital, to entrepreneurs working on discovering, developing or recycling advanced materials.

Applications for CDL Matter are now open and will close on August 12, 2020. Selected ventures will begin the nine-month CDL program in October 2020. Ideal applicants include individuals or teams seeking to build a business in material discovery platforms, novel materials, additive manufacturing, material characterization tools and materials recycling. For more questions, reach out to the team at matter@creativedestructionlab.com. 

Applications will be accepted online at www.creativedestructionlab.com/apply as of April 1, 2020. 

QUOTES

"When I moved to Toronto, I was amazed by what the Creative Destruction Lab has done for our innovation ecosystem. Most of the emerging challenges that our world is facing in this century, ranging from climate change to health, require the rapid development of novel molecules and materials. This new CDL track will focus on helping young entrepreneurs build scalable companies in this space."
– Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science at the University of Toronto

"At Prelude Ventures, we see advanced materials development as a vital part of the ecosystem for addressing climate change and other environmental challenges. We are excited to engage with visionary founders and world leaders targeting material innovations in Creative Destruction Lab's Matter Stream."
– Mark Cupta, Managing Director at Prelude Ventures

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage science- and technology-based companies. The program's objective-setting process enhances the performance of technical founders who learn from the insights of experienced entrepreneurs, increasing their probability of success. Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, the program has now expanded with locations in 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). Since its inception, companies that have participated in the CDL program have created more than $5.8 billion (CAD) in equity value. CDL alumni include North (Waterloo), Atomwise (San Francisco), Kyndi (Palo Alto), Xanadu (Toronto), BenchSci (Toronto), Kheiron Medical (London), and Roadbotics (Pittsburgh).

The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada's commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca

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SOURCE Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto