Would you like to know more about Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and the student experience there? If so, keep reading! In this blog post, I present an inside look into the world of CDL-Estonia and what it’s like to be a student in this innovative environment.
Let’s begin with a brief introduction to what CDL is all about.
The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organisation that offers a nine-month objective-based program to help startups rapidly scale their businesses. CDL organises a series of full-day sessions (every eight weeks) and provides mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, etc.
In turn, CDL-Estonia is a part of the CDL program (13 locations globally – Canada, the USA, the UK, etc.) and presents the Digital Society stream. CDL-Estonia is located at the University of Tartu and provides a unique opportunity for students to be part of this program: to participate in sessions, work with a venture (startup) and gain entirely new, practical skills and knowledge in entrepreneurship.
It is also worth noting that CDL was included in the list of top 10 active startup accelerators according to the CB Insights report (October 2023).
Now, let’s move directly to the full-day sessions that took place in Tartu in November and January.
Before the first session, we (students) read the description of the ventures and could choose the ones that attracted more of our interest. Then, based on our preferences, we received a schedule for the session. There were three types of meetings, which I’ll talk about in more detail in a moment.
- Small Group Meetings:
We started precisely from a Small Group meeting. There were several mentors, startup representatives, and us students (our primary role was to take notes of these conversations for the moderators, and that way, we could catch everything more effectively, as there was a short venture pitching, questions from the mentors, and recommendations and ideas in a short time).
Insider info: explaining the project’s idea quickly and in simple words is crucial. After all, the more apparent it is to the mentor, the more accurate/actionable advice you can get.
- Large Room Discussions:
Then we went from separate rooms to a vast hall where Large Room Discussions happened. I think this is where all the CDL-action was happening.
Venture representatives came out, and there was a discussion on three objectives for the next eight weeks. The moderators first gave the word to the Objective Setter to comment on the goals. Then, the evaluator could tell their opinion about the proposed objectives. The moderators also included other mentors in the conversation. In general, the discussions were always lively and filled with valuable advice and different points of view.
Insider info: I liked the approach of 3 goals for a relatively short time (based on the results of the second session, most startups managed to achieve them in one way or another). It also increases motivation because you need to do it in time to show results and stay in the program further. But it’s also important to always look at a situation critically and consider different perspectives, and this can be applied to the daily routine as well.
- Private Deliberations:
The venture representatives had already left the hall, and the mentor discussion started. There was also a vote on which mentors supported this or that startup (who agreed to spend 4 hours on mentoring). Based on the results, moderators announced the list of ventures that will continue participating in the program.
Insider info: Several startups stopped participating in the program after the first session. But this did not mean that they stopped their activities. After a short time, I read news about the venture that a large company was potentially interested in their technology at CES 2024. This is what distinguishes the founders of a startup – people do not give up after “failures”; they believe in their idea and their product and will continue to work on it at any cost.
At the end of the day, there was a networking event; here, all startup representatives and mentors could discuss points of interest in a relaxed atmosphere. After all, what else is more important than networking in the world of startups and investments?
In between full-day sessions, students had a chance to attend mentoring sessions for ventures and do some work for them. Also, students could look at a startup from the inside, where the founders have been working for months/years trying to grow and turn their ideas into reality.
Was it interesting during these sessions? – Yes. Each session was filled with an incredible amount of information.
Who should take the SVMJ.00.032 Applied Creative Destruction Lab with Startups course at the University of Tartu? – If you are interested in the world of startups and want to become a part of CDL and experience it yourself, then you know which course is worth registering for!
Half of the program has already passed, and two more sessions are ahead. No doubt they will be even more fulfilling!
Photos by Andres Vaher.
