CDL-London is hosted at Imperial College London by the Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship at Imperial Business School, and delivered in partnership with the Imperial Enterprise Lab. It supports science- and technology-based startups through a structured, mentor-driven process designed to help founders build scalable, investable ventures grounded in breakthrough research.
At Imperial, CDL-London focuses on the Minerals stream, developed in collaboration with CDL-Vancouver and launched with the support of founding partner Rio Tinto. The stream is dedicated to tackling some of the most urgent industrial challenges of our time, from sustainable mineral exploration and extraction to advanced processing, productivity, and decarbonisation technologies.
“CDL-London demonstrates Imperial Business School’s ability to serve as a bridge between breakthrough science and business.” Professor Peter Todd, Dean, Imperial College Business School
CDL Londpn
A Structured, Mentor-Led Path for Deep Tech Founders
Each year, CDL selects a small group of early-stage, research-intensive startups to join a nine month programme, built around four in-person sessions between October and June.
At each session, participating ventures meet with a curated group of CDL mentors including experienced entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and former industry executives, who help sharpen strategy, define critical milestones, and guide ventures toward investment readiness.
CDL takes no fees and no equity.
Founders in the CDL Minerals stream benefit from:
- Direct access to CDL’s international mentor network
- Sector-specific guidance from leaders in critical materials, mining, and sustainability
- Opportunities for collaboration with imperial’s Centre for Future
- Exposure to venture capital, technical experts, and strategic partners including Rio Tinto
Embedded in Imperial’s Innovation Ecosystem
CDL-London complements Imperial’s broader efforts to accelerate the commercialisation of deep tech and works in close alignment with other translational initiatives such as DT Prime. The programme forms part of a growing ecosystem at Imperial that supports the translation of cutting-edge research into investable ventures, drawing on College-wide strengths in materials science, engineering, climate innovation, and entrepreneurship.
CDL London
CDL’s Global Network
CDL was founded in 2012 at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and has since grown into a global network of 15 locations across 9 countries. These include Toronto, Paris, Seattle, Milan, and now London.
To date, CDL has supported more than 4,000 early-stage science and technology ventures and over 7,900 founders, collectively generating over US $37 billion in equity value