Imperial Business School will host Creative Destruction (CDL) London, a mentorship programme to support entrepreneurship, backed by Rio Tinto.
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a global nonprofit that supports science- and technology-based startups, has today announced the launch of CDL-London – its newest international location – that will be co-hosting the global CDL Minerals programme.
CDL-London will be hosted by the Imperial Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, an Imperial-wide initiative led by Imperial Business School, working closely with the Imperial Enterprise Lab to deliver the programme.
Rio Tinto, a leading mining and materials company, is the founding partner of CDL-London, enabling an expansion of the CDL Minerals programme that was first launched at CDL-Vancouver in 2023 at UBC's Sauder School of Business.
"This collaboration will help accelerate the development of deep-tech cutting-edge materials and cleantech businesses." Professor Mary Ryan Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise)
The global CDL Minerals programme will support early-stage ventures from around the world that are developing technologies for mineral exploration, processing, and decarbonisation. By connecting scientists and aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors and domain experts, CDL-London will provide a structured programme designed to help teams develop their value propositions, prioritise milestones and build teams to become more capable of raising early-stage finance.
Rio Tinto's support for CDL-London is part of its $150 million, 10-year investment in the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials, announced in December 2024. The Centre brings together Imperial and four other world-leading universities (University of California, Berkeley, Wits University, The Australian National University, and The University of British Columbia) to drive transformational research in sustainable materials and technologies for a net-zero future.
The University of British Columbia is also home to CDL's original CDL Minerals hub in Vancouver. The link between the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials and CDL's global network creates a powerful bridge between world-class academic research and high-impact ventures.
Sonia Sennik, Chief Executive Officer at Creative Destruction Lab, said: "CDL-London reflects our growing commitment to unlocking science-based innovation that addresses pressing global challenges. Our partnership with Imperial College London and Rio Tinto, in the heart of one of the world's leading innovation ecosystems, strengthens the CDL network and expands the reach of our CDL Minerals programme into new talent and research communities."
Dan Walker, Chief Innovation Officer, Rio Tinto, said: "Startups have a vital role to play in solving some of our industry's biggest challenges and providing the materials the world needs. Our investment in the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials is focused on transformational research. But we know that research alone isn't enough – academic theory must translate into real-world impact. That is why we're backing CDL-London to help turn breakthrough discoveries into the next generation of game-changing companies."
Professor Mary Ryan, Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial, said: "The global energy transition will rely on sustainable ways to discover, extract, use, and reuse and deploy critical minerals. We are proud to host CDL-London at Imperial alongside our Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials. This collaboration will help accelerate the development of deep-tech cutting-edge materials and cleantech businesses."
Professor Peter Todd, Dean of Imperial Business School, said: "CDL-London demonstrates Imperial Business School's ability to serve as a bridge between breakthrough science and business. As Europe's only leading business school within a STEMB university, we are uniquely positioned to help cutting-edge research become real-world benefit. This partnership with Creative Destruction Lab aligns perfectly with our mission to bring science to humanity – supporting ventures that will shape the future of sustainable innovation and global prosperity."
Darrell Kopke, Site Lead at CDL-Vancouver, said: "Since its launch two years ago, the CDL Minerals program has surpassed expectations in terms of mentor engagement, venture activity, and industry partnerships. The expansion to include CDL-London marks an exciting step forward, enhancing our capacity to broaden the program's scope and impact. We're energized by the opportunities this growth presents for driving further innovation in the sector."
Applications for CDL-London are now open. Founders working at the frontier of minerals innovation – from critical raw materials and resource efficiency to low-emissions processing and automation – are encouraged to apply. The final deadline is July 25, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. Learn more at creativedestructionlab.com/apply.
