Success Stories
May 2021
Meet Rachel Taylor (MBA ’20) and SDQuantum, the CDL startup that wants to reveal the invisible
March 2021
Why it’s not too soon to think about (and benefit from) quantum computing
November 2020
How the CDL helped this Global Executive MBA ’20 grad break into the startup space
December 2019
A CDL fellowship student on staying connected to the startup world while pursuing the Full-Time MBA
March 2018
Three MBA grads on working with promising startups, launching new careers
The CDL gave me the opportunity to learn from amazing leaders, their vision, and especially from the founders, Charlotte, Bahar, and Phil, who trusted me and made me feel part of the team right away. The unique skillset of resilience and adaptability that the CDL gave me are ones I’ll take for
the rest of my career.
- Verónica Hernandez Herrera, 2018/19
Being part of the CDL was certainly the most rewarding experience throughout my four years in university. The lectures by Professors Agrawal and Gans, covering some of the newest trends in the global entrepreneurship environment,were both insightful and engaging. Participating in the CDL sessions allowed me to develop an acute mindset to identify the problems and solutions in order to scale businesses. Finally, working closely with my venture to solve those problems gave me an opportunity to apply what I learned in class to solve some of the most common challenges that startups face.
- Henry (Hyun Yup) Kim, 2018/19
My network increased tenfold and I found myself having conversations with top-tier entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors from every industry. My main takeaways from CDL are: the people who I idolize in the business world are just like me, and my dreams of changing the world are much more attainable than I ever thought.
- Jennifer Sanasie, 2019/20
CDL is a fantastic opportunity to turn theory into practice in a way that was unmatched in the rest of my MBA. The main thing I learned is that you get out what you put in. Showing value to my venture early in the year built a platform of trust for me to become more involved in strategic decision making. We continued to develop this partnership across the year, leading me to choose to join my venture as co-founder and COO on graduation.
- Rachel Taylor, 2019/20
Through the program, I was able to connect with founders from a variety of industries developing really exciting technologies and observe firsthand how they handle challenges, such as market selection, growth, and fundraising.
- Julian Picard, 2019/20
What I could not anticipate is that I would completely fall in love with the problem we were trying to solve, while becoming enthralled in the learning environment that seed-stage entrepreneurship provides. Since working with my venture, I have been on a learning trajectory that has been extremely rewarding. A lesson that you can only learn from diving into the pits is knowing the sheer amount of grit, discipline, and determination that it takes to persevere through the uncertainty and the no’s when building a company.
- Rob Hiff, 2019/20
With many passionate and experienced mentors with a proven track record, the collective mentorship in CDL has radically changed the trajectory of many startup companies. We not only put many of them on the path to become commercially successful, but we also challenge them to build something massive. I am so privileged to be part of this very dynamic program.
- Eva Lau, 2020
Founding Partner, Two Small Fish Ventures
CDL-Toronto
