Vancouver, British Columbia, July 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VANCOUVER, July 11, 2023 — CDL-Vancouver, based at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, is launching a Minerals stream for founders seeking to commercialize technologies enabling the supply of industrial and metallic minerals critical to society’s future.
With the global move toward electrification and net-zero infrastructure, innovation in the mineral exploration and mining industry has never been more crucial. The CDL-Vancouver Minerals stream is calling for ventures aiming to enhance performance, safety, and sustainability in the industry. This stream focuses on innovations that span the lifecycle of a mineral project, including ore body discovery and definition; mineral extraction and processing; and sustainability and post-mining activities, including water stewardship, waste to value, and tailings management.
CDL has seen several ventures in these spaces participate in previous cycles of the CDL program, generating impact in the mineral exploration and mining industry, including pH7 Technologies, Mangrove Lithium, Destiny Copper, and Ideon Technologies, a spin-out from TRIUMF Innovations, Summit Nanotech, and GeologicAI, indicating the bigger opportunity to support the venture ecosystem across the global CDL network.
“The Minerals stream reflects the increased focus on technology and innovation in mineral exploration and mining, with a view to unlocking efficiency and sustainability gains,” says Bree Stanlake, director of CDL-Vancouver. “Given the emerging opportunities in areas such as autonomous mining solutions, as well as digital innovation applied to this industry, we are thrilled to be at the forefront in driving these new technologies forward.”
Mentors for CDL Minerals join with experience in mineral exploration, mining, and venture building, such as CDL Fellow Haig Farris and CDL Associate and Sustaining Partner Peter Bradshaw (Founder of BRIMM), will support founders with objectives-based mentorship — and their deep industry expertise.
“The CDL Minerals initiative comes at an important time as the need for strategic metals will require powerful new technology at all stages of mining, from exploration to production to transportation and refining, to meet world requirements,” Farris says. “Canada is now at the take-off stage for developing and applying new mining-related opportunities. Having had long experience in mining exploration, I am excited about mentoring the next generation of mining entrepreneurs.”
British Columbia is a national and global hub for the industry. In addition to the province’s long history of mineral exploration and mining, B.C. is home to recently launched innovation initiatives including the Mining Microbiome Analytics Platform (MMAP), a digital supercluster project with $16.6 million in funding to support the development of technology that will improve environmental practices across the mining lifecycle. UBC is home to the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM), a multidisciplinary education and research organization working to solve the most pressing challenges in the mining industry.
CDL-Vancouver is building a diverse partner group to complement the mentor bench with a view to ensure representation from mineral exploration and mining, venture capital, and industry service providers, to provide founders with a range of financing and go-to-market insights. Global mining company, Vale, joins CDL Minerals as a corporate partner, working to transform natural resources into prosperity and sustainable development.
“As Vale Energy Transition Metals (Vale Base Metals), we are thrilled to be part of this dynamic program and global network focused on technology and innovative startups,” says Jomer Januario. “We believe the future of tech is mining — innovation is the value-creation lever that drives our ability to maximize positive impacts, capture opportunities, avoid risks, and mitigate negative impacts. Embracing technological advancements and fresh ideas is a game changer for the mining industry as we work towards a more sustainable future. We are truly excited to be part of this vibrant ecosystem of creative minds, entrepreneurial spirit, and cutting-edge technologies. Together, we can challenge the status quo by building inclusive ecosystems and forging collaborative partnerships to intentionally shape a bolder future for energy transition metals.”
To kick off the launch of the Minerals stream, CDL-Vancouver will host an Innovation in Mining & Minerals Conference on October 25, 2023, at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. If you are interested in attending, sponsoring, or being a media partner at this event, please register here to join the mailing list for updates.
Ventures interested in applying to the Minerals stream can apply here. Ventures, or those interested in partnering with the stream, can contact minerals@creativedestructionlab.com for more information. Venture applications will be accepted online until July 28th, 2023.
About Creative Destruction Lab
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. Its nine-month program allows founders to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, increasing their likelihood of success. Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, the program has expanded to 12 sites across six countries: Oxford, Seattle, Paris, Atlanta, Madison, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, Berlin, and Estonia. Learn more at creativedestructionlab.com.
About CDL-Vancouver
CDL-Vancouver (formerly known as CDL-West) is located in Vancouver, B.C., at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. Vancouver is a fast-growing tech hub on the West Coast, combining a Silicon Valley time zone with an Asia-facing outlook. CDL-Vancouver hosts CDL Biomedical Engineering, CDL Compute, CDL Climate streams. The site also participates in global streams: CDL Advanced Therapies and CDL Cancer.
Media Contacts:
Amarpreet Kaur
Associate Director
Creative Destruction Lab
amarpreet.kaur@creativedestructionlab.com
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