March 10, 2025
MBA students鈥痝ain real-world experience with Creative Destruction Labs-Rockies
How well a company commercializes its innovations can often determine its success, and being a part of a business venture鈥檚 growth though (CDL-Rockies) is an opportunity 91快色 alum Denis Streltsov is grateful for.
For Streltsov, the hands-on experience offered by a partnership between CDL-Rockies and the was a highlight of his time at U91快色. The objective-based mentorship鈥痮ffered at CDL-Rockies helps science and technology-focused startups commercialize their ideas, while also giving MBA students the chance to apply their skills through the innovative CDL course offered through the program.鈥赌赌
鈥淚t鈥檚 about being able to take all those learnings from the classroom and apply them in a real-world context to a company,鈥 says Streltsov, MBA鈥24.鈥
Each cohort of students spends time with CDL-Rockies, working directly with business mentors, receiving guidance and help with their objectives. In return, MBA students work with the businesses supporting the CDL program, assisting with delivering on company aims.
Streltsov has progressed from being a mechanical engineer looking to enrich his career through Haskayne鈥檚 Executive MBA program, to becoming a venture leader for CDL-Rockies, aiding future grads. He sees it as coming full circle, giving back to the program that gave him so much.鈥赌赌
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to see the inner workings of CDL because I now see how much goes into managing the program that I got so much out of,鈥 he says.鈥赌赌
Program combines in-classroom learning and hands-on experience鈥
Choosing Haskayne for his Executive MBA was a no brainer for Streltsov; he was drawn to the unique opportunity of the CDL course, where he learned from accomplished mentors and collaborated with ventures to tackle business challenges.鈥
For him, it was always about more than just getting a degree.鈥
Haskayne School of Business assistant professor Dr. Kanwal Bokhari moderating a Large Room Discussion at a 2024 CDL-Rockies Session.
Adrian Shellard
鈥淵ou get to know how people want to work in teams, what kind of roles they like to take, and how to get the most out of the team,鈥 Streltsov says. 鈥淭hat was probably one of the biggest things I learned.鈥濃
The combination of classroom and experiential learning is intended to give students an idea of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. 鈥淥verseeing our students' participation in the CDL program, I have seen how this unique experience cultivates their entrepreneurial mindset by learning alongside founders and expert mentors driving real-world change," says Dr. , MBA鈥16, DBA鈥23, a Haskayne assistant professor who is responsible for design and delivery of the CDL course.鈥赌赌
Training gaps identified鈥
While working as an engineer, Streltsov noticed business-training gaps that he felt needed to be filled in order to have a better understanding for the management side of his career.鈥赌赌
鈥淚 was interested in the strategy, operations and understanding why we do a project and the business aspects around it 鈥︹痬oving away from purely technical roles,鈥濃痟e says.鈥
Developing go-to-market strategies, cost assessments and competitor analyses were part of Streltsov鈥檚 world during his time in the CDL course. 鈥淭he company was going to make decisions based on my recommendations, that鈥檚 when it became real-world to me,鈥 he says.鈥
Mutual ventures and student-learning opportunities鈥
While in the CDL course, Streltsov had the chance to take part in key aspects of delivering company growth.鈥赌赌
From performing an assessment on where to build the company鈥檚 first commercial scale facility, to executing a customer decision journey model 鈥 a project he was very proud to accomplish 鈥 Streltsov really left his mark. 鈥淭he customer decision journey model describes the process customers undergo before many any big purchase,鈥 he says. 鈥淚n the context of graphite, it involves interactions with different potential suppliers, building on the completed market analysis.鈥濃
Benefits go beyond students鈥
The CDL course not only benefits students, but also CDL-Rockies ventures themselves. Terra Vera is an agricultural company that was a part of the 2023-2024 cohort, and has two MBA students supporting their business objectives. 鈥
Terra Vera co-founder and CEO Carlos Perea at a 2023 CDL-Rockies Session.
Adrian Shellard
Co-founder and CEO Carlos Perea says CDL-Rockies played a crucial role in the evaluation of the company.
鈥淭he process of giving the two MBA students enough information, structure and guidance to be helpful is, in and of itself, a healthy return on investment,鈥 he says.鈥赌赌
Applications open for fall cohort鈥
Streltsov says the CDL course gave him an advantage in the workforce, helping him build practical and people skills.鈥赌赌
鈥淚 could see that people saw value in my work, so it provided that extra level of engagement,鈥 he says.鈥淲ith my engineering experience, it has helped me get to where I am today.鈥濃
Applications for the 2025-2026 U91快色 CDL course鈥痑re now open, with more details on how to apply on the .鈥赌赌
CDL-Rockies, housed at the Haskayne School of Business, helps visionary innovators reduce the barriers that prevent their innovations from having a massive impact. Extraordinary, accomplished mentors and visionary innovators are selected and intentionally curated into teams, then situated into the program (Nurture, , ) that best suits their needs. Their innovations are stress-tested within each program鈥檚 framework, preparing founders to successfully commercialize.