Emer Dooley, CDL - "Transforming Science and Technology for Humankind"
Connecting Innovation with Impact
Sound Investments - The Pacific Northwest VC & Startup Podcast with Ed Barker · Edward Barker
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Show Notes
The Creative Destruction Lab: Connecting Innovation with Impact
In this episode, Emer Dooley, site lead for the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) at the Foster School of Business, University of Washington, discusses the CDL's mission to commercialize deep tech startups for the benefit of humankind. She elaborates on CDL’s mentoring program, which pairs high-caliber mentors with promising startups in the fields of computational health and advanced manufacturing, to guide them through critical objectives over a nine-month period. Emer also explains the program's unique funding model, the process of selecting and nurturing startups, and CDL’s significant impact on the Seattle innovation ecosystem and beyond. She highlights the challenges and successes of maintaining a nonprofit organization focused on deep tech innovation.
00:00 Introduction to CDL
03:48 What is CDL? Structure and Differentiation
06:54 Types of Companies and CDL's Two Tracks
13:28 CDL's Place in the Seattle Innovation Ecosystem
15:12 How CDL is Funded
16:46 What Mentors Get Out of CDL
18:19 Success Stories from CDL Companies
18:19 Success Stories and Measuring Impact
26:49 Seattle Ecosystem Challenges and Future Growth
34:33 CDL's Vision and Long-term Strategy
37:13 Closing Reflections
About Your Host
Ed Barker has enjoyed a weird and varied career. Ed is a Brit now resident in Seattle and has founded three startups, enjoyed a long career in corporate strategy, and most recently as a VC. He's now building a podcast production company, Studio 1878. Sound Investments is a modest attempt to shine some light on the fantastic work being done in the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial community.
Emer Dooley, Site Lead, Creative Destruction Lab, Seattle
Emer is the Site Lead for Creative Destruction Lab–Seattle, where she works with founders building science- and technology-driven companies at the earliest stages. She is also adjunct faculty at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, teaching entrepreneurship and innovation. Emer brings a rare blend of academic rigor, technical background, and ecosystem leadership to her work with founders. She has held leadership roles across investing, university innovation, and nonprofit boards, including Alliance of Angels and the Washington Research Foundation. At CDL, she focuses on helping deep-tech teams translate research into scalable companies. Emer is a key builder of Seattle’s startup and innovation community.
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