CDL Dinners: Setting the Future through Deep Tech Innovation
On the eve of each Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) session, the CDL Dinners bring together scientists, entrepreneurs, mentors, decision-makers, and members of the HEC Paris community to catalyze deep tech innovation and exchange insights on pressing industry challenges. Designed as high-impact, strategically focused gatherings, these dinners unite a rare diversity of profiles around forward-looking conversations, from the future of payments to AI and digital transformation. Through these events, CDL lays the foundation for a global ecosystem poised to accelerate the impact of the world’s most promising deep tech startups.
The goal is simple yet powerful: to dive into strategic issues alongside experts who challenge conventional thinking, while fostering meaningful networking and laying the groundwork for real collaborations between startups and corporate partners. These moments are designed to spark synergies and strengthen the collective momentum that powers the CDL network.
These “pre-sessions” offer mentors, partners, and members of the HEC Paris community a space to connect around a shared vision and common objectives, deepening conversations and reinforcing relationships in the process.
A Strategic and Global Connection Platform
The CDL Dinners are carefully designed to bring together international profiles from diverse backgrounds, many of whom have never crossed paths before, creating the ideal setting for meaningful exchanges and lasting collaborations.
“The purpose of the dinner is really to be what HEC Paris is: a platform to connect different groups of people who have the same ambitions.” - Aymeric Penven, Director of the HEC Paris Deep Tech Center
This approach stems directly from one of the founding (and rather unique) principles of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) program, as Aymeric Penven points out: “One interesting dimension about the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) program is that we are not a sector-specific program, but we focus on some specific technologies.”
Unlike traditional accelerators that focus on particular industries, CDL is structured around breakthrough technologies such as AI, climate, space, next generation computing and carbon removal. This unique model brings together individuals from a wide range of sectors, united by a shared ambition and a common goal: to transform the world through science and innovation.
In other words: these networking are designed to create the right conditions for lasting connections, the kind that lead to real collaboration and long-term impact. That’s the power of the CDL network and the HEC Paris community: connecting brilliant minds at the right moment to turn ambition into action.
Visionary Guests and Bold Perspectives on the Future of Technology
These dinners offer the CDL community a unique opportunity to engage with leading experts, invited to share their vision and offer sharp insights into the themes explored during past and upcoming CDL sessions.
The opening dinner of the 2024/2025 CDL-Paris cohort featured its first guest of honor: David Restrepo Amariles, an affiliate professor at HEC Paris whose research focuses on artificial intelligence, law, and taxation. He addressed a timely and transformative topic: the future of money and cryptocurrencies. His talk came at a moment when the financial sector is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driven by a native digital ecosystem operating fast, as David noted: “The payment industry is the industry where we have the highest volume of data in real time.”
“The industry right now has a clearer division between the innovation that is happening more at the startup level, and within (...) the organizations that have run the business of payments over the past 30 to 40 years. But what we also see is that there is still a gap between the established actors and those doing the disruption.”
- David Restrepo Amariles, professor and expert in Law, Taxation, and AI at HEC Paris
The second guest of honor was Philippe Cordier, VP of Data Science, AI & Data Engineering and Chief Scientist at Capgemini Invent. He set the tone from the outset with a striking statement: “Before being a consultant, I’m a scientist.” That one sentence perfectly captures the depth of his perspective. Positioned at the intersection of fundamental research, applied technology, and real-world business challenges, Philippe Cordier embodies the rare bridge between science and corporate strategy. A voice that sparks meaningful reflection within the CDL community.
These speakers are carefully selected for their ability to decode major technological trends and shed light on the critical challenges explored in CDL sessions. Their insights bring high strategic value to mentors, entrepreneurs, and partners alike - offering the kind of perspective that’s essential for guiding the program’s most disruptive startups.
As the deep tech landscape continues to evolve at lightning speed, the CDL Dinners stand out as a vital pulse-check, a space where ideas are shared, insights are sharpened, and connections are forged with purpose. A true launchpad for collaboration, built on the conviction that when the right people meet around the right questions, transformative innovation follows.
Are you building a science- or tech-based startup with global ambition?
This year marks the 5th anniversary of CDL-Paris. Are you ready to refine your strategy, gain access to world-class mentorship, and work alongside some of the brightest business minds in Europe?
Join CDL-Paris and become part of an innovation ecosystem like no other, where cutting-edge ventures meet top investors, experienced entrepreneurs, and talented students from programs like the HEC Paris MBA.
As a founder, you’ll benefit from:
Expert mentorship focused on objective-driven growth
Strategic input from future business leaders
A global community committed to deep tech innovation
Become part of a worldwide network of founders, mentors, and investors — and help shape what’s next.
Call for applications is open: Learn more.