Real ventures, real stakes: Monisha Vinod on the CDL-Rockies MBA experience

MBA Diaries | CDL-Rockies Series

Monisha Vinod, ‘23 MBA

Strategic Initiatives Officer

As part of our new CDL-Rockies alumni series, we’re highlighting graduates who took their MBA beyond the classroom through the Creative Destruction Lab–Rockies (CDL-Rockies). Monisha’s experience highlights how real ventures and real accountability reshaped how she thinks about strategy, leadership and risk.

Can you share a stand out moment from your time in CDL-Rockies?

Realizing this wasn’t a simulation. As an MBA student, being paired directly with a venture and operating as a business analyst meant that the work I produced, whether market entry strategy or investor pitch decks, was actually used.

Then I sat in sessions where mentors and investors evaluated those ventures against measurable milestones. The accountability is real. You’re not working toward a grade. You’re contributing to a company’s trajectory.

I found that intensity addictive. 

Is there something that surprised you, or that you didn't expect, with the CDL program?

The level of access.

I was in a room with founders building high-growth companies and mentors who have scaled, funded and exited businesses. The exposure alone is invaluable. Not just for networking, but for understanding how experienced decision-makers think.

CDL strips ideas down to fundamentals: customer validation, competitive advantage, scalability. Charisma doesn’t replace traction. Optimism doesn’t replace data.

It permanently raises your standard.

Are there any skills or insights you learned from your time in the CDL-Rockies program that are still applicable for you today?

Structuring ambiguous problems without waiting for perfect instructions. Translating analysis into decision-ready recommendations. Diagnosing risk before committing resources.

CDL forces you to build muscles you didn’t know you needed. It builds capability faster than traditional coursework ever could. It sharpened my ability to assess feasibility quickly and separate strategic signal from noise.

Was there a hard moment during the program — and what helped you?

I came into the MBA from a technical background as a software engineer, and CDL forced me into rooms where finance, valuation and investor language moved fast.

There were moments early on where I thought, “Am I adding enough value here?”

What helped was preparation and choosing not to shrink in rooms that initially intimidated me.

I asked better questions. I over-prepared. And I leaned into feedback instead of avoiding it.

That shift from proving myself to improving myself was transformative.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at the Alberta School of Business?

I wanted to pivot from a technical role into strategic leadership, potentially in a different industry.

The Alberta School of Business offered academic rigour, strong and supportive networks and access to applied programs like CDL-Rockies led by faculty who deeply understand venture finance and high-growth ecosystems. Learning under professor Mark Huson added a level of depth and discipline that elevated the entire experience.

 How has your experience — either in the MBA program more generally, or as a participant in the CDL-Rockies program — impacted your career?

The MBA expanded my strategic confidence.

CDL strengthened my ability to operate in high-stakes environments where funding, timelines and reputations are involved.

Today, I approach complex initiatives the way we approached ventures: clarify the objective, pressure-test assumptions and define measurable progress. That mindset fundamentally changed how I lead today.

 Do you have any advice for future MBA students interested in applying to the CDL-Rockies program? 

If you’re hesitating because you’re worried you’re not “ready,” that’s often a sign you should apply.

What you need is curiosity, work ethic and a willingness to stretch. And you won’t be doing it alone. The cohort dynamic and mentor engagement make the growth collaborative.

CDL isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about growing in rooms where the bar is high.

Is there something I didn't ask you that you'd like to share with us?

CDL is one of the few MBA experiences where you see ideas tested in real time and have the opportunity to influence what moves forward.

You start seeing the difference between interesting ideas and scalable ones. That lens reshapes how you evaluate opportunities long after the program ends.