CDL-Paris
Artificial Intelligence

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For founders developing high-impact, scalable solutions bringing intelligence into the real world, with a core focus on Physical AI.

The AI Stream at CDL-Paris works with ventures building Physical AI: intelligence embodied in the real world, where systems perceive, reason, and act through machines, robotics, and physical environments.

Around this core focus, we also support enabling advances in:

• AI for Science
• Agentic and multimodal AI systems
• Safe and Ethical AI

Together, these domains expand the frontier of AI and accelerate the deployment of intelligent systems in the real world.

CDL startups work with mentors to sharpen objectives, prioritize time and resources, raise capital, and engage with experts working on the frontiers of research and industrial deployment.

The startups attend up to five objective-setting sessions between October and June. CDL is a non-profit organization. There are no fees for participation and CDL does not take any equity.

Who Should Apply?

The AI Stream is particularly suited to technical founders building systems where AI interacts with the physical world, or technologies that directly enable this transition.

We look for ventures working on:

Physical AI
Intelligence embodied in machines operating in the real world.

• Robotics and autonomous systems
• Real-world perception, sensing, and actuation
• Industrial, healthcare, logistics, and mobility applications
• Edge AI systems operating under real-world constraints

AI for Science
Accelerating discovery and experimentation in physical systems.

• Simulation and modeling platforms
• Automated experimentation and lab systems
• Scientific computing and discovery engines

Agentic & Multimodal AI
AI systems that can reason, plan, and act across modalities and environments.

• Vision-language-action models
• Autonomous agents interacting with tools and environments
• Multimodal learning and decision-making systems

Safe & Ethical AI (Enabler)
Ensuring trustworthy deployment of AI systems in real-world settings.

• Verification, validation, and monitoring systems
• Robustness and reliability in physical environments
• Safety, compliance, and governance frameworks

Foundational & Enabling Technologies
Breakthrough technologies that underpin or accelerate the Physical AI ecosystem.

• AI infrastructure (compute, edge systems, data pipelines)
• Dual-use and defense-related AI systems
• Fundamental research with clear commercialization pathways
• Novel architectures, algorithms, or hardware-software co-design

The list above is not exhaustive. Contact cdl-paris@creativedestructionlab.com to discuss your venture with the AI Stream team.

Our Mentors

CDL mentors include accomplished entrepreneurs, experienced operators, active angel and venture investors, and world-leading scientists and engineers across AI, robotics, and deeptech.

Mentors meet every eight weeks to help founders set and refine objectives over the program’s nine-month duration.

Companies accepted to the CDL-Paris AI Stream benefit from a uniquely curated group of experts combining:

• Deep technical expertise
• Real-world deployment experience
• Investment and scaling experience

See all CDL-Paris AI mentors ▶︎

For more information or to schedule an introduction meeting with the CDL team, email cdl-paris@creativedestructionlab.com

Apply to the CDL program