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Because he (my father) was so heavily involved in CDL-Atlantic, it allowed me to see the benefits and exciting developments happening

After stints working in the Alberta oil sands and then for TD Securities, Michael Huskilson was eager to find opportunities to help build ambitious ideas in Nova Scotia. His transition back to this province took foot in 2018 when he purchased ABCO Industries in Lunenburg, NS.

However, the idea to nurture innovation in his home province may have been planted in him earlier, when his father Chris Huskilson became a founding partner of the Creative Destructive Lab-Atlantic (CDL-Atlantic) in 2017, as well as one of its mentors.

Michael watched his father Chris, a prominent Canadian energy executive who’s a Past President of Emera Inc., help ignite this mentorship program. “Because he (my father) was so heavily involved in CDL-Atlantic, it allowed me to see the benefits and exciting developments happening,” says Michael. As he’s been growing ABCO, Michael simultaneously has become increasingly involved at CDL-Atlantic. “I got invited to sessions; got my feet wet and [that] sparked a deeper interest in the field” he says.

Exposure to CDL keeps you on your toes and drives you to adapt

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization and mentorship program for seed-stage, science- and technology-based startups focused on massively scalable ventures. In the nine years since its inception, CDL-Atlantic, located at Dalhousie's Faculty of Management, has created partnerships with Atlantic Canada’s leading entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists.

For example, through CDL-Atlantic, Chris and Michael became early investors in XOCEAN, an ocean data company that gathers marine data for clients globally. Michael served as Country Manager for Canada at XOCEAN from 2021 to 2024, helping the Ireland-based company establish a strong foothold in North America.

“Getting exposure to the CDL ventures keeps you on your toes and drives you to learn and adapt to new ideas. Hopefully, your combination of experience and support helps a founder solve a problem or improve their business. That’s what makes it fun,” says Michael, adding his dad feels the same way. 

Father and son share an interest in investing and supporting the local business ecosystem. Their goal is to help others build something big in Nova Scotia.

“We need to create more entrepreneurs and people who think big not only in Canada, but Nova Scotia,” says Huskilson. Like his father, Michael says he, too, wants to pass on learning, experience, and opportunities. In addition to a generous donation Michael is now a mentor, like his father.

It’s one of the best ways to support the economy and job creation.

Dal is “an aggregator of effort and expertise”

To date, CDL-Atlantic has helped foster the development of powerful blue-green technology ventures in collaboration with the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI), and the NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair. 

As it embarks on a yearlong celebration of its 10th anniversary Michael says CDL-Atlantic is cognizant of the increasingly rapid pace of technical adoption and has an even more important role to play in fostering people with ambition and ideas. “It’s one of the best ways to support the economy and job creation going forward.”

Michael also reflects on CDL-Atlantic’s relationship with Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management as one of the lab’s greatest strengths.

“Dal has a lot of unparalleled subject matter experts in areas like waste-water studies, batteries, defense, and marine applications,” Michael says. It can respond to what the country and economy needs to grow and build; he cites robotics and AI as other examples. “Dal’s ability to bring people together — like government and business groups — has also been extremely strong in previous interactions,” he says, calling Dal an “aggregator of effort and expertise.” 
 
Michael’s path reflects a belief that Nova Scotia’s future will be built by people willing to take risks, share knowledge, and invest in one another. It’s a philosophy he learned at home and now carries forward at ABCO and CDL‑Atlantic, helping ensure the province’s innovation economy continues to grow in both depth and possibility.