From Classroom to Competition: Turning Climate Innovation into Real-World Impact
Congratulations to Duke senior undergraduate student Nick Nease and his team — Kellan Hepditch, Jake Sapp, and Ben Verlander — on advancing to the regional finals of the Stanford Global Sustainability Challenge! Selected from 350 global applicants, their team earned a spot among the top ventures competing in the North America and South America region. This recognition reflects months of thoughtful iteration, deep research, and bold problem-solving focused on accelerating scalable climate solutions.
Through the U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyTech UP Challenge and Duke’s Design Climate Program, Duke senior undergraduate student Nick Nease and his team members–Kellan Hepditch, Jake Sapp, and Ben Verlander–explored how to accelerate Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by addressing the bottlenecks preventing it from reaching scale. After early recognition at the DOE competition, he and his team kept refining their model. That evolution helped them advance to the regional finals of the Stanford Global Sustainability Challenge, selected among 350 global applicants. The Christensen Center’s goBIG grant provided funding to support their travel.
Nick shared that the Christensen Center played a meaningful role in his development throughout the process. “Beyond financial support, The Christensen Center’s feedback and mentorship were equally impactful. They worked closely with us to refine our slides, sharpen our framing, and strengthen our overall narrative for a five-minute jury pitch. Their willingness to ask difficult, probing questions helped us anticipate challenges and prepare for the jury interview that followed. That level of candid, constructive feedback significantly improved both our pitch and our confidence going into the competition.”
Beyond competitions, this experience reshaped Nick as a leader. Engaging with investors and industry experts strengthened his ability to think strategically under pressure and communicate complex ideas clearly.
Reflecting on the experience, Nick shared: “This experience fundamentally changed the way I think about both entrepreneurship and my own capabilities. Presenting at Stanford forced me to articulate not just what we’re building, but why it matters and why it can work.”
Congratulations to Nick and his team on their incredible accomplishments and the meaningful progress they’re making in advancing clean energy innovation.