Yale SOM Student Team Wins Third Place in Rice Cleantech Innovation Competition (Updated)

A Yale SOM student team took third place in the Rice Cleantech innovation Competition in November. The team included Tim Johnson ’25, Leonard Robinson ’25, and Shane Wilson ’25.

The Rice Cleantech Innovation Competition is a case competition that challenges students to engage with real-world problems and provide solutions that showcase critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills to address the issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our challenge was to present an investment solution to decarbonize the industrial sector,” Wilson said.

The team presented an analysis of the current state of greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector, a feasibility report on today’s cleantech solutions, and an investment thesis for near-term, mid-term, and long-term decarbonization. 

“Whereas many teams chose to focus on a single company or solution, we presented a broader venture capital thesis that encouraged early-stage investments in companies focused on carbon capture utilization and sequestration, biofuels, and nuclear power,” Wilson said.   

Held at Rice University, the competition was followed by networking events with industry leaders and participation at the Rice Energy Finance Summit.

Johnson said he was motivated to enter the competition by a desire to learn more about cleantech and energy finance. “Going to Houston, arguably the energy capital of the world, was a great opportunity to learn from leaders in the industry on how to feasibly reach net zero and the unforeseen implications of the energy transition,” he said. “Making it up to the podium was the cherry on top.”

Robinson said that he looks forward to future collaborations with his teammates. “I was proud to stand for business and society in the U.S. energy epicenter alongside Shane and Tim and present a way forward for a decarbonized economy,” he said.

“Presenting to a Houston-based audience with close ties to the oil and gas industry broadened my perspectives,” Wilson added. “In New Haven, we’re hyper-indexed on new solutions that will quickly end society’s dependence on fossil fuels. In Houston, the conversation is more focused on an ‘energy transition’ where society gradually replaces fossil fuels with climate-friendly solutions. Achieving a carbon-neutral, and ultimately net-zero, economy will require cooperation between these two positions.”

This article originally said that the SOM team finished first in the competition and was updated on November 28 to reflect the correct results.