NESCAC x MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship Challenge - MountCompute Pitch

Challenge Overview

Teams were presented with an intriguing prompt: “You’ve just inherited 600 acres in Central Vermont, currently a ski resort. What will you build over the next 20 years to create a future-facing, climate-conscious business?”

Our Solution: MountCompute

Core Concept

A cold-climate AI and biotech data infrastructure campus powered by green energy and rooted in Amherst’s academic ethos.

Key Features

Natural Advantages

• Vermont’s naturally cool climate enables sustainable data center cooling
• Significant reduction in cooling costs and energy consumption
• Strategic location for Northeast academic and research institutions

Infrastructure Innovation

• Conversion of ski lifts into wind turbines and cooling conduits
• Plug-and-play modular data halls integrated into existing mountain infrastructure
• Sustainable energy generation and distribution systems

Target Applications

• LLM training checkpoints
• DNA/RNA sequencing data storage
• Cryo-EM storage
• Long-term research data preservation
• High-performance computing for academia
• Pharmaceutical research computing needs
• AI lab computing infrastructure

Competitive Advantages

1. Climate Resilience

   • Natural cooling reduces operational costs
   • Sustainable energy integration
   • Reduced carbon footprint

2. Capital Efficiency

   • Utilization of existing infrastructure
   • Modular expansion capability
   • Reduced cooling costs

3. Academic Integration

   • Support for research institutions
   • Cross-disciplinary collaboration opportunities
   • Liberal arts innovation perspective

Impact

MountCompute represents a unique convergence of:

• Sustainable technology
• Academic research support
• Climate-conscious business practices
• Liberal arts innovation
• Regional economic development

The project demonstrates how traditional infrastructure can be reimagined for the digital age while maintaining environmental responsibility and supporting academic advancement.

Team Members

Our cross-NESCAC team brought together diverse perspectives and expertise:

• Dhyey Mavani (Amherst College)

  • Senior, Triple Major in Computer Science, Mathematics (Honors), Statistics (Honors)
  • Experience: AI/ML at LinkedIn, Databases at AWS
  • Team Lead & Technical Architecture

• Amelicha (Tufts University)

  • Junior, Human Factors Engineering
  • UX/UI Design & Human-Centered Implementation

• Kamar Burris-Khan (Bowdoin College)

  • Sophomore, Psychology & Digital & Computational Studies
  • Founder of KamarConsults
  • Market Research & User Psychology

• Nikolas Larson (Middlebury College)

  • Sophomore, Computer Science
  • Founder of Mooslix
  • Infrastructure & Sustainability Planning

• Valensia Tandeas (Wesleyan University)

  • Junior, Economics
  • Financial Modeling & Market Analysis

The team’s interdisciplinary composition, combining technical expertise with liberal arts perspectives, was crucial in developing a comprehensive and innovative solution that addressed both technical and societal aspects of the challenge.