When Bella Peterson first joined the I-Corps program, she was a college student with curiosity and a willingness to learn. Through University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation, Bella connected with Russell Schell of RJ Energy Solutions to assist him with customer discovery throughout the 5-week program. Originally, their technology focused on repurposing wasted heat from commercial kitchens to improve energy efficiency—using excess heat from pizza ovens or fryers to warm water or indoor spaces. Through dozens of interviews, countless conversations, and a deep dive into the customer discovery process, the RJ Energy Solutions team learned customers, specifically restaurant owners, weren’t just interested in saving energy—they were desperate to cool their kitchens.
Again and again, Bella heard the same pain point: oppressive heat in back-of-house spaces was affecting staff comfort, retention, and even food safety. Energy efficiency was a bonus, but cooling was the need. With this feedback, the team pivoted. A pivot rooted in real customer feedback. The team learned that by listening first and building second, they could better align their technology with a validated market need.
After completing the Regional I-Corps, Bella and Russell knew they had uncovered something promising—but they also knew they could go further. The team applied to be a part of GPH’s Discovery 60 Cohort. Unlike the initial 20 interviews in a regional cohort, Discovery 60 pushed them to conduct 60 targeted conversations with potential customers, stakeholders, and industry experts. Bella led the charge, traveling to a conference where she spoke with over 30 people in just a few days. She leveraged her student status to open doors, ask for referrals after each interview, and make it clear she wasn’t selling anything. She was there to learn.
With every conversation, the team validated pain points and uncovered insights that confirmed they were on the right track. While I-Corps can be a one-time resource for teams to establish a strong footing towards commercialization, it’s the new standard and first step for RJ Energy Solutions with any new product or technology. Russell explains he plans to bring every concept through I-Corps first and encourages others to do the same.
Before I-Corps, Russell would get excited about every innovation he worked on, assuming it was “the greatest thing since sliced bread.” I-Corps taught him to dig deeper. Now, when someone shares a new idea with him, his first question is: “Have you done your customer discovery yet?”
The I-Corps experience for Bella, Russell and team RJ Energy Solutions was one shaped by listening, pivoting and embracing the truth that innovation means nothing without relevance.
