Her Story
About Annie
I serve as the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of SolClarity, a startup that was spun out of my PhD thesis at Boston University. We started in January 2021 and have been operating for 5 years now. The technology I developed can take away the dust that sits on top of solar panels without having to have either people or robots clean them, which not just boosts the energy production of solar farms but also makes sure we don't waste water cleaning all these panels around the world. As CTO, my responsibility is making sure that the technology we're developing sees the market as soon as possible, and as co-founder, I focus on how to sell this technology to the market and to investors. I've secured about $1.2 million in funding so far. Prior to SolClarity, I completed my PhD at Boston University and became a visiting fellow at the Boston University Labs right after I graduated. Before that, for around 4 years, I was a senior researcher at Boston University. When I was in India searching for projects to work on for my postgraduate studies, this particular project at BU caught my eye because of the market potential it had and the impact it would deliver for humanity. From day one, I was clear that right after my PhD, I was going to take this into a commercialization front because it is absolutely needed in countries like India, parts of Africa, and even the US.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it is my practice of talking to myself. It's not journaling, it is not even the therapy form. It's just to find that courage to sit down and answer the real questions, or the real truths that you have inside you, and to meditate on them. And it just brings about so much strength. Some people can take that to the church, some people can take that to exercise, and some people can take that to journaling. Anything that works for you so that you can actually sit down and talk to the woman inside of you, that is what really brings out the strength.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My professor, Professor Mazumdar, called me into the lab once when I was having a very rough time, and he told me that it is okay to start doubting yourself, and it is okay to second-guess or go back on different ideas that you have. But the only thing that matters is that you persevere through them. Every overnight success is a long story in the making, is what he said. So, just keep pushing is the message that always has driven me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There's this one quote from Margaret Mead that says, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' It is just all about believing in yourself, and that is the toughest thing to do, especially with women. There's also another quote that says, well-behaved women seldom make history. So, just don't be afraid to have that fire burning inside you. And I would also say, do not be afraid of the opposite gender. They can turn out to be your biggest supporters. I've been blessed, especially being in Boston, where a lot of men are very open-minded about the potential that women have, and they've always seen me as an ally rather than someone who is different from them.
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