Influential Woman · B2B SaaS Clean energy infrastructure software
Jiani Chen
Founder, Cadentis
San Francisco, CA 94133
Her Story
About Jiani
I'm a Berkeley-trained physicist who made the decision to depart my PhD program at USC to start my own company. My work is based on my understanding of physics and data science, which I've applied to solve a critical bottleneck in coordination for clean energy developers. These developers are having significant issues trying to coordinate their energy projects, particularly when it comes to plugging physical renewable energy sources into the actual grid itself. Before this venture, I worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences, where I gained an understanding of moisture behavior in the atmosphere. That experience showed me how important atmospheric science is to our future, and I wanted to continue contributing to a greener planet. I believe this project is one of the ways we can help that mission. Outside of my current work, I led a project using DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic instrument at a national lab, where we were able to detect an astronomical signal in the data set - that published work was my most significant achievement outside of this project.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jiani
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my family.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is that there's no glory in the work that I do - it's just a lot of hard work and dedication, and we just have to persevere through it. This advice reminds me that success isn't about recognition or glamour, but about putting in the effort day after day and pushing through challenges with determination.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There's going to be a lot more pressure on you as a woman, in comparison to your counterparts. There's going to be a lot of uncertainties, but it's really important to make sure to focus your time and energy on the things that you value, and what you believe. Focus on the way you want to paint your future to be, and aspire towards that vision. Don't let the additional pressure or uncertainties derail you from pursuing what matters most to you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In my current field, the biggest challenge right now is building trust. As someone working in clean energy infrastructure and helping developers coordinate complex grid integration projects, establishing credibility and trust with stakeholders is essential to moving projects forward.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I want to take small steps in making influential impacts in the world, whether it be through outreach or design. It's important to me that my work contributes meaningfully to creating positive change, even if it's incremental. I believe in the power of steady, purposeful progress toward making a difference.
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