Solytair
In these Startup Profiles, we talked to the YSI SEA Fellows of the Innovation Programme 2020 and asked them about their startups, challenges and ideas for a more sustainable future.
Solytair provides renewables’ powered outdoor cooling systems that help cities and businesses improve the health & wellbeing of the public at scale.
Solytair is one of the startups in our Innovation Programme 2020. We talked to the YSI SEA Fellows behind Light of Hope PH: Abhinaya and Natalia Mykhaylova.
.Watch the video below to see them talk about their startup (at 0:57) in greater detail! Scroll down for the rest of the interview.
Abhinaya
Abhinaya has a Masters in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Management from Imperial College London, She is trained in a range of technical skills from hardware prototyping to data analytics, and software design.
She has always been keen on sustainability, working on projects such as a machine learning-based self sorting recycling machine. Her placement with a solar energy provider has fuelled her interest to direct her skills to the green energy space.
Can you tell us more about your startup?
Natalia and I are working on bringing renewable based cooling to Singapore and other Southeast Asian cities. We believe that green energy is truly the way forward for creating livable and sustainable cities.
What made you interested in social impact?
Since young I’ve been someone who's been a nature and animal lover, which eventually grew into environmental consciousness. From my volunteering experiences from school to university, I knew that working with the community would be something that was important to me no matter what I did in the future. Thus, when I graduated as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer, it was only natural for me to want to go into green energy. I wanted a platform for me to use my skills in a meaningful and purposeful way, and YSI SEA really gave me that.
What advice would you give to potential startup founders?
Over time I’ve learned the importance of voicing our opinions and being agents of change, no matter what the reactions are from the outside or the disapproval that we might face. As people who work with social innovation, I think that this idea of changing the world can be something that keeps you going.
However, it can also make you lose hope or feel defeated at times when you are facing failures or hurdles.
That’s when I remember that every little action counts and that gives me a sense of satisfaction to keep on doing things that I feel passionate about.
Natalia has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, a Bachelors in Chemistry, and is trained in art and design. She has 10 years' experience in sensors (design, calibration, accuracy improvement, applications in urban planning, automation, and transportation), experience fast prototyping and development of IoT products, wearables, medical devices, city installations; experience with product manufacturing from concept to tested product at scale.
Natalia also founded companies in Canada, South Korea & Hong Kong, the latest being WeavAir, a startup that offers advanced sensors & predictive analytics solution to save energy & reduce costs of high value air distribution systems while improving air quality.
Can you tell us more about your startup?
As part of the YSI SEA Innovation Programme, we are working on a project called Solytair, which will democratize our capacity to harvest renewable energy sources in urban environments to power systems that benefit public health and environment at scale.
Our initial focus is to create outdoor installations powered completely by renewable energy sources in dense urban hubs like Singapore. Our vision is to create a network of these devices making use of existing infrastructure that would condition the air while improving public health and making our cities sustainable.
What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced in life, and how have you learned from them?
I’ve learned the importance of resilience and hardwork from a very young age as my family moved to different countries several times as I was growing up, including Germany and Canada. I also have work experience in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and Chile. While adjusting to a new place can be challenging, it helps develop awareness and a new sense of empathy environments and people.
What made you interested in social impact?
I grew in a family of doctors and I was always curious about the relationship between public health and environment. This is what really inspired me to spend 10 years researching the topic as part of my PHD in Chemical Engineering. This was when I developed new sensor technology and sensor networks that helped improve urban air quality.
Catch Abhinaya, Natalia and the rest of the 23 regional impact entrepreneurs at the YSI SEA Demo Day 2020!
