Through her postdoctoral research into climate change and fuel poverty at the University of Manchester, Somayeh saw first-hand how the discussions around affordability of energy and distributed renewables needed to be seen as the wider energy reform. To help address this crisis, she founded UrbanChain in 2017 — with the focus on energy to be affordable for all and renewable to be viable without subsidies.. The multi-award-winning company has attracted over £15 million in funding, including a Series A round led by global investment firm Eurazeo, alongside funding from UKRI and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. Somayeh continues to pioneer new ways of addressing the climate crisis and lead UrbanChain as it expands to new markets, both in the UK and overseas.