Dr Clementine Chambon
It’s curious that the passions you start out with are frequently not the ones you end up pursuing. When Clementine studied Chemical Engineering at Imperial in 2014, it triggered a dedication to climate change and a yearning to transform the lives of smallholder farmers. Eight years later, she’s emerged as a socially conscious entrepreneur who’s already helped tens of thousands to improve their economic situation and reduce their CO2 emissions.
Running a business is seldom simple, but it demanded a higher level of commitment and focus from Clementine than for most. At the same time as developing and trialling ideas for the startup, she was deeply immersed in experimental research for her PhD on the cost-effective conversion of biomass into renewable biofuel and chemicals.
"Don’t underestimate what you can do!" Clementine suggests with quiet determination, "People will tell you that you won’t achieve something but, if you have the will to try, there is every chance you’ll get it done."
I was told more than once that I’d never be able to start a business and complete a PhD at the same time, but it’s possible. You just have to stay concentrated and believe it’s achievable – and then it can be.
Clementine registered her business Oorja Development Solutions, with co-founder Amit Saraogi, in 2016. They launched their first solar project in 2017, impressively, the same year she completed her thesis. It was subsequently commended as best PhD thesis in the energy sector by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Making a difference
Oorja provides farmers in rural India with access to three critical services: water for irrigating crops, milling equipment to grind grain and spices, and cooling services to keep food fresh for longer, using technology that is cheaper and significantly more environmentally responsible than the norm.
"We found the answer was solar power," Clementine confides. "The go-to solution for most farmers is a portable diesel pump. These produce higher levels of pollution plus they’re heavy, making them harder for women to operate. Their use continues, predominantly, because they offer one-acre farmers one critical advantage - they’re much cheaper to set up than solar in upfront costs. The running costs, however, are damagingly higher over their life span."
Clementine inside a solar-powered cold room with fellow Oorja team member Chandan
Clementine inside a solar-powered cold room with fellow Oorja team member Chandan
Together with Amit, Clementine devised a unique response to this challenge. The company pays for the installation and subsequent operation of alternative machinery, driven by clean energy solar power, itself. "Oorja has revolutionised the business model. Instead of having to finance expensive set-up costs, farmers can use this cheaper alternative on a pay-per-use basis. They’re charged by the volume of water used, or the weight of grain milled, or the crates of produce stored in our solar-powered fridges."
Our work helps farmers increase crop yields, diversify production, reduce waste and mitigate carbon emissions. If scaled across India’s 30 million farmers, who currently depend on diesel, this solution could tackle 250 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Clementine reveals: "Our goal is to reach 10 million farmers by 2030 and help them to increase yields and double their income."
Oorja co-founders Clementine and Amit in front of solar panels
Oorja co-founders Clementine and Amit in front of solar panels
Technology vs service
Despite strong engineering credentials, Clementine openly admits that this is not a technological approach: "It’s important that we don’t define ourselves by the technology we offer. We’re not a technology-driven company; the innovation is based on the business model. We use clean energy technology to offer services to our customers because it is the cheapest and most sustainable option long-term."
There’s an advantage to being agnostic about the technology: "As you take your first steps growing a new business, it’s vital not to assume you have all the answers. In fact, there’s a strong likelihood that your first assumptions might be way off the mark," Clementine points out. For example, Oorja’s initial concept built on her PhD thesis to harness the energy of biomass to provide power to off-grid households. Oorja even started to develop a technology solution that could deliver this.
Fortunately, Clementine was able to visit her potential customers in rural regions of India with Amit, and had the chance to talk to farmers, village committee members and households directly. It didn’t take too long before they realised this approach wasn’t going to work.
It was abundantly clear that biomass technology would be really hard to operate in rural India. Perhaps more importantly, we discovered that people’s needs were different from what we initially believed. We thought there’d be a demand to access power in the home - to switch on lights and charge phones, etc., but it became apparent that what people really wanted was help to power their livelihoods.
Despite many villages remaining off-grid in 2016, electricity was gradually rolling out across India, eventually reaching most rural regions. "If we could help people increase their incomes they’d be able to buy electricity and other critical services for themselves, which was a much more empowering solution."
Clementine, Amit, and colleagues Pushpendra and Madalsa in an off-grid Indian village in 2018
Clementine, Amit, and colleagues Pushpendra and Madalsa in an off-grid Indian village in 2018
It was a salutary lesson in understanding how successful solutions need to be built around the needs and desires of customers. "Initially, Amit and I focused on what we clearly believed was a gap in the market but, importantly, we didn’t tie ourselves too closely to the technology solutions we were working on initially."
Becoming an entrepreneur
Clementine didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, but she always wanted to do something practical. "I wasn’t looking to start a company. I wasn’t one of those instinctive entrepreneurs who was always hunting out problems to solve. I’d assumed I would progress from my PhD into the development of a technology or go into the biofuels industry to work on low-carbon fuels for aviation and shipping."
However, every successful venture needs an element of luck. For Clementine, this included meeting her co-founder, Amit, at a climate action summer school run by Climate-KIC. "In searching for solutions to solve the macro issues of climate change we proposed a concept that could help people directly. I loved the idea, but I also realised that, if this was ever going to become a reality, I would have to step up and be the person to drive it forward."
Clementine with two solar irrigation service customers in 2022
Clementine with two solar irrigation service customers in 2022
Putting the focus on others
Clementine is ready to embrace a challenge when it presents itself. By her own admission, she thrives on it. But the impetus is not to put herself right, left and centre of the solution. She characterises the humility needed to put positive change above everything else.
It was crucial that we developed solutions based on what customers actually needed, not what we thought they might want. That’s why we dropped our plans to build a proprietary technology. We realised there were plenty of alternatives in the marketplace already, they just needed to be actually delivered and scaled to reach the customers most in need.
In fact, to make sure she truly understands the demands of customers, Clementine went the extra mile and taught herself Hindi - in addition to the five other languages she speaks fluently or conversationally.
The Oorja team on a hike in Kasauli, India
The Oorja team on a hike in Kasauli, India
Running the business has pushed Clementine outside her comfort zone. "It was a steep learning curve, but I’ve been lucky to have help along the way. The Climate-KIC summer school set me on the right path with an overview of the basics of running a business. I’ve had strong support from subsequent entrepreneurship programmes, and Imperial has made an important contribution in helping me get as far as I have."
Before Oorja: a diesel pump being used in a village in northern India. There are close to 10 million such pumps used across the country.
Before Oorja: a diesel pump being used in a village in northern India. There are close to 10 million such pumps used across the country.
After Oorja: local farmers now have access to solar pumps and pay for irrigation-as-a-service, bringing significant climate and economic benefits and phasing out diesel use.
After Oorja: local farmers now have access to solar pumps and pay for irrigation-as-a-service, bringing significant climate and economic benefits and phasing out diesel use.
The impact of Imperial
Imperial’s Althea programme for female entrepreneurs provided invaluable support. "The programme itself was excellent and the opportunity to mix with other female entrepreneurs was inspirational. Added to this, I won a £5,000 award which funded my first trip to India. Crucially, it enabled those meetings with prospective customers which shaped what the product eventually became," Clementine points out.
I also received incredible support from my PhD supervisors: Professors Jason Hallett and Paul Fennell. Not only did they offer wise counsel, but they gave me the permission and leeway to undertake both pursuits at the same time; they still offer advice to me today.
Unexpectedly, the topography of Imperial was quite influential too. Clementine clarifies: "I arrived from Cambridge’s city-wide collegiate landscape to find the campus nature of South Kensington incredibly practical. It increased the potential for interaction with others. You could easily walk from one building to another, which nurtured a collaborative environment and opened up multidisciplinary interests. This was enriched by a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship generally, which encouraged connections with other founders and access to finance and acceleration opportunities."
Lessons learned
"Imperial taught me how to be a better scientist,” Clementine confides, “but I’ve mostly called on other attributes to push the business forward. The most vital of these is communication. I’d suggest that listening is more important than talking though."
Clementine conducting biofuels research in an Imperial lab during her PhD
Clementine conducting biofuels research in an Imperial lab during her PhD
"Listening has been critical in developing the business model. It’s vital to understand a problem fundamentally, and there’s no better way to do that than through first-hand experience – hearing from the very people you are trying to help. I’m surprised by the number of people who develop a new technology first and only then look for a use case where it can be applied. It makes so much more sense to develop ideas the other way around. That said, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s amazing how generous people are in sharing their time and knowledge."
Looking ahead, I know communication will be critical. As we look to expand into new regions and countries, I’m hopeful we can engage the interest of much bigger organisations or governments who can pick up on this idea and grow it exponentially to help us make a major difference to the livelihoods and lives of millions across the globe.
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