Cynthia Acha Ngwari

General Info

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen mentorship?

Sharing my diverse, on-the-ground experiences and insights as a female renewable energy entrepreneur in Cameroon. Coming from an emerging market, I can offer my mentor and colleagues a unique perspective on navigating complex economic, cultural and regulatory environments. Specifically, I can share strategies for adaptability, resourcefulness and problem-solving that have enabled me to build a successful solar energy venture despite significant challenges. I can also provide authentic insights into the needs and aspirations of underserved communities, which could help inform my mentor's organization on sustainable and inclusive development.

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. How to scale a solar energy venture globally.
2. How to leverage data to drive innovation.
3. Gain exposure to leadership strategies and best practices for securing investment and funding.

Mentorship Characteristic

• Attend company-wide meetings and/or team meetings
• Participate in a skills-building course, either provided by my mentor’s company or identify a free resource online
• Expand on a project that I’m working on in my current role at home
• Identify a short-term project I can work on at the partnering company
• Gets me involved in day-to-day activities of the mentor and partnering company.

Ideal Company Type

My ideal mentor match would come from a mid-sized, globally-focused solar energy technology company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company should have a strong culture of innovation, sustainability, and social impact, with a proven track record of developing and deploying cutting-edge solar energy solutions in emerging markets. The mentor should be an experienced business leader who has built and scaled successful renewable energy ventures, deeply understanding the challenges and opportunities in the African market. Their leadership approach should emphasize empowerment, collaboration, and commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Tenacious
2. Innovative
3. Purpose-driven

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

It will have the potential to significantly accelerate my professional and career growth. Gaining invaluable insights and best practices from my mentor's experiences in scaling a successful renewable energy business, it would help expand the reach and impact of my own venture in Cameroon and across Africa. Also, I aim to leverage my mentor's extensive professional network to learn and explore potential partnerships and investment opportunities. I believe the mentorship will bolster my leadership capabilities, business acumen and overall confidence as an entrepreneurial woman in STEM.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

I will leverage my newfound knowledge, connections, and experiences to significantly amplify my impact and inspire the next generation of females in STEM and renewable energy entrepreneurs in Cameroon. By sharing the insights and best practices I've gained from my U.S.-based mentor with my team, I will empower them to implement more innovative, data-driven, and globally-informed strategies to accelerate the growth and reach of our solar energy venture. Establishing partnerships and collaborations with organizations in the U.S. that can provide technical, financial, and capacity-building support to expand our operations further and deepen our social impact will further grow our impact.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

6

Primary Professional Focus

• Energy, renewable technology or green technology
• Leader who is in charge of managing technical employees
• Technical product design

Education History