Dr. Somayeh Taheri

Dr. Somayeh Taheri is the CEO and co-founder of UrbanChain, the UK's first provider of peer-to-peer renewable energy exchange services. Of Iranian heritage, Somayeh completed her PhD and went on to work as a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Manchester's School of Environment, Education and Development, where she analysed data on climate change and fuel poverty. It was in this research role that she identified the structural inefficiency at the heart of the UK energy market — a system where renewable energy cost less to generate but consumers were still paying volatile wholesale prices — and resolved to build a solution.

Somayeh founded UrbanChain in Manchester in 2017, leveraging AI and blockchain to create local energy markets that directly connect renewable generators with consumers, bypassing the traditional wholesale market. The platform, known as the P2P Exchange System, assesses buyer energy needs in real time, matches them with local renewable producers on a half-hourly basis, and delivers energy bills at least 25% lower for consumers while providing better margins for generators. She led the company to win the first 30 competitions it entered and has since driven non-traditional investment into the CleanTech space. Navigating the energy and technology sectors as a female founder from an Iranian background, she has spoken openly about overcoming gender and cultural bias in her industry.

UrbanChain has raised £7.35 million in total funding, including a Series A led by global investment firm Eurazeo, as well as grants from Innovate UK and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The company was recognised in Deloitte's UK Technology Fast 50 in 2024, and Somayeh has been featured on the Asians in Tech list and regularly described as 'pioneering new ways of addressing the climate crisis'. UrbanChain works with social housing associations, local authorities, corporates, and energy suppliers across the UK.