Taking a breakthrough solar technology from the lab to gigawatt-scale manufacturing requires more than great science. As a startup matures, it adds new teams, workstreams, and operating procedures. It needs these new pieces to move together in the same strategic direction. And it needs to maintain the agility that is so essential to its early success.
That’s why we brought in Nasim Sahraei as our Head of Strategic Programs and Product Management Lead—to help Swift scale seamlessly.
Nasim’s blend of scientific and entrepreneurial experience immediately stood out. After completing her PhD in electrical and computer engineering at the National University of Singapore, she developed thin-film tandem solar technology, then co-founded and led product development for two startups. Those experiences showed her how to turn promising technology into a product the market needs.
We are fortunate to have Nasim onboard at this critical stage, and we are delighted to introduce her in the Q&A below.
Give us the quick story of your career. What led you to join Swift Solar?
I would trace my journey to Swift Solar back to my postdoc, which focused on tandem solar cells but with a different material from perovskite in the top cell.
When I completed my research, I ventured into entrepreneurship—first with a company that was integrating tandems into IoT devices, then one developing nanostructured anti-reflection technology for glass, which had solar applications.
We sold the intellectual property for my second company in 2024. But I still had the startup bug. Shortly after, I saw an opening at Swift Solar for an executive support role. It took just one conversation with our CEO Joel Jean, and I knew this was the perfect opportunity.
You hold two roles at Swift Solar—Head of Strategic Programs and Product Management Department Lead. What do they entail, and how do you balance the two?
As Head of Strategic Programs, I am helping Swift’s leadership team coordinate between each department in the company. My work started with supporting the design of our manufacturing roadmap, and now entails more of the execution—making sure every department stays aligned with the roadmap.
We created the Product Management Department this year to facilitate a faster push toward bankability. The department connects technology development, commercial strategy, and manufacturing, to get us all moving together toward a product that meets the necessary standards and certifications, that satisfies our customer requirements, and that we can manufacture at scale with the right supply chain.
In other words, we’re making sure Swift Solar is developing an effective product that customers can validate, finance, and deploy at scale.
Both of your roles give you a direct look at—and hand in—company strategy. What would you say is Swift Solar’s strategic advantage over competitors?
It starts with our technical team. They’ve been working on perovskite-silicon tandems since the technology’s early days and have had a hand in every step of its development. That gives us an intimate understanding of the upsides and challenges.
Then you add in the Meyer Burger acquisition, bringing aboard world-class expertise in silicon heterojunction manufacturing. That has shortened our product launch timeline and gives us a clear path to meeting the United States’ growing need for domestic cell production, which is only just starting to see capacity buildup.
Your day-to-day involves lots of interaction with Swift’s executive leaders. What is the team dynamic like? How are they tackling the challenge of scaling HJT and perovskite tandem production?
Swift’s team is discerning, nimble, and execution-oriented. Even in their early days, the team knew our big challenge would be figuring out how to manufacture at scale. So Swift brought in Bijan Moslehi to add deep manufacturing experience to the executive team while the company was still in its startup phase.
That foresight has allowed Swift to create and execute on a plan for a manufacturing line while staying nimble and adaptive to changing policy and market dynamics.
Before you joined Swift Solar, you were designing special glass surface treatment with applications for space solar, among other things. How has the opportunity in the space economy changed over the course of this decade, and what do you think that means for Swift Solar?
Historically, a combination of launch costs and safety risks put an enormous premium on decision accuracy in the space sector. That meant intense design precision, long testing cycles, a requirement of long lifespans for technology used in satellites, and so forth.
But launch costs dramatically dropped in the last decade, shifting the tolerance for failure and the understanding of what can affordably be put in orbit. Today, a company launching a satellite may be thinking of its lifespan in years, rather than decades, and a whole new set of product profiles could meet these new requirements.
As the sector grows, it will need more solar, which is the most practical source of electricity generation in space. Swift’s HJT and perovskite tandems can offer more power without increasing the size or weight of what’s on a launchpad, creating new potential for a wide range of space applications.
What are the most important lessons you carry with you from your previous experiences with startups?
The first lesson you learn in product management is arguably the most important. You have to approach the work from the customer perspective. Commercial success depends on understanding the customer’s point of view and making product decisions with that in mind.
We’re a little over your one-year anniversary since joining Swift Solar. What’s your big goal for this next year?
When I joined, Swift was transitioning from focusing on proving the tech to proving the business case. We all see the path forward, and we’re all eager to make progress.
In year two, my focus is on advancing the bankability of our product. The next important milestone we need to achieve is securing certifications for our foundational HJT products. I think we’re well on our way.
