Samantha Anderson, Ph.D. and Ainura Sagyn

Our newest entry in the Logitech MX #WomenWhoMaster series highlights two remarkable women, one in Europe and one in Central Asia, who are working at the forefront of science and technology.

Dr. Samantha Anderson is the CEO and cofounder of DePoly SA, a chemical recycling company based in Switzerland that is creating a circular economy for single-use post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste. Ainura Sagyn is a computer engineer and ecofeminist in Kyrgyzstan who founded Tazar, an app that connects Kyrgyzstan’s citizens and companies to recyclers and aims to reduce landfill waste across developing countries.

We spoke to these two pioneering women about how they are shaping the future of sustainability.

Q: What inspired you to start your own company?

Samantha Anderson: In 2018, research was coming out about the effects of microplastics in people’s health, but there was no real urgency around addressing the problem. Then, during my PhD years, my co-founders and I put together the chemistry required for DePoly to exist, and it all took shape from there. Our hope is that DePoly will reduce global plastic pollution by providing a way to recycle single-use plastics that today are being sent straight to landfills or incineration centers. The current Take - Make - Throw Away linear economy depletes our environment of natural resources.

Q: Imagine that one of your mentees in the year 2100 chooses the same career as you. What do you want her future to look like?

SA: First of all, I hope that we’ve found ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, so that the environment she navigates is at least as hospitable as our current one. But aside from that, I would emphasize that her future is up to her to create.

Q: What did you do before starting to work on your app?

Ainura Sagyn: Like most developers in Kyrgyzstan, I was working as a remote contractor for companies abroad when I got offered an internship at LinkedIn in San Francisco. It was part of the U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen program, where 100 women from the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia receive internships with top companies or universities. It was amazing! I also teamed up with women friends who were engineers and traveled across Kyrgyzstan to teach girls the basics of coding.

Q: What would you say to a girl who wants to study STEM subjects or a woman who wants to create her own start-up?

AS: I’d say it's better to learn skills instead of choosing a career when you are 18 years old. And the top skill is knowing how to solve problems in a creative way.

Also, in developing countries, people often think they can only do better by going somewhere else, which in many cases leaves the country “brain dead.” You may have heard of this phenomenon.

Samantha and Ainura are bringing their unique skills, experience and passion to bear on what is one of today’s most pressing challenges, regardless of where we live: how to create a better environment that supports the fullest potential for us all and for generations to come.

To read the full interview with Samantha and Ainura, please click here to learn more.