Born on February 13, 1988, Jessica Matthews grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, holding dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United States.
She is the second of four children, and her parents run a software business, Decision Technologies International.
Matthews is widely recognized for her invention, Soccket, a soccer ball that converts kinetic energy from play into electricity.
Acting as a mini-generator and power bank, it provides an alternative power source in areas with limited electricity. Just 30 minutes of play can generate up to three hours of LED light.
Her journey into innovation began early. As a child, Matthews dreamed of becoming an inventor, and her vision started taking shape in 2008 during her third year at Harvard University.
Alongside her classmate Julia Silverman, she developed Soccket for an engineering class project.
The inspiration struck during a trip to Nigeria for her aunt’s wedding, where frequent power outages forced reliance on diesel generators. Concerned about the environmental and health risks of generator fumes, Matthews sought a sustainable solution.
Soccket became that solution—allowing children to play while also generating light for studying at night.
This breakthrough led to the founding of Uncharted Power, the company behind the technology.
After graduating, Matthews briefly worked at CrowdTap before dedicating herself fully to growing Uncharted Power.
Her achievements caught national attention, earning her an invitation from President Barack Obama to the White House in 2012 for the signing of the America Invents Act, where she represented small businesses.
In 2016, she made history by securing the largest Series A funding round for a Black female founder at the time. That same year, she was honored by ringing the NASDAQ opening bell on behalf of all Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni.
In 2021, she was appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee.
Toyota also recognized Soccket’s potential, naming Matthews a 2012 Toyota Mother of Invention and awarding her a grant that helped scale her business.
Uncharted Power expanded its technology to other products, including a jump rope called Pulse, which generates three hours of LED power with just 15 minutes of use.
The company’s energy-harvesting technology has since been integrated into infrastructure such as floor panels and strollers.
In 2016, Matthews secured $7 million in Series A funding, valuing Uncharted Power at $57 million.
This achievement made her one of only 13 Black female founders to raise over $1 million in funding at the time. Though the Soccket ball was discontinued in 2016, its impact remained significant, with reports indicating that by March 2017, 500,000 Socckets and Pulses had been used across Africa and Latin America.
Jessica Matthews holds degrees in psychology and economics from Harvard University, along with an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Her patents have been cited over 40 times by major companies, including Qualcomm, Intel, IBM, Sony, and Toshiba.
Her accolades include being named one of Fortune’s Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30, and Harvard University’s Scientist of the Year.
She has also received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award and the Tech Trailblazer Award from Black Women Tech Talk.
Matthews has been featured in major publications such as Forbes, Wired, The New York Times, and Fast Company.
Known for her engaging speaking style, she describes herself as a mix of “Beyoncé and Bill Nye the Science Guy,” embodying both creativity and scientific curiosity.
