Jessica O. Matthews’ Uncharted offers sustainable infrastructure solutions for underserved communities
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Where Sustainability, Equity, and Innovative Solutions Meet
President Biden’s $1 trillion Infrastructure Bill comes at a pivotal time in American history. Climate change and engineering experts across the nation have long understood the dire need for clean transportation infrastructure, repaired highways and bridges, universal broadband, clean drinking water, modern city and state facilities, and more – not just for the sake of sustainability, but also for equity. Perhaps, no one better understands the day-to-day hassle and life-threatening implications of poor infrastructure than underserved communities. While they might not have the full language to describe them, the children of Flint know, all too well, the health implications of unclean drinking and bathing water. Single black and brown mothers best understand the need for modernized child-care facilities. Outspoken speaker, Jessica O. Matthews, said it best in Fast Company, “Black and brown people in America think about infrastructure every single day because we do not have what we need to be as successful as some of our peers.”
“ Black and brown people in America think about infrastructure every single day because we do not have what we need to be as successful as some of our peers.”
While our most recent presidential administrations have not prioritized sustainable infrastructure, Matthews has long been one of the leading champions for the cause. She is the founder & CEO of Uncharted (formerly Uncharted Power), an award-winning, Platform-as-a-Service company that helps cities and developers reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and managing last mile infrastructure. "Bridging the last mile – whether we're talking about resilient power grid technologies, more efficient water systems, or equitable mobility services – has always been of critical importance," said Matthews in an Uncharted press release last month. "Today's communities cannot afford to deploy and manage the smart and sustainable infrastructure solutions that can solve their biggest problems, and the Uncharted Platform aims to fix this."
That said, last month, Uncharted successfully completed the first phase of its pilot in Matthews’ hometown, Poughkeepsie, New York, in which it deployed a platform unified the city’s infrastructure and sensors thereby making it easier to monitor service flows and anticipate disruptions across the city. After nearly a year of working with the city of Poughkeepsie through a $1.8 million grant, Uncharted is now opening up its technology to other cities.
Matthews’ career started at the age of 19 with her invention of the SOCCKET, an energy-generating soccer ball. At the age of 22, she founded Uncharted Power as a power solutions company before expanding to integrated infrastructure solutions. Her list of accolades include Fortune’s Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30, and Harvard University Scientist of the Year.
As we, as a nation, recommit to turning our attention to climate change and infrastructure, it’s important we look to leading experts not only in sustainability, but in diversity and business. In her talks, Jessica O. Matthews bridges her leadership skills, innovative genius, and passion for equity to empower audiences around the world to solve the world’s biggest infrastructure, tech, and social problems. We are indeed entering a new decade, a new shift; with the help of Matthews the path to a more sustainable and equitable future becomes a bit clearer.
Jessica O. Matthews is available to book for virtual and in-person events. For more information, click here.
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