*By Chloe Aiello* Watch out Elon Musk, Jessica O. Matthews is coming for your spot. The entrepreneur behind renewable company Uncharted Power has been devising innovative kinetic energy solutions since she was 19. After almost eight years in the game, she's tackling the problem of energy infrastructure, while arming herself with the knowledge that perspective is power. "Infrastructure seemed scary, it seemed big and no one that looked like me was doing infrastructure," Matthews told Cheddar Friday. "But now that I've been in the room this long ... I decided that sometimes just having a new perspective in and of itself will be groundbreaking, so I am no longer afraid of taking it all over." That fearlessness is paying off. Matthews has already been called "the Elon Musk of kinetic energy." "I have publicly said, 'Elon Musk I'm coming for you. I'm not afraid,'" she said. The Harvard graduate first earned acclaim for her co-invention, the Soccket Ball, which is a soccer ball-shaped generator that produces off-grid power through motion. The team eventually graduated from putting generators in soccer balls, jump ropes, and other forms of play to building out a platform that "turn\[s\] everything around us into a source of power ー from walking on the ground to sitting in a chair, to pushing a stroller." Now the team primarily focuses on matters of infrastructure. "For the last couple of years, we've been building out those technologies and now are actually launching full-on infrastructure micro-grid projects as close to home as in Connecticut ー and as far away as in Rwanda and Zimbabwe," Matthews said. Matthews, who is Nigerian, said she was originally inspired by her family's plight in Africa to enter the energy field. While growing up, she would visit Nigeria several times each year from her home in the U.S., and during those visits she came to expect frequent power outages. Her family relied heavily on bulky, outdated diesel-powered generators ー and still didn't get the best results. "It can be as simple as charging your cell phone. Like imagine if you left the house always with a battery level under 10 percent ー I think you'd have PTSD, it would be impossible," she said. Thanks to the support of her family and her parents, Matthews said she grew up with the knowledge that she could change the world if she really tried. And that's what she set out to do. "If you are trying to design solutions for the world, you need to have a team that represents the world," she said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-this-female-founder-is-turning-her-energy-toward-powering-the-world).

Share:
More In Business
Al Sharpton to lead pro-DEI march through Wall Street
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
A US tariff exemption for small orders ends Friday. It’s a big deal.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines’ new policy will affect plus-size travelers. Here’s how
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Load More