Listen to this articleUncharted Play is a renewable energy company specializing in motion-based, miniaturized power systems. Uncharted Play’s first product, SOCCKET, is a soccer ball that doubles as a power generator. We had a chance to speak with Jessica O. Matthews, Uncharted Play’s CEO and to find out more details about the new $7 Million investment led by the NIC Fund and upcoming new product release in the fall. Below is our interview with Jessica:
Q: Jessica, what made you want to start your own company?
A: I have never aspired to be a businesswoman or run a major company. I always wanted to (1) make really cool meaningful things, and (2) generally help people self-actualize and get more value out of whatever time they have left on this planet. As it turns out, to do that sustainably and at scale you have to build a business. You have to understand what it means to organize people and ideas and push them forward in a structured manner. So for me, the goal of business is understanding how to make a difference in a sustainable, scalable way. Business is a means to an end and not the goal in and of itself, for me.
Q: How did you turn your inspiration into a product?
A: The Uncharted Play dream began in 2008 when I was a junior at Harvard University. Studying to be a social scientist with no experience in engineering, I have nonetheless participated in a class project to invent the SOCCKET, an energy-harnessing soccer ball. The idea for the SOCCKET came from my experiences as a dual citizen of Nigeria and the U.S., witnessing firsthand during my trips to Nigeria two things: the profound lack of access to reliable electricity, and the unadulterated joy/passion that came from playing soccer.
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Q: Could you please give us more insights into Uncharted Play’s products and your microgenerator technology?
A: Our core product is called MORE (Motionbased, Offgrid, Renewable Energy), a proprietary technology for microgenerator system design. These custom microgenerator systems can be fully integrated into almost anything that moves, transforming that product into a source of offgrid power. We partner with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to integrate our MORE technology into their products. We also integrate our MORE technology into our flagship products the SOCCKET, an energygenerating soccer ball, and the PULSE, an energygenerating jump rope. Both products are designed to provide light and teach STEM around the world.
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Q: What is the motto that guides your decisions?
(1) Stay humble. Stay hungry.
(2) Discomfort breeds innovation
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Q: You’ve recently announced a $7 million series A funding round; what are your plans?
A: After the raise we moved the company to Harlem. This fall we are launching our new technology brand, MORE, MotionBased Offgrid Renewable Energy. So what’s next is really building a successful energy company that has groundbreaking technology that will change not only the way people generate energy, but the way they consume it, and attempting to do that successfully in Harlem. What we successfully did so far is raise a round, build a team, and move up here. Now we have to see what we can sustain and build while we’re up here.
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