Jessica O. Matthews was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. Information about her early childhood experiences is scarce, but her upbringing provided the foundation for her later entrepreneurial endeavors.

During her childhood, Matthews regularly traveled to Nigeria to visit family. These trips exposed her to the realities of energy poverty and provided a deep understanding of the challenges faced by communities lacking reliable electricity. These experiences significantly influenced her career trajectory.

Matthews attended Harvard University, where she studied psychology and economics. This interdisciplinary education provided her with a strong understanding of human behavior and economic principles, valuable assets for developing solutions to real-world problems.

While at Harvard, Matthews and Julia Silverman conceived the idea for sOccket as a project for an engineering class. The initial concept involved a soccer ball that could generate electricity from kinetic energy, aimed at providing off-grid power in developing countries. This marked the beginning of Uncharted Power (formerly Uncharted Play).

Matthews graduated from Harvard University with degrees in psychology and economics. This academic background provided a solid foundation for her future entrepreneurial and technological pursuits.