Matt Candler
I’ve been designing learning spaces and tools for 25+ years.
- 1996 Atlanta Olympics - I was early on staff at the largest peace-time event in world history, and really enjoyed helping design and run the Main Ops Center.
- KIPP Foundation - I led a big early wave of expansion at the largest charter school network in the US and loved working with first-time school founders.
- NYC Charter Schools - I was lucky to help start the first US city-wide charter school incubator; lots of kids in NYC attend one of 275 charter schools today.
- In 2006, I moved to New Orleans to serve as CEO at New Schools for New Orleans, now home to one of the nation’s most innovative system of public schools - mostly because of what hard-working educators who stay in the classroom do everyday.
- In 2010, I launched an organization called 4.0 to help entrepreneurs explore new ways to help people learn. It's still going strong with more than 1,500 alumni having served millions of families across the US. Handing off leadership to my successor took four years and taught me tons about power, identity and leadership.
I’ve been building electric motorcycles and bikes for 15.
- I started building electric motorcycles in 2006, mostly as a scheme to justify buying cool tools. Some of my bikes have been on TV and featured in books on the future of transport. I always think they’ll take less time than they do, but I learn something new every build.
Now I’m exploring how to electrify (almost) everything else.
- In 2019, I started serving as an an advisor to B2U Storage Solutions, operator of the largest second-life electric car battery power plant in the USA.
- In 2021, I helped start what could become one of the largest micro-grid projects in the US, Together New Orleans’ Community Lighthouse, 86 houses of faith and non-profits equipped with solar and energy storage. 3 down, 83 to go.
- I dig coaching founders at TechStars, where someone made a clerical error and flagged me as an All-Star Mentor.
- Over the last 15 months, I’ve been exploring ways to help move the ball forward on electrification:
- My Next Electric is a community of curious people having fun electrifying vehicles & homes.
- Soft Skills for Hard Tech is a community of technical leaders freaking out way less often about the people stuff.
I’ve studied with some great people, too.
- MBA, Northwestern University/Kellogg: Decision Sciences, Education Mgmt
- BA, Duke University: math, Spanish Language
- TBD: Residential Electrician Certificate, Delgado Community College
- Racial Equity Institute, Rocky Mountain School of Photography, Fuller Moto Welding Essentials, Center for Restorative Approaches, On Deck Climate Tech Fellowship
Writing, video and pods on what I’ve been learning.
Biz New Orleans on My Next Electric
The Vintagent on Converting Bikes
A short on what NASA can teach us about schools
Forbes piece on Rooted School
Tom Vander Ark Pod on 4.0 and The Future of School
Leadership for Educational Equity Pod on Lessons at 4.0
The 74 on investing in entrepreneurs
Pecha Kucha Talk on motorcycles
More Writing/Video
- 5 Climate Tech Startups in 10 weeks
- I ♥ My Electrician: 4 Hunches about our electrified lives in 2040
- The Big EC: New Orleans, Electric City
- The Trillion Dollar South: What If We Electrify First?
- Studio/Shop Tour
- On 8 years at 4.0
- On both kinds of equity
- What's next for me?
- 4.0 2019 Report
- Rethinking expertise
- NASA and the future of school
- Lessons on 100+ schools, startups
- Pecha Kucha on building bikes
- On the #Futureofschool with Tom Vander Ark
I make angel investments in energy and education and support energy justice efforts in the Southeastern US. Some highlights:
B2U runs the largest 2nd-life EV battery power plant in the US.
Community Lighthouse is putting solar & storage on 85 houses of faith & non-profits in New Orleans.
Matt Candler has been scaling companies and coaching people who lead them for 25 years. In 2010, he launched an organization called 4.0 to help entrepreneurs build better learning spaces and tools. More than 1,500 4.0 alumni now serve millions of families across the US.
Matt’s been into electrification for 17 years. He started building electric motorcycles in 2006, mostly as a scheme to justify buying new tools; his bikes have been on TV shows like Ride with Norman Reedus and in books on the future of transport like The Current. In 2019, he began serving as an an advisor to B2U Storage Solutions, operator of the largest second-life electric car battery power plant in the USA. In 2021, he helped start one of the largest micro-grid projects in the US, Together New Orleans’ Community Lighthouse, where 85 houses of faith and non-profits will be equipped with solar and energy storage. Matt helps people switch to electric vehicles and appliances at My Next Electric.