As the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator approaches its fourth year in Birmingham, the organization is welcoming Matt Jaeh as the new managing director. Jaeh will take the helm as former managing director Nate Schmidt expands his responsibilities in a new role with Techstars.

Jaeh is a successful entrepreneur, having co-founded Proctor-U with Jarrod Morgan in 2006. A University of Florida graduate, Jaeh began his experience with startups while living on the West Coast before founding Proctor-U. The company quickly revolutionized the edtech industry, providing online proctoring and identity management solutions. Jaeh was the company’s CTO before a remarkable exit of over $500 million in 2020.

Since his time at Proctor-U, Jaeh has spent time investing in the community and supporting entrepreneurs. He was launch adviser for Alabama Launchpad in 2022 and joined the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator in 2022 as Entrepreneur in Residence.

Among many roles, he is on the Dean’s Leadership Council for the University of Florida, secretary/treasurer for the city of Pelham Commercial and Development Authority, and on the advisory committee for RC3 Cyber Innovation.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue the incredible work that was started with Nate and Brooke at the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator,” Jaeh said. “As a founder who started with nothing but my best friend and a vision, to growing an almost billion-dollar company, I believe that I understand the challenges entrepreneurs face. With the growing strength of the entrepreneurial community here in Birmingham, along with the incredible support of partners like Alabama Power, I know there is a real opportunity to make a difference. The Techstars mission to #givefirst is so closely aligned with my own personal commitment to coaching and supporting others, while also making a larger impact in the community. I am really looking forward to what’s ahead for the accelerator, our founders coming in for this next class and continuing to support our growing tech ecosystem here in Alabama.”

Matt Jaeh is the new managing director of Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator. (contributed)

Indicative of his successful leadership with Techstars in Alabama, Schmidt will manage Techstars programs along the East Coast as GM Americas East, head of Product and Founder Experience.

Schmidt has led the Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator the past three years, welcoming 30 startups from across the globe to Birmingham. He, too, is a serial entrepreneur, having founded InstaGift in 2008 and serving as Velocity Accelerator’s first managing director.

Adding to the new leadership team at Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator, Rae’Mah Henderson has been named the new program director, a role previously held by Brooke Gillis, who was named CEO of Innovation Depot in December 2022.

Brooke Gillis and Nate Schmidt. (file)

A native of Birmingham, Henderson joins the Techstars team after serving as operations coordinator for The Plug, an Atlanta-based digital news platform highlighting the Black innovation economy. Henderson’s entrepreneurial experience is vast and she was recently accepted to the Goldman Sachs Women’s Possibilities Summit’s 2023 cohort. A University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate, Henderson is committee chair for the Black Innovation Alliance and has completed the Create Birmingham CO.STARTER program.

“As we welcome Matt and Rae’Mah to lead the Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator, this reinforces the strong entrepreneurial ecosystem that is being built in Birmingham,” said Tiffany Davis, director of Innovation Development at Alabama Power. “We are lucky to have such a wealth of expert leaders in our community that are not only shaping the future of our program, but the future of the entrepreneurism in our state. Through Nate and Brooke’s leadership, and the many partners and mentors, this accelerator has grown more than we could have ever expected in the last three years. And we are excited to see what the future holds as we continue to shape energy tech and the entrepreneurial community in our state.”

Beginning in May, the accelerator will call Innovation Depot home, moving from the Denham Building as it prepares for its fourth cohort this fall.

The accelerator is supported by Alabama Power, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, the Alabama Department of Commerce, Altec, PowerSouth, the University of Alabama, Southern Research and Hardware Park.