Existential disruption calls for fresh thinking from seasoned leaders.

Our founding team is made up of seasoned entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who represent the 3 most important things higher education needs to thrive in the new normal.

1. Deep domain experience in higher education across the spectrum of size and geography
2. Proven frameworks to activate an entrepreneurial mindset which drive authentic innovation in areas ranging from operations and service delivery, to market differentiation and revenue generation
3. Cross-industry expertise in digital messaging, customer acquisition (enrollment), and engagement (affinity) with the gamut of audiences higher education needs to communicate with

Meet The Partners

Matthew Alex, Founder

Matthew is a former partner at Deloitte, where he led the Student Technology and Transformation practice. In that capacity, he oversaw some of the most complex Student Technology Transformation projects in the country. He also led Deloitte’s Smart Campus and Future of Work initiatives. Prior to that, he was the founder of HTS Consulting, a technology and services company serving higher education. He got his start in higher ed almost 30 years ago as a clerk in a Registrar’s office.

At Beyond Academics, he oversees our Future of Work and Digital Transformation practices as he continues to assemble the best and brightest minds in higher ed, entrepreneurship, innovation, and industry.

Joe Abraham, Operating Partner

A successful serial entrepreneur, Joe is best known on the global stage for his study of entrepreneurial behavior in organizations that led to the release of the critically acclaimed book Entrepreneurial DNA (McGraw Hill Education 2011). The book has since been adopted into several undergraduate and MBA programs around the world. Building on that original work, he developed proprietary frameworks to build high-performing teams and companies. He also developed the BOSI Behavioral Assessment that has been deployed globally with over 150,000 participants to-date.

At Beyond Academics, Joe serves as operating partner and oversees the entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives – including assessment, education, and consulting services. In addition to his role at Beyond, he continues to oversee his portfolio of companies in sports, real estate, and technology. He has been featured twice on the TEDx stage as well as on Fox News, CNN, network TV, and The Wall Street Journal as a subject matter expert in revenue generation, innovation-driven transformation, and entrepreneurship.

Joel Mathew, Partner

Joel comes to BA with over 20 years of experience in media and technology. He spent several years working for the largest media conglomerates in the world, in both the television and radio industries, before founding his own digital-focused agency. 

Joel has worked with clients ranging from new startups to billion-dollar global corporations including All-State, Nike, Acura, and top universities. His higher ed strategy has yielded record results for universities in the areas of student recruitment. In addition to his expertise in advertising and technology, Joel is also an investor and advisor to several ventures in a variety of markets including legal, cybersecurity, and publishing.

At BA, Joel oversees the implementation of Human-Centric customer acquisition strategies we design for next-generation campuses.