Matthew Wirtz

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Matthew Wirtz",
  "alternateName": "Matthew Joyce-Wirtz",
  "email": "mwirtz@stanford.edu",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://linkedin.com/in/matthewwirtz",
    "https://www.nber.org/people/matthew_joyce-wirtz",
    "https://youtube.com/channel/UCsSyIOfGJwjbChQD-8tS2Kg"
  ],
  "jobTitle": "Co-Founder",
  "worksFor": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Andean Systems",
    "url": "https://andean.systems"
  },
  "alumniOf": [
    {
      "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
      "name": "Stanford University",
      "degree": "MS Computer Science (coterminal)",
      "startDate": "2024",
      "endDate": "2025",
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.9
    },
    {
      "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
      "name": "Stanford University",
      "degree": "BS Economics (minor: Computer Science)",
      "startDate": "2020",
      "endDate": "2024",
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.95
    },
    {
      "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
      "name": "La Jolla Country Day School",
      "degree": "High School Diploma",
      "location": "La Jolla, San Diego",
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.9
    }
  ],
  "hasOccupation": [
    {
      "@type": "Role",
      "roleName": "Co-Founder",
      "startDate": "2025-06",
      "endDate": null,
      "organization": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Andean Systems",
        "url": "https://andean.systems",
        "description": "First domestic sustainable end-to-end supply chain for extracting critical metals from e-waste using robotics and novel electrochemical processes",
        "location": [
          "Bay Area, CA",
          "Pittsburgh, PA"
        ]
      },
      "_whatTheyBuilt": "Decentralized modular micro-factories for critical metal recovery (Au, Ag, Cu, Nd, Pr, Dy) from e-waste",
      "_techStack": [
        "Robotics",
        "Electrochemistry",
        "Manufacturing automation"
      ],
      "_marketContext": "US discards 6.8M tons e-waste/year with $91B in recoverable metals",
      "_hiring": "Bay Area and Pittsburgh, PA. Salary $100K-$300K+ equity.",
      "_outcome": "Active",
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.92,
      "_gaps": [
        "Funding status unknown",
        "Specific co-founder(s) unknown",
        "Technology readiness level unknown",
        "Customer/partner details unknown"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "Role",
      "roleName": "Co-Founder",
      "startDate": "2023-04",
      "endDate": "2024-09",
      "organization": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Candid",
        "url": "https://tracxn.com/d/companies/candid/",
        "description": "Vlog-based social wellbeing application"
      },
      "_coFounder": "Zane Sabbagh",
      "_funding": "OVO Fund, Reach Capital, Ulu Ventures, GSR Ventures, Cory Levy (angel)",
      "_outcome": "Shut down (Sept 2024)",
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.95
    },
    {
      "@type": "Role",
      "roleName": "Research Assistant",
      "startDate": "2021-06",
      "endDate": "2023-05",
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        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)",
        "url": "https://siepr.stanford.edu/",
        "description": "Economic policy research institute at Stanford"
      },
      "_whatTheyBuilt": "Co-authored NBER Working Paper #31271 on school finance litigation outcomes (1968-2021)",
      "_advisor": "Dr. Eric A. Hanushek",
      "_publication": {
        "title": "Incidence and Outcomes of School Finance Litigation: 1968-2021",
        "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31271",
        "date": "2023-05",
        "revised": "2023-06",
        "finding": "Defendants win majority of decisions; plaintiff victories yield immediate funding increase but no long-run growth"
      },
      "_verificationStatus": "public",
      "_confidence": 0.98
    }
  ],
  "knowsAbout": [
    {
      "skill": "Economics / Economic Policy",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.95,
      "_evidence": "BS Economics Stanford, SIEPR RA for ~2 years, NBER working paper on school finance litigation"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Econometrics / Policy Analysis",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.9,
      "_evidence": "NBER paper analyzing 53 years of school finance litigation data"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Computer Science",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.85,
      "_evidence": "MS CS Stanford (coterminal), CS minor"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Manufacturing / Electrochemistry",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.75,
      "_evidence": "Andean Systems uses novel electrochemical processes for critical metal extraction"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Robotics",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.7,
      "_evidence": "Andean Systems uses robotics in decentralized modular micro-factories"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Rare Earth Metals / E-Waste Recovery",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.8,
      "_evidence": "Andean Systems extracts Au, Ag, Cu, Nd, Pr, Dy from electronic waste"
    },
    {
      "skill": "Entrepreneurship",
      "type": "domain",
      "_confidence": 0.9,
      "_evidence": "Two startups co-founded (Candid, Andean Systems), StartX SIR, Z Fellow ($10K grant, <1% acceptance)"
    }
  ],
  "memberOf": [
    {
      "name": "Z Fellow",
      "startDate": "2023-05",
      "_grant": "$10K",
      "_acceptanceRate": "<1%",
      "_verificationStatus": "public"
    },
    {
      "name": "Student In Residence, StartX",
      "startDate": "2023-05",
      "endDate": "2023-08",
      "_verificationStatus": "public"
    },
    {
      "name": "TorreyMUN Co-Founder",
      "_institution": "La Jolla Country Day School",
      "_award": "TorreyMUN Founder Award (Sep 2025)",
      "_verificationStatus": "public"
    }
  ],
  "_projects": [
    {
      "name": "Andean Systems",
      "type": "product",
      "url": "https://andean.systems",
      "description": "Critical metal recovery from e-waste via robotics + electrochemistry (Au, Ag, Cu, Nd, Pr, Dy)",
      "status": "active"
    },
    {
      "name": "Candid",
      "type": "product",
      "url": "https://tracxn.com/d/companies/candid/",
      "description": "Vlog-based social wellbeing app, co-founded with Zane Sabbagh (shut down Sep 2024)",
      "status": "inactive"
    },
    {
      "name": "NBER Working Paper #31271",
      "type": "research",
      "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31271",
      "description": "School finance litigation incidence and outcomes, 1968-2021 (with Eric A. Hanushek)",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "name": "TorreyMUN",
      "type": "organization",
      "url": "https://ljcds.org",
      "description": "Model United Nations conference at La Jolla Country Day School",
      "status": "unknown"
    }
  ],
  "_dataQuality": {
    "sourcesConsulted": 12,
    "sourceList": [
      "LinkedIn",
      "NBER (author page + paper)",
      "Stanford Profiles",
      "SIEPR",
      "StartX",
      "OVO Fund",
      "Andean Systems website",
      "Andean Systems mission page",
      "Z Fellows",
      "La Jolla Country Day School",
      "Tracxn (Candid)",
      "YouTube channel"
    ],
    "lastUpdated": "2026-03",
    "overallConfidence": {
      "identity": "HIGH",
      "education": "HIGH",
      "careerTimeline": "HIGH",
      "technicalCapabilities": "MEDIUM",
      "currentWorkDetail": "MEDIUM"
    },
    "gaps": [
      "Andean Systems funding status and round details",
      "Andean Systems co-founder(s) and team composition",
      "Technology readiness level for electrochemical processes",
      "Specific technical role at Andean (business vs. engineering)",
      "Wirtz's specific engineering skills and programming languages"
    ],
    "recommendation": "Andean Systems funding announcements and technical documentation would significantly strengthen this profile. Direct interview would clarify his technical vs. business role."
  }
}