From rebuilding bicycles in the scrapyards of rural East Texas to scaling multimillion-dollar enterprises, Matthew Hebron shares that his career began with hands-on problem-solving and a focus on practical solutions. Today, he’s striving to apply those same values to one of the most pressing challenges in tech: proposing alternatives to the dominant, centralized AI models.
From scrap metal to strategic vision
As a child, Hebron explains that he repaired discarded bikes and bartered them for necessities. That resourcefulness would become the DNA of his leadership style. “When you have nothing, you discover everything is negotiable,” he reflects. That principle followed him into his adult career. Hebron asserts that he has led companies through turnarounds, scaled stagnant firms, and launched new ventures across industries. These include aerospace, healthcare, real estate and education.
Betting against the cloud
Hebron’s latest venture emerges as a response to the rapid centralization of AI. “If three mega corps own the latent knowledge of eight billion people, we no longer have a free market,” he says. In a world dominated by Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Hebron advocates for what he calls Software-on-Demand (SoD): a decentralized model that delivers private, on-premises large language models (LLMs) and AI agents tailored to each client’s environment.
Designed to operate on internal data, these models aim to give organizations more control over their AI applications. The model may offer cost benefits by tying usage to energy consumption instead of user-based fees. More on this approach can be found at imperiumapp.ai, the venture Hebron launched to put this philosophy into action.
Culture over credentials
Inside his own organization, Hebron prioritizes values and flexibility in hiring practices. Hebron asserts that hiring is based on alignment with six pillars: Customer Obsession, Craftsmanship, Courageous Innovation, Servant Leadership, Liberty & Hope, and Relentless Accountability.
The company maintains a highly selective hiring process, with some applicants invited into a training fellowship. Hebron maintains that roughly half of fellows transition into full-time roles.
Building beyond the market
While Hebron remains focused on AI infrastructure, he also explores tools that support small businesses and individuals in building customized, practical tech solutions. Whether through bespoke software, decentralized computing or educational reform, his mission centers on sovereignty, not scale.
That includes a new partnership with JTC Academy to co-develop an AI-powered, non-traditional curriculum. This curriculum is aimed at equipping students with the ability to solve real-world problems through project-based learning.
What comes next
Hebron envisions thousands of small and mid-sized businesses deploying their own private LLMs and agentic systems in the next five years. Personally, he imagines a ranch powered by solar and hydro microgrids, where he can mentor his son while prototyping new energy systems.
“Whatever God asks, I’ll do,” he says. “Just give me the target outcome and a bit of runway.”
Given the arc of his journey—from scrapyards to scalable infrastructure—and his track record, he may not need much room to get started.