Episode 23: Conversation with Novvi CEO Jeff Brown

Jeffrey (Jeff) Brown has extensive experience bringing new technologies to market and is a pioneer in the field of renewable chemicals.  Prior to co-founding and becoming president and CEO of Novvi, he was a vice president at Amyris, a synthetic biotechnology and renewable chemical company headquartered in Emeryville, California, U.S.A., developing new products from synthetic biology. 

During F+L Week 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, I spoke with Jeff about how he became part of the lubricants industry after graduating from Stanford University with an MS in Mechanical Engineering and working in Silicon Valley. 

Jeff talks about how he moved Novvi from his garage in Silicon Valley to one of the most successful producers of renewable base oils today, with investors that include U.S. energy major Chevron Corp.

“Very early on, we made a strategic decision to make a hydrocarbon” from renewable materials, he said. “We moved from synthesizing esters to looking at how do we make a hydrocarbon.”

Listen to episode 23 to find out more about Novvi.