Jim Flatt has a 35-year track record of transforming scientific breakthroughs and advances in technology into popular health products. Prior to founding Brightseed, he was CTO for Synthetic Genomics, a leader in synthetic biology, that developed new products in partnership with leading Fortune 100 companies, including Novartis, ExxonMobil, Monsanto and ADM. He led R&D at Martek Biosciences, a leader in developing fatty acid nutritional products for infant brain and eye development, and cardiovascular health, and oversaw the design and construction of the first large-scale microalgae production facility. He has led breakthroughs in producing biofuels from yeasts and bacteria with energy research company Mascoma and developed plant-based food products and novel plant-based protein ingredients with food manufacturer Hampton Creek. Jim is a chemical and biochemical engineer with a PhD from the University of Wisconsin and degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley.