Segetis execs are keeping quiet about whether they're hiring Jim Stoppert, a former Dow and Cargill executive, but Stoppert is scheduled to represent the company next month at the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. Industry sources are saying that Stoppert will step up as Segetis' next CEO, but interim CEO Doug Cameron and founder Sergey Selifonov have made no comment.

Segetis is a green chemistry start-up based in Minnesota, working on processes to make substitutes for products typically made from petroleum — plastics, solvents and other specialty chemical — from agricultural feedstocks. The company has already made a reputation for being fairly quiet about its plans. Last year, Segetis received $15 million in funding from Khosla Venture, as well as Cameron, who is Khosla Ventures' chief scientific officer.

Stoppert would be a fairly ideal match for Segetis. During his time at both Dow and Cargill, Stoppert worked with industrial bioproducts. Since his time at the chemical giants, Stoppert has also done a stint as the CEO of NatureWorks, a company using a corn-based plastic replacement for toys, containers and other products.

With the recent boom among green start-ups, it seems likely that such a move by Stoppert would be only the first of many such job changes. Executives from large energy and chemical firms are likely to make the move to cleantech companies with good prospects.

Image — Segetis