Matthew Chase Levy
Physicist. Entrepreneur. Political Outsider.
California for a Reason
Matthew Chase Levy grew up believing California was the place where the future got built. Not talked about - built. From the laboratories where scientists chased fusion energy to the garages where founders sketched out companies that would change the world, California was proof that big dreams could become real. Tech and innovation. World-class universities. Agriculture that feeds the nation. Film, art, music. Wine country and ski slopes. This state has always been special - and Matthew believes it still can be.
"I didn't grow up around politics. I grew up around people who made things - scientists, engineers, teachers. The idea that you could spend your life solving problems and making things better for people around you? That felt like the most important thing you could do."
Matthew was raised in California and educated at UCLA, where he earned his degree in physics. He went on to Rice University for his Ph.D., but his heart never left the Golden State. His doctoral research brought him back - to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of California's crown jewels of science and innovation. There, as a Lawrence Scholar, he joined the effort to achieve what had seemed impossible: tapping the power of fusion energy, the same process that powers the sun, but doing it here on Earth.
For four years, Matthew worked alongside some of the brightest minds in the world who had worked for decades to deliver on the promise of fusion energy. Progress was slow, but after nearly 50 years, on December 5, 2022, that research reached its goal on the National Ignition Facility: for the first time in history a miniature star was made that produced more energy than was needed to create it. Matthew's contributions to that effort - published in Nature Physics and Nature Communications - are part of a scientific legacy that may one day power the world.
"Fusion taught me patience. You don't give up on hard problems just because they take time. You show up, you do the work, because you know that it matters."
From California to Oxford and Back
In 2015, Matthew received an unexpected honour: the Royal Society of the United Kingdom awarded him the Newton International Fellowship, making him the first American physicist to receive the distinction. He moved to Oxford, where he spent two years conducting research as a Junior Research Fellow of Wolfson College. He served on the College's Governing Body and represented the Royal Society as "Voice of the Future."
But Matthew didn't stay in the ivory tower. He came home to California with a purpose: to put what he had learned to work for Californians.
In 2018, he founded Noble.AI in San Francisco. The idea was straightforward - use artificial intelligence to help scientists and engineers solve hard problems faster. From materials science to manufacturing, Noble.AI built tools that turned months of trial-and-error into days of data-driven discovery. For example, Noble.AI's platform helped chemical companies optimize formulations and helped manufacturers predict product performance before going to production. Matthew raised venture capital from world-class investors including Microsoft and Stanford University. He built a team, grew the business to profitability, and led the company through the challenges of a global pandemic.
"Building a company is humbling. You learn pretty quickly that you don't have all the answers. You hire people smarter than you, you listen more than you talk, and you stay focused on what actually helps your customers."
When the time was right, Matthew stepped back - not because he lost faith in the mission, but because he had built something strong enough to continue without him.
Giving Back
Matthew believes that those who have been fortunate owe something in return. In 2022, he founded the Baruch Spinoza Scholarship at the University of Oxford in honour of Sir Isaiah Berlin, the philosopher who founded Wolfson College. The scholarship supports graduate students pursuing knowledge for its own sake - the kind of curiosity-driven work that often leads to the biggest breakthroughs.
In 2023, he founded AE Blue - a venture capital fund dedicated to giving back to science, technology, and clean energy communities. The name stands for AI and Energy, with "Blue" representing our blue planet. Through AE Blue, Matthew has made seven investments, including five in fusion energy companies. For him, fusion is not a distant dream - it is the work of his life, and he believes California should lead the way.
"If we get fusion right, we change everything. Clean, abundant energy for everyone. No more grid outages. Clean energy from a source that is truly inexhaustible. That's worth working on and delivering."
In 2024, Wolfson College unanimously elected Matthew an Honorary Fellow - the youngest in the College's history. It was a recognition not just of his scientific contributions, but of his commitment to building institutions that outlast any one person.
Why He's Running
Matthew is not a career politician. He has never held elected office. But he has spent his adult life inside the systems that decide whether bold ideas become reality or die on the vine. He knows what it takes to build something from nothing - to raise money, to hire a team, to ship a product, to meet a deadline. He knows how to read a budget, how to manage risk, and how to deliver results.
He is running for Governor because he sees California at a crossroads. The state still invents the future, but it is losing its ability to build it. Housing is unaffordable. Energy costs are rising. Wildfire seasons grow longer. Too many families are one emergency away from crisis. And too often, Sacramento responds with promises instead of plans.
"I'm not running to perform. I'm running to deliver. Keep the lights on. Cut the bills. Build on time. That's the job."
A Family Man
Matthew resides in Oakland with his wife, a Stanford professor, and 12 year old step-daughter. He shops at the farmer's market on Saturdays. He knows his neighbours. He is a proud Californian who has seen the state at its best - and who refuses to accept anything less.
"I'm not here because I needed a job. I'm here because I love this place, and I think we can build something better together."
His work continues to be guided by a simple belief: that science and hard work, together, can help solve the world's hardest problems. He remains deeply grateful to the communities that shaped him - UCLA, Rice, Lawrence Livermore, Oxford, and the talented Californians from all walks of life who remind him every day what California is capable of.
"It's later than we think, but it's never too late."