She Licensed NASA Tech in College. Then She Quit Finance | Andrea Brimmer, Rivida

Andrea Brimmer grew up on a farm outside Sacramento, went to college planning to become a lawyer, and left a stable job in wealth management to run a company she'd started while she was still a student. Today Rivida uses NASA-licensed filtration to pull ammonia out of agricultural wastewater and hand farmers back the two things they're running short of: clean water and nitrogen fertilizer.In this episode she talks about walking into rooms full of farmers who take one look and count her out. "I love it when people doubt me and they don't see me coming, and then I just swoop in and I do the thing. Thank you for the secret power. You just gave me a way in."Andrea shares:✨ Why she stopped waiting for the right moment to quit her job✨ "When you have faith, you can't have fear"✨ The mentor who told her she wasn't a lawyer — she was a CEO✨ What Rivida actually does with agricultural wastewater✨ Being a young woman in rooms full of farmers✨ How she turned being underestimated into a way in✨ What farmers told her when she went out and asked✨ Signing a commercialization deal with NASA✨ Getting into the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator✨ Growing up on a hay and cattle farm 30 minutes from Sacramento✨ How faith and family in Mexico keep her steady✨ Her Business Minute: relationships, brand, and the thank-you note✨ Rapid Five: the hospital visit that ended her plan to be a doctorIf you've been waiting for the right moment to make your move, Andrea's answer is that it isn't coming. You go anyway.About Andrea Brimmer: Andrea Brimmer is the Founder and CEO of Rivida, an agricultural technology company using NASA-licensed filtration to convert agricultural wastewater into clean water and nitrogen fertilizer on site. A California Lutheran University graduate who founded the school's Women in Business Club, she negotiated Rivida's NASA license as a senior and later left a career in finance to build the company full time. Rivida is a member of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator's Incubation Cohort 12. In August 2026, Andrea was one of 11 California women founders honored on the floor of the California State Senate by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón, in partnership with F5 Collective.🌱 Learn more at https://www.rivida.co/The growth engine for women who mean business.http://www.f5collective.com0:00 I Love It When People Doubt Me0:50 Welcome to F5 Collective Presents Women in Business1:24 Honored on the California Senate Floor2:04 Growing Up on a Hay and Cattle Farm3:18 What Rivida Actually Does3:41 "You Weren't a Lawyer, You Were a CEO"4:24 The Confirmation That Changed Everything4:59 Leaving Finance: "It Was Terrifying"5:47 Trading the 401(k) to Write Her Own Story6:21 Faith, Culture, and "You Can't Have Fear"7:49 Learning to Speak Farmers' Language8:56 "Coming From an Ag Family Opens Doors"9:51 Being a Young Woman: The Secret Power11:00 How She Decompresses11:50 Signing With NASA and Getting Into LACI12:38 Business Minute: Thank You Notes Go a Long Way14:21 Rapid Five17:11 Wrapping Up