US-based food maker Tyson has hired Erin VanLanduit as managing director of its corporate venture capital unit, Tyson Ventures.
VanLanduit will move to Tyson’s head office in Arkansas to run the unit. She was previously director of business development for new ventures at consumer goods producer SC Johnson.
Chief financial officer Tom Mastrobuoni left Tyson Ventures earlier this year for an unnamed VC investor whose first investment was in Nom Nom World Food, due to Tyson Ventures’ then-imminent move from Chicago to Arkansas.
Reese Schroeder, head of Tyson Ventures, is expected to join another corporate venturing vehicle next week.
Tyson Ventures had built up a successful program, including a commitment to foodtech-focused Big Idea Ventures’ New Protein Fund last month.
However, the unit was forced to pull out of its most high-profile and successful portfolio company, meat substitute developer Beyond Meat, ahead of its initial public offering this past spring due to the company’s concerns with Tyson’s own work in the area.
Photo of Erin VanLanduit courtesy of LinkedIn.
