Podcast appearances and mentions of tyson ventures

Thursday April 28 we sat down for a Fireside Chat with Tom Mastrobuoni, Chief Investment Officer of Big Idea Ventures and former Founding Partner & Chief Financial Officer at Tyson Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Tyson Foods. At Tyson, Tom led investments in Beyond Meat, Clear Labs and Tavola, to name a few. Big Idea Ventures is solving the world's biggest challenges by supporting the world's best entrepreneurs in the new food space. We speak with him about the opportunity for sustainability across the global food ecosystem; the challenges for industry leaders to innovate and the opportunity for collaboration to unlock new solutions to feed - and save - the planet. This Fireside Chat took place at our most recent event: What's Next Now Sustainability – An Innovator's Guide to Climate Action, where we brought together investors, entrepreneurs and executives to discuss the role of innovation in disrupting climate change.

Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat, Rahul Ray, Senior Director of Tyson Ventures, and Prof Yaakov Nahmias, founder of Future Meat, discuss the future of cultivated meat and how the maturing movement can go from the initial novelty factor to becoming part of consumers' normal diets. The discussion is moderated by Louisa Burwood-Taylor at the Pinduoduo Food Systems Forum.Highlights of the panel discussion that took place at the Pinduoduo Food Systems Forum on 14-15 July.• The biggest challenges facing cultivated meat industry now are: (1) Getting production to scale, (2) securing regulatory approval, (3) getting capex to build factories after regulatory approval. • Yaakov Nahmias of Future Meats estimates it'd require half a trillion dollars to set up enough production capacity worldwide to replace 60% of protein demand. The factories will need to be in South America, Africa, China, Europe, the US. “The only thing that we ever spread like this was the Model T.” • Mosa Meats currently at “pre-industrial levels” of production with pilot plants in Netherlands, while Future Meat can produce “a cow a day” at current capacity. Plan for Mosa Meats is to develop first industrial-scale production line, hope to coincide roughly with regulatory approval, and then build factories in Europe and in countries that allow for cultivated meat. • On regulatory approval, Singapore's approval of Eat Just's chicken nuggets at the end of last year was a landmark decision that has catalyzed the industry, getting more people and venture capital interested. Regulatory agencies are taking it seriously but not all have figured it out, according to Mosa's Bosch.• Cultivated meat can be more efficient than animals because the nutrients cater only to the meat whereas whole animals require nutrients to feed everything from brain, central nervous system, skin, “even the microbiome wants to eat from the same sandwich,” says Yaakov Nahmias, Future Meat Link to a roundup of the full proceedings of the Pinduoduo Food Systems Forum is available here.

Tom Mastrobuoni of Big Idea Ventures (and formerly CFO of Tyson Ventures) is on The Plantbased Business Hour with me to discuss a shifting food supply system.  We discuss,  The shifting landscape of farming,  The innovations in plant-based food, precision fermentation and cellular agriculture, The failure of recycling programs, Can everyone just do whatever they want to the environment and animals because everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want,  What is the critical role that banking plays in protecting the environment.  How universities could be the bridge between rural communities and a progressive food supply system,  And the continued abuse of chickens at industrial scale. Subscribe!  For plant-based media/branding consulting and public speaking, reach out at elysabeth@elysabethalfano.com. For more information, visit ElysabethAlfano.com.   

Tom Mastrobuoni of Big Idea Ventures (and formerly CFO of Tyson Ventures) is on The Plantbased Business Hour with me to discuss a shifting food supply system.  We discuss,  The shifting landscape of farming,  The innovations in plant-based food, precision fermentation and cellular agriculture, The failure of recycling programs, Can everyone just do whatever they want to the environment and animals because everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want,  What is the critical role that banking plays in protecting the environment.  How universities could be the bridge between rural communities and a progressive food supply system,  And the continued abuse of chickens at industrial scale. Subscribe!  For plant-based media/branding consulting and public speaking, reach out at elysabeth@elysabethalfano.com. For more information, visit ElysabethAlfano.com.

Today I’m talking with Amy Tu, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas. As you will hear, Amy has great responsibility as she oversees the legal department, ethics and compliance, corporate communications, government investigations, and internal audit. Amy is also the President of Tyson Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in companies developing breakthrough technologies. Amy attended Wellesley College where she studied economics. After graduation, she spent a couple years on Wall Street where she cut her teeth in the corporate world. She moved back to her native Arkansas with the hope that she would work on President Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign. Amy then attended law school at the University of Arkansas.    Towards the end of her law school career, she applied for a torts job at Walmart. But instead of interviewing for that job, she got a call from Walmart’s General Counsel who was intrigued by her Wall Street experience and asked her what she really wanted to do, to which she answered “international law.” Amy spent a few years at Walmart but attributes many of her career and legal lessons to her time at Boeing where she spent 16 years making a name for herself, building up her own practice, and going through experiences that would prepare her for her current role at Tyson. My takeaway from Amy’s story is that you must ask for what you want and do everything you can to make your goals a reality. That’s exactly what Amy did when she moved abroad while working for Boeing but before they had any attorneys outside the United States. Amy was diligent to create a place for herself in their London office. This effort took many months, a lot of relationship development, and unwavering drive. It’s one of Amy’s proudest accomplishments but just one example of what it took to get to where she is.

Alan Hahn is the cofounder of MycoTechnology which utilizes fungi based food-processing platforms to transform the flavor and value of agricultural products. The company has raised $120 million from investors such as Wavemaker Partners, Seventure Partners, Middleland Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, S2G Ventures, Tao Capital Partners, Emerson Collective, Continental Grain Company, Cibus Fund, Eighteen94 Capital, Closed Loop Capital, Tyson Ventures, Health for Life Capital fund, Bunge, Evolution Capital Partners, Ajinomoto, and Greenleaf Foods to name a few. Prior to this he cofounded Shared Technologies Fairchild, Corvigo, and SolarX. 

Alan Hahn is the cofounder of MycoTechnology which utilizes fungi based food-processing platforms to transform the flavor and value of agricultural products. The company has raised $120 million from investors such as Wavemaker Partners, Seventure Partners, Middleland Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, S2G Ventures, Tao Capital Partners, Emerson Collective, Continental Grain Company, Cibus Fund, Eighteen94 Capital, Closed Loop Capital, Tyson Ventures, Health for Life Capital fund, Bunge, Evolution Capital Partners, Ajinomoto, and Greenleaf Foods to name a few. Prior to this he cofounded Shared Technologies Fairchild, Corvigo, and SolarX. 

On this unique episode of BAKED in Science, Dr. Carson presents from the podcast series My Food Job Rocks, Hosted by Adam Yee. On his podcast, Adam talks to all kinds of industry professionals to help inform people about the cool jobs available in the food industry. On this episode Adam interviews the CFO of Tyson Venture, Tom Mastrobuoni. Tyson Foods has been investing a number of innovative companies, such as Beyond Meat, Memphis Meats, and Tovala. Why? As Tom explains, investing in up and coming companies is the way to get ahead and be truly innovative. So not only do these brand new companies get a leg up, but the investing company gets a boost as well. Tom talks about how Tyson Ventures finds ideas, how the deals are made and the most prominent or popular place for food companies. Emerging Trends But how do you know which up and coming companies to get involved with? It helps to know what trends are on the horizon. Adam and Tom talk about some of the biggest one for the food industry such as: - Plant-based foods - Clean meat - Artificial intelligence - Blockchain And many more! So join us as we listen into an insightful and entertaining conversation with insights into the food industry which are rarely shared.

Are new forms of 'artificial' meat about to change the food industry? Regan Morris goes to California to taste a chicken nugget its makers hope will be on restaurant menus by the end of this year. Josh Tetrick is the boss of Just - the company behind it. She also hears from Mark Post, the maker of the first lab-grown burger, and Tom Mastrobuoni from Tyson Ventures, the meat processing company that wants to be the world's largest 'protein' company. That's fine but just don't call it "meat" says Lia Biondo from the US Cattlemen's Association.(Photo: Chicken nuggets made from meat, Credit: Getty Images)

I’m sure you've heard a lot about Tyson Foods investing in a lot of cutting edge companies. Beyond Meat, Memphis Meats, and Tovala to name a few. I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I asked Tom Mastrobuoni to talk about the reasons why Tyson is putting a stake into these companies. His answer surprised me. To get ahead and be truly innovative, Tyson knows that it has to be invested in these up and coming companies. I learned the complexities of why it’s a win-win situation for companies to partner with Tyson. For one, Tyson has a vast array of resources to help any food company out. The new food companies just have to innovative. One of the most valuable things in the interview is talking with Tom about the newest trends. Because Tom is at the cutting edge of the industry, I asked for his opinion on plant-based foods, clean meat, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, among others. If you want to know the hottest and most game changing food technologies, this is the episode you should listen to. I hope it inspires you to think big! Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes Michael Wolfe, The Spoon Fancy Food Show Do you have any airplane tips?: Nope! The aisle seat is better than middle sitting When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do?: We run the venture arm of Tyson foods and we’re reinventing Tyson Foods What caused this?: We saw a shift in consumer demands and we needed to keep up. Tyson is 80 years old We’re a 2500 team with 100 location We not only do meat, but preprared foods 2nd largest producer of tortillas Tyson Ventures, a subsidiary: Focus on two things, sustainability and the internet of food Reese Schroder: Expert at Corporate Venturing Justin Whitmore: Executive VP of corporate strategy Chief Financial Officer: What does that mean? Well, technically, I’ve extended the role. I’m CFO+ now. Even though I still have to do financials, I love to work closely and source new ideas. Was being a CFO+ a requirement or a passion?: A passion. You have to work with people and connect with people, and understand their story. What is the misconception you like to dispel about Tyson?: If we invest in a company, that doesn’t mean we’re shifting completely to this. Tyson is big, we need to think how to handle disruption, so we look down the road in 5 to 10 years. We’re not shifting, we’re exploring In a theory point of view, investing in “competitors” is easy, executing it is super hard. The top leadership must be on board. Corporate Venture can be a force multiplier Tyson petfood Tyson tannery business (leather) When we approach a company, we don’t want to acquire it, but we want to be around it Describe the Steps to get to where you are today: Villanova University in Public Accounting Worked in New York around the big accounting firms, ended up creating own firm Opportunity for Tyson came up, everyone eats and I’m having a lot of fun. Tyson isn’t about making a profit or sucking up IP, we want to add value to companies and we have the resources How do you get to Tom’s level?: Do deals. Get a degree in accounting or financing. If you audit them, you can do it How did you apply for the job?: I applied for this job at an online job board Advanced Venture Partners Augusta Columbia Capital Good reputations are hard earned, they give the bad ones for free How do you find your deals?: Mainly our two pillars. Sustainability: Either alternative proteins or food waste fits in these pillars. Internet of Food: Disruptive marketing techniques, factory monitoring, enhancement of sustainability Perfect Day Tovalo Foodbytes How do you pitch an idea?: We find them, and they find us. But, we also look for competitors in that space and see who disrupts them. How to find competitors: Pitchbook, google, etc. We find competitors who are doing things more quietly, more thoughtfully, etc. How does interacting a deal work?: We usually email you with info about Tyson Ventures. 98% of the time, the company is super excited. We then have a 60-90 minute interview with a Subject Matter Expert at Tyson to grill the company. The results can range from pilot to non-investment collaborations. We want to add value to day one. Tyson is doing this so intimately because Tyson is a people business. We invest in the network. We make those warm introductions for them and it builds the network. Why Does Your Food job Rock?: Global Corporate Summit in California, my boss said I have a really cool job. I have the opportunity to change Tyson and I’m empowered to do so What is the most prominent or popular place for food companies? There are so many emerging ecosystems 1871 Plug and Play Chicagoland Food and Beverage The Hatchery, Chicago There’s so many and we don’t have the time to go to them Tyson Innovation Lab Let’s talk trends and technologies Plant Based Meat: On the board for Beyond Meat. Because they are targeting a bigger target market, and they have crisp distributions, this made sense. This is proof that this is not going away any time soon Clean Meat: Commercilization is up for grabs, I predict that once someone gets ahead, they will buy up their competitors. Really interesting space, we’d love to talk to people and give them resources. Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas. Though a long way away, we still need to know how to market it. We think food deserts and emerging nations would be the best avenue Complex=Expensive Internet of Things (for Food): Tovala, for example. Direct to Consumer is not a familiar angle for us. In Michael Wolfe’s podcast, you mentioned that you can get data from consumers really fast. Data is king for a consumer product. It’s changed so fast. Before, I had to write a letter to an airline. Now I can send an email and get my rewards points 30 seconds later. By investing in Tovala, we can get so much data on what they like and what didn’t they like. Uber is like hitchhiking on your phone. Tovala has their own forum where they can troubleshoot and innovate. We brought Tovala and Beyond Meat to our R+D Lab and asked how we can partner up. Blockchain: We have had meetings on blockchain to have more meetings about blockchain. We’ve announced IBM and Walmart partnerships. Most blockchain companies are hyper-focused SOX Compliance Someone has to be the certifying body for blockchain Artificial Intelligence, AR, VR: Safety AR VR might help with making the factory more safer We are looking into robotics and exoskeletons. Also market research is important. Upward Academy In all aspects, AI, AR, VR best in safety for the workers. Food Desserts: We’re working on making food cheaper and more affordable. The challenge is that doing this is a triple bottom line issue with profits. We want more community leaders to tell us how we can help. This is important. Do you have any advice for anyone to tackle something big?: Have the passion for it. Any time you do something big, it’ll be hard. Understand their perspective, why they’ll say no, and get them to yes. Books: Good to Great Where can we find you?: LinkedIn. Please make your profile open. I’m on twitter. Google Tyson Ventures that you can submit a form.

Perhaps more than any time in recent history, big packaged food companies are being forced to think about their futures. Consumers are asking for new, healthy options and are embracing new more direct relationships with those who make their food. As a result, food companies are looking at ways to explore and invest in this future through partnerships, incubation and accelerators and direct investments. Tyson Foods is doing all of the above, and one of the people at the heart of these initiatives for Tyson is Tom Mastrobuoni, the CFO for Tyson Ventures. One of the things I talk to Tom about Tyson's recent investment in Tovala. It was the first investment by Tyson in a connected kitchen and food delivery startup, joining the group's other investments in clean meat startups Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats. We also talk about how Tyson and other comapnies are thinking about technologies such as AI, Blockchain and much more Enjoy! Also, you can hear Tom and a bunch of other great speakers at Smart Kitchen Summit Europe in Dublin on June 11th-12th. You can learn more at www.smartkitchensummit.eu. Use discount code PODCAST to get 25% off of tickets. via Knit