General Mills’ 301 INC Names New Leader

Johnny Tran is stepping down as managing director of General Mills’ venture arm 301 INC after more than a decade with the Minneapolis-based company, he shared today in a LinkedIn post. Kristen Harvey will succeed him as managing director of 301 INC. Andrew Petz will take on the role of managing partner of Gold Medal Ventures, the CPG conglomerate’s disruptive innovation and investment vehicle.

During her nearly 14-year tenure with General Mills, Harvey has held various finance roles. Most recently she was senior finance manager for Meals and Baking Solutions. Petz has been with the company for nearly 13 years, most recently as director of mergers and acquisitions.

Tran began his career with General Mills in 2014 in a series of brand management positions prior to joining 301 INC in 2021. He assumed the managing director role the following year.

According to his post, Tran is leaving General Mills to support his wife in her efforts to launch a startup. He described his time with the company as “magical.”

“Magical that a company as large as ours supports some of the smallest. Magical that this company that I truly love has trusted me with one of its most special programs. Magical that we, inclusive of the startup ecosystem, got to work on shaping the future of food,” Tran shared in his LinkedIn post.

General Mills launched 301 INC in 2015 to support and scale startups, backing such brands as Beyond Meat, Rhythm Superfoods, Good Culture, Purely Elizabeth, Kite Hill and others in its early days.

In 2021, Gold Medal Ventures was formed by rolling together 301 INC and G-Works, General Mills’ incubation studio. Current investments include Everything Legendary, Urban Remedy, Mealogic, GrubMarket, BeeHero and pet food brands PitPat, PetPlate and Smalls.

In other recent people moves…

• Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s former Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy & Response, has joined Boar’s Head as interim chief food safety advisor in the wake of the meat processor’s deadly Listeria outbreak.
• Meat snack maker Chomps has elevated Tim Bosslet as its first-ever chief financial officer. He has held progressively senior roles in finance since joining the company in 2019.
• Noodle maven Nona Lim is the first female chair of color for the Specialty Food Association in its 70-plus year history, she announced this week in a LinkedIn post.
• Mark Samuel has become president of gluten-free baker Unbun Foods, in addition to his recent appointment at Siddhi Capital supporting growth of its portfolio companies.
• Lezlie Karls, co-founder and co-CEO of Mid-Day Squares, is taking a sabbatical from the chocolate company, citing burnout in a video shared on social media.