Derek is the Head of Corporate Venture Capital for Syngenta Ventures, the corporate venture capital group of Syngenta. Syngenta is one of the world’s largest agricultural companies focused on increasing agricultural productivity. Derek joined Syngenta Ventures as one of the founding members, where he is responsible for a number of investments across the agricultural value chain. Derek holds a B.S. degree in chemistry, with Honors, from Stanford University, a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University, and he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.