Derek Norman

VP Venture Investments, Bayer AG

Derek joined Bayer in 2019 to lead its venture capital investments in agriculture and food. He has been investing in agriculture for more than 15 years, and has served on the boards of companies in areas spanning synthetic biology, biologicals, chemistry, new crops, food technology, digital farming technologies, as well as human therapeutics. He has been the founding investor for several companies, and is passionate about translating frontier areas of science and technology into products that can have a positive impact in the world.

Prior to joining Bayer, Derek led Syngenta Ventures, one of the first corporate VC investors in the Ag industry. He started at Syngenta in 2009, as one of the founding team members. From 2005 to 2009, Derek was an Associate with Hatteras Venture Partners, an early stage pharma/biotech venture capital firm located in Durham, NC.

Derek is from Riverside, California. His first exposure to agriculture came helping his parents tend their avocado grove on weekends. Derek obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Stanford University, and a doctorate degree in chemistry and chemical biology from Harvard University.