John Haugen

John Haugen has a passion for endurance sports so it’s no surprise that he’s in it for the long haul working with budding businesses. John has an undergrad degree from St. Olaf College, his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and is a 25-year veteran at General Mills. He has held a variety of leadership positions, focusing on marketing, general management and health & wellness strategy. He was also instrumental in the creation of 301 INC in 2012.

As a leader of 301 INC, John is always interested in seeing the possibilities. He has built a team focused on looking for great, new business opportunities – ones that when the passion, skill and agility of the entrepreneur are combined with the capabilities of General Mills are sure to create breakthrough innovation and positive change.

Pete Speranza

New Yorker and former professional ice hockey player, Pete Speranza received his MBA in International Business Strategy from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business. He became part of the General Mills family in 1997 and has 18 years of supply chain leadership across all temp states and platforms with experience managing large capital installations.

As New Business Development leader for 301 INC Pete taps into his passions of creating a national scouting network and working closely with the entrepreneurs of the startup community. He is also a co-founder of the new food division for the MNcup – the largest state wide innovation competition in the country.

Ryan Newcom

With a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University, Ryan Newcom is our Investment Fund Manager leading our direct investment mandate. His background at General Mills includes finance rotations in the supply chain function, the cereal operating unit, and the western sales region.

Prior to General Mills, he spent multiple years working with clients in the lower middle market to execute mergers and acquisitions, debt recapitalizations, and private capital fundraisings. Ryan has a passion for food and tremendous respect for entrepreneurs.

Kristin Joy

Kristin Joy, Sr Sales Development Manager, has over 15 years of sales experience at General Mills.  She brings a passion for the food industry along with deep expertise in trade marketing, category management, retail leadership and sales development.  Kristin is energized by the opportunity to help emerging brands profitably scale their business and thrive in market.

Maija Aittola

With 8 years of marketing experience at General Mills, and an additional 5 years in the CPG world prior to joining GMI, Maija plays the role of Brand Accelerator for the 301 Inc team. Maija has seen the full spectrum of General Mills in roles ranging from Cheerios, to Nature Valley innovation, to convenience & foodservice, and a highlight role living and working in Southeast Asia, bringing new brands to that market. Maija holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Maija’s early career experiences working for the San Jose Entrepreneur Center and Quorn Foods Inc during its very early days in the U.S. market built a foundational passion for start-ups and small business environments. Maija is energized by the passion and commaraderie that small teams of bright people bring to their start-ups every day. She is also personally passionate about enabling others to thrive.  Having the opportunity to bring the incredible resources of General Mills to the passionate founders of emerging brands is a dream opportunity.

Kim Gessner