Ciro Gonzalez has joined Mexican frozen food producer Sigma Alimentos to lead its corporate venture capital initiatives.

In 2019, Sigma launched a startup accelerator and open innovation program called Tastech by Sigma to identify startups working on future food and AI-driven technologies. The initiative has since hosted 1,400 startups from 53 countries across its five editions.

Sigma has also invested in start-ups, backing companies such as plant-based food producer The Live Green in 2021 and Chunk Foods, which makes meat alternatives, earlier this year.

Gonzalez spent nearly three years as an investment associate at Munich Re Ventures, which invests on behalf of German reinsurer Munich Re, from mid-2020 before taking a CEO position at venture capital firm Mosaico Capital in May 2023.

Sigma Ventures was led by Eduardo Taylor Elizondo, who served as Head of Innovation until February 2023, before being succeeded by José Ignacio Francés Fortín, who led Sigma Ventures until September.

The unit will be operated in partnership with Mexican corporate venture capital-as-a-service firm Bluebox Ventures, which merged with its Chilean rival Innova360 last month.