About HYDER Industries

Built from operator judgment, not boardroom theory.

HYDER Industries is a Wisconsin-based venture studio and operating company founded by Christopher Hytry Derrington. HYDER builds and scales practical businesses across consumer products, software, acquisitions, and technical commercialization - businesses with real customers, disciplined systems, strong teams, and long-term value.

Founder & CEO

Christopher Hytry Derrington

Christopher Hytry Derrington is a serial entrepreneur. It's in his blood.

He loves solving the complex problems of taking new technology to market - building the team, investing seed capital, arranging angel funding, and setting up new entities for rapid growth. Fun stuff.

He is focused on creating jobs in rural USA. His home base is HYDER Industries - a venture studio and operating company with a portfolio of technology and gourmet food companies. Constantly seeking new opportunities and acquisitions, he has served as CEO or interim CEO in 18 companies over the past 23 years.

Early in his career he rose to Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance for an international commercial airline - overseeing engineering operations, regulatory compliance, maintenance systems, and technical personnel. One of his most complex assignments: coordinating the $17M recovery and return-to-service of a Boeing 737-300 whose forward fuselage overshot a runway and went into the ocean. Real pressure. Real consequences.

He has founded and led both startups and well-established companies including Renée's Popcorn, Brand My Email, Atomic Acme (in development), Referrals2Sales, Rural America Onshore Outsourcing, Alta Financial Technologies, IsoTruss Composite Manufacturing, Wind Tower Composites, Safari Beach Software, and Terra Aerospace. Current nonprofit endeavors include TechShore.org, a technology association along Wisconsin's Lake Michigan coast.

A two-time SBIR Phase I winner and SBIR Phase II winner, he has direct experience navigating federal grant processes, technical commercialization, and the gap between promising technology and a fundable company.

The common theme across all of it: create shareholder value - from startups built to address market opportunities, to interim leadership for companies on the edge of insolvency, to advising well-established enterprises in need of fresh perspective.

He frequently writes for local and national media when they can't find anyone else. Formal education was at Missouri University of Science and Technology where he earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering - Engineering Management. MBA from Entrepreneur School of Hard Knocks.

"Get it working. Then improve it."

HYDER's operating philosophy is practical: validate demand, build the system, get the product or company moving, and improve through disciplined execution. Perfect plans do not create enterprise value. Operating companies do.

The Company

What HYDER is. And what it is not.

HYDER Is

A venture studio
An operating company
A company builder
A capital discipline platform
A technical commercialization evaluator
A practical growth engine for selected ventures

HYDER Is Not

A passive investment firm
A generic consulting agency
A hype-driven startup accelerator
A venture capital fund
A company that chases every idea, trend, or pitch
Location & Mission

Built in Wisconsin. Built for real economic impact.

HYDER is based in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. We believe durable companies can be built outside traditional startup hubs - especially when practical execution, local talent, technology, and capital discipline come together.

Our work is tied to real operating outcomes: revenue, products, systems, jobs, and long-term enterprise value. Two Rivers is not a liability. It is proof that building real businesses does not require a San Francisco address.

Two Rivers, Wisconsin - Lake Michigan harbor and marina

Two Rivers, Wisconsin · Lake Michigan

Track Record

Proof of Work.

HYDER's experience spans startups, acquisitions, software, specialty food, digital marketing, real estate, technical commercialization, and operating company development. The work is not theoretical. Customers, cash flow, products, teams, and constraints are real.

CEO or interim CEO across 18 companies over 23 years - startups, turnarounds, aerospace, advanced materials, software, and gourmet food

Coordinated the $17M recovery and return-to-service of a Boeing 737-300 whose forward fuselage crashed into the ocean - VP of Engineering and Maintenance, international commercial airline

Founded and led Renée's Popcorn, Brand My Email, Referrals2Sales, IsoTruss Composite Manufacturing, Wind Tower Composites, Rural America Onshore Outsourcing, Alta Financial Technologies, Safari Beach Software, and Terra Aerospace

$500,000+ personal capital invested in Renée's Popcorn since 2018 - led transition to e-commerce-driven model in 2023

Winner of two SBIR Phase I awards and one SBIR Phase II award

Founder of TechShore.org - technology association along Wisconsin's Lake Michigan coast

BS in Engineering Management and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Based in Two Rivers, Wisconsin - committed to creating jobs and durable economic value in rural America

Strategic Pillars

Current strategic priorities.

Renée's Popcorn

Flagship consumer products platform focused on premium popcorn, e-commerce, gifting, category creation, and future product expansion.

Brand My Email

Software/platform asset focused on email branding, identity governance, and consistent business communication.

Technical Commercialization

Selective exploration of SBIR/STTR, grants, USDA funding, rural development, hardtech, specialty manufacturing, and emerging technical fields.

Capital-Efficient Growth

Growth through cash flow, selective debt, grants, incentives, acquisitions, and disciplined outside capital only when justified.

Want to work with HYDER?

We are open to serious conversations with founders, owners, investors, grant partners, and strategic collaborators.

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