About

Joshua Britton founded Debut on the conviction that AI and biotechnology could discover and manufacture high-performance ingredients never before seen, and that vertically integrating the process from molecule to market could redefine beauty innovation. Having earned a postdoctoral fellowship in Chemistry at MIT, a PhD in Organic Chemistry from UC Irvine, and an MS in Organic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, he developed the intellectual property at the core of Debut’s proprietary platform: an AI-powered biomanufacturing system that identifies, validates, and scales novel ingredients and formulations with precision and speed beyond traditional R&D. He was named to the Vogue Business 100 Innovators and TIME100 Most Influential Companies in 2025 and received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for Pacific Southwest in 2024.

Derek Wanner drives the growth of Debut’s formulation business and expands the strategic partnerships that power next-generation beauty innovation. Formerly Chief Growth Officer at Mana Products, he helped propel some of the world’s leading beauty brands by expanding product development capabilities and building a diverse global portfolio. At Debut, he brings commercial rigor, formulation expertise, and deep industry relationships to bear as the company broadens its reach across the beauty industry, leveraging biotechnology as a competitive advantage for brand partners worldwide.

Mark Wall leads Debut’s scientific innovation, bridging R&D and the company’s broader business objectives. With over 15 years of leadership experience at BASF and its predecessor Verenium, he has directed teams of up to 70 through digital transformation, R&D restructuring, and customer-focused innovation. At Debut, he applies this expertise to scale the company’s discovery-to-market platform, delivering novel ingredients with speed, precision, and commercial impact.

Kadie Burton leads Debut’s commercial operations across brand partners, product contract manufacturing, and commercial strategic initiatives. With 13 years of operations experience, she streamlines the path from formulation brief through development, regulatory, quality, and tech transfer to contract manufacturers, accelerating the delivery of high-performance products to brand partners worldwide.

Martin Mayhew brings more than 20 years of industrial biotechnology experience scaling ingredients from development through commercial manufacturing. His expertise spans bioprocess development, technology transfer, and large-scale production, with hands-on leadership at companies including BASF Enzymes and Codexis. At Debut, he applies this depth of experience to ensure novel ingredients discovered through the company’s AI platform can be reliably scaled and manufactured with consistency. He holds an MS in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University.

With extensive experience in protein biochemistry and assay development, Taylor Oswald leads AI novel ingredient discovery and formulation at Debut, taking molecules from initial screening through stability characterization to high-efficacy products that address unmet consumer needs. Her work sits at the commercial core of Debut’s vertically integrated model, building the proprietary ingredient pipeline that gives Debut a performance edge.

Jim Branch provides financial leadership across Debut, drawing on 30 years of experience in public and venture-backed biopharmaceutical companies. At Otonomy, he oversaw reporting, technical accounting, and debt/equity financing. At Debut, he drives financial planning, investor relations, and capital management, ensuring robust operational and fiscal controls that support rapid scaling, funding strategy, and investor confidence.

Venus Soriano brings over 20 years of HR experience to Debut, spanning talent acquisition, people management, and benefits strategy. She develops adaptive strategies that support culture, performance, and retention. Her approach is pragmatic and hands-on: she navigates the demands of a fast-moving biotech environment with clear goals, creative solutions, and a focus on building strong, enduring teams.

Walter Solomon has served on the boards of portfolio companies including Atlas Holdings, The Carlyle Group, Golden Gate Capital, L Catterton, LightBay Capital, and Littlejohn, as well as BOLD (L’Oréal), Breakout Ventures, Fine Structure Ventures (Fidelity), KdT Ventures, and Viking Global. He previously served as Vice President & Chief Growth Officer at Ashland and began his career at Procter & Gamble.

Corinna Chen is a Partner at Material Impact, where she focuses on applying fundamental technologies across sectors to solve emerging real-world problems. She has led transactions totaling over $1.25B across multiple geographies, including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, and new company formation.

Shyam Kamadolli is the Managing Director at Fine Structure Ventures. He has led early-stage VC investments globally for Applied Crypto Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Capital, and Fidelity Ventures, where his investments included Flywire, Ping Identity, Staked, and MineralTree.

Dan Phillips is Partner at Sandbox Industries and Managing Director at Blue Venture Fund. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Fort Health, Solera, Abacus Insights, and Smart Data Solutions and serves as a Board Observer of Care Connectors.

Francisco Dopazo is a Partner at Vega Group, where he works across a portfolio of ventures including Synergenics, SDC, and Posterus Partners. He also serves as Chief Financial Officer of Khora Therapeutics, where he oversees financial strategy and operations, and as General Partner at Humboldt Fund, investing in early-stage companies.

Taehong Huh is a Managing Partner at GS Futures, a venture capital firm focused on emerging technologies and markets. He also serves on the board of ODK Media, Inc., a streaming platform for Korean and Asian content.

Doroteya Hadzhigeorgieva is an investor at SiteGround's family office, where she manages a diversified portfolio with a focus on deep technology and sustainability-driven innovation.