Deborah Zajac is a General Partner at SOSV, investing early in deep-tech and science-based companies improving the physical world, planetary health, and human health globally. SOSV is one of the longest-running venture capital firms focused on deep tech and one of the most prolific with over 1,000 portfolio companies globally.
Deborah is vested in turning innovation into impact at scale. Before SOSV, Deborah invested in startups at Touchdown Ventures, now Cerity Partners Ventures, and helped scale the firm to $1.5B under management and 25 corporate venture programs in 5 sectors. She co-founded and ran its healthcare group and worked with 12 organizations on 15 venture funds at Touchdown and GE.
At GE Ventures and GE Global Research, Deborah invested in, spun out, and partnered with deep tech, digital, and consumer companies, and served as Exec-in-Residence at Columbia University Tech Ventures. She was an operator at a startup and Fortune 10 company, advised industrial manufacturers, and worked with companies, non-profits, and governments in more than 25 countries, including Japan. Deborah is passionate about helping exceptional technical founders turn ambitious science into globally consequential companies.

After beginning his career in biomaterials R&D, Hasitha worked in ophthalmology, developing artificial corneal implants and helping restore vision for patients with corneal blindness. He later built a bioplastics company through its Series A stage, leading technology development and collaborating with global brands to commercialize biodegradable products.

Today, Hasitha is the co-founder and CEO of Materia Bioworks Inc. (Materia), an AI-powered materials technology company helping brands and manufacturers transition away from petroleum plastics. Materia’s MAPS platform combines computational chemistry and machine learning to reduce the time, cost, and trial and error involved in developing and manufacturing high-performance sustainable products. Materia recently received an investment from Mitsui Chemicals through its CVC fund, 321Catalyst™, to advance the development and broader adoption of bioplastic solutions.

Hasitha brings more than 14 years of experience translating scientific research into commercial technologies, particularly in bioplastics and other sustainable materials.

サービス企業での法人営業などを経て2013年日東電工株式会社入社。2020年より新規事業本部にてスタートアップ協業、投資業務に従事。2021年に米国赴任し、シリコンバレーでCVC活動に従事。2024年帰国と同時に三井化学入社、CVC部門配属。2号ファンドとなる321Catalyst LPを米国に立上げ、2025年7月より再度シリコンバレーに赴任。ヘルスケア、アグリ、半導体、ケミカル、モビリティなど幅広い分野でのソーシング、投資活動を行っている。