We're a generalist fund that focuses on anything that is related to psychedelics. That could be anything from pharmaceutical companies doing drug development to a clinic in Mexico administering psychedelics today. There's also drug discovery, which is the process of trying to invent a new psychedelic drug. And we can kind of get into what the problems with the current set of psychedelic drugs might be.
Brom Rector is the founder of Empath Ventures, a VC fund that in invests in early-stage psychedelics startups. Prior to founding Empath, Brom sent several years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher. Brom joins the show to discuss the current state of the psychedelics industry, the lessons learned founding a VC fund, the differences between psychedelics and cannabis, and a whole lot more. Important Links:
Show Notes:
- How Brom became interested in psychedelic investing
- Psychedelics and the mental health epidemic
- Depoliticising psychedelics
- Empath Ventures’ business model
- How we can scientifically improve psychedelics
- The influence of hippie culture
- A contrarian view on Big Pharma
- The potential benefits of ibogaine
- The differences between cannabis and psychedelics
- Do some people not react to psychedelics?
- Brom’s thoughts on microdosing
- Lessons learned from founding a VC company
- The benefits of Rule 506(c)
Books Mentioned:
- How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence; by Michael Pollan
- Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection; by John E. Sarno MD