Hey Fam,
Living in Miami and NY over the last couple months has been an adjustment from life in the Bay. From the fashion to the nightlife, the differences are many. Yet, the biggest contrast has to be the lack of conversations around psychedelics.
If you’ve lived in SF I’d bet you’ve had at least one conversation about Michael Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind”. You’d also know that talking about psychedelics is like talking about your therapist: encouraged and expected.
And while bringing up psychedelics anywhere else is closer to a cry for help, this landscape is quickly changing…
The “drugs” traditionally associated with your creepy stoner friend are now becoming mainstream thanks to studies suggesting their ability to treat anxiety, depression, and addiction.
In the last five years, the FDA has granted breakthrough therapy status to the same drugs banned in the ‘70s and ’80s, think MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin. This has allowed companies to use these drugs for their therapeutic potential.
Now, what’s interesting about this new psychedelic rebirth is that it’s coinciding with the rise of the 21st-century wellness movement. A movement that has only grown stronger thanks to the pandemic-induced emphasis on “self care.”For better or for worse, these two movements coming together have only further commodified niche wellness products, brands, and experiences offering to calm our anxieties… now with psychoactive ingredients.
So take a sip from your Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Elixir as we explore the new world of psychedelic wellness. Let’s get started! ✨
Let’s start from the beginning. In the last few years we saw the adaptogens craze. It seemed like you could find mushrooms in just about anything from supplements, coffee, tea, jerky to beer.
The global mushroom market (which excludes psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient inside magic mushrooms) is expected to be worth more than $50 billion by 2025, according to the market research firm Grand View Research.
Yet, with the recent news on psychedelic legalization, mushroom-related wellness startups are closely watching the shroom opportunity on the horizon...
From Mud/Wtr to Rainbo to Gwella, all of these traditionally adaptogen companies are slowly making moves into the psilocybin space, from incorporating psychoactive ingredients in their products to funding research for legalization.
It’s interesting to note that while mushrooms are generally good for you from a nutritional standpoint, the claims marketed in these various shroom-based products are hard to prove.
And similar to the supplement industry, most of their advertising is fluffy and vague, using terms like “supports health” vs. “improves health.”
Nonetheless, as psilocybin gets closer to FDA approval, don’t be surprised when you see psychoactive ingredients in your everyday products promising to give you a boost throughout the day.
But microdosing via your coffee is only a small part of psychedelic wellness...
There’s also an entire industry of pricey psychedelic retreats. You might’ve first seen this on Goop’s Netflix series “Goop Lab,” where they try psilocybin in Jamaica.
Or maybe you stumbled on one of the many more than one article recommending psychedelic wellness retreats.
These retreats aren’t necessarily new. There have been ayahuasca retreats in South America for decades, but these all-inclusive trippy resorts are different...
Forget the backpacker experience of trekking through the Amazon to meet a shaman. Instead, these are a luxurious affairs, ranging from rustic beach houses to coastal hideaways serving you fine-dining vegetarian cuisine.
While you might think that we’re still far from these retreats becoming mainstream, I want to share with you two messages I received this week:
And that’s when it hit me: this might be the future of travel.
Because if you’re going on holiday, why just explore a meek town when you can discover the depths of the universe?
And last, if you’re looking for proper therapy then you’re in luck.
Despite many of these drugs still remaining illegal in parts of the US, there’s a booming industry of guided “therapy” clinics for those who wish to experience psychedelics around trained professionals.
These clinics resemble a mix between a luxurious spa and a professional therapy centre:
Like cannabis, the first step toward legalization of psychedelics is to allow them for medical use. As a result, a host of medical startups have sprung up to develop psychedelics for mental health treatment and sums of VC funding is going to this sector:
Peter Thiel participated in ATAI Life Sciences $125M investment, which backs psychedelics startups like Compass Pathways.
NUE Life Health raised $3.3M for its psychedelics-meets-tech mental wellness platform.
In October of last year Field Trip Health IPO’d in the Canadian Securities Exchange.
Leiio Wellness, premium brain performance brand centered around psychedelic mushrooms, has raised over $5.5M.
Like cannabis, we all experienced the gold rush of companies rushing to make the next CBD-infused product when it became legal.
And now, it looks like psychedelics are the next wave 🍄
Not all startups are unicorns, MSCHF is releasing five famous startup failures as miniature toys.
If you’re in NYC, take a look at Sam’s burger list where the top burgers in the city are stack ranked. I just tried the Spaniard’s burger (rated 8.6) and damn.
American Airlines is giving passengers free in-flight TikTok… I fear our world is doomed.
Personally digging Front’s “Welcome to the Oneness” marketing campaign. Pretty creative for B2B SaaS.
-Dani