Business Trip

Advancements in neuroscience, AI, and bioengineering are unlocking new possibilities for neurotechnologies. Investors are paying attention.

Alex Morgan of Khosla Ventures is an MD, PhD, physicist, and one of the most active investors in neurotech startups. He's backed companies harnessing neuromodulation for varied applications - from sleep (Somnee) to depression (Flow) to motor recovery (Syncron). 

In this episode, Alex shares an insider's overview of the neurotech landscape. We discuss when neurotech solutions make more sense than traditional pharma. Alex reveals which brain technologies excite him most, and why.

We also unpack key business strategy questions. When should startups pursue the consumer route versus FDA approval? What does Alex look for in neurotech founders on the cutting edge?

This episode is for founders, investors, clinicians, and researchers interested in understanding the cutting edge of neurotech and how it will become an integral part to the future of our mental health. 

Neuromodulation flies in the face of modern psychiatry. It can significantly improve mental health without drugs. It allows us to stimulate or inhibit activity in precise regions of the brain using electricity, magnetism or ultrasound. 

Motif Neurotech is pioneering minimally invasive implants to precisely deliver neuromodulation for mental health. In this special episode, Matias joins Empath Ventures’ Brom Rector to interview Jacob Robinson, an entrepreneurial scientist who leveraged his academic research to start Motif Neurotech. 

PsyMed Ventures and Empath Ventures invested in Motif’s latest seed round. Motif's implantable device stimulates a region of the brain associated with depression. Other applications being explored include Alzheimer's disease, PTSD and ADHD.

Neuromodulation is still early but holds great promise as a paradigm shift in psychiatry and even human augmentation–unlocking the full potential of the brain.

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner

Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank and Temperance by Eltham House

In part 2 of a 2-part series, Greg and Matias explore microbial therapeutics for mental health with Dr. Christopher Reyes, biophysist, serial enterepreneur, and founder of Bloom Science. Dr. Reyes' research on leveraging microbes to treat neurological conditions began at UC San Francisco.

He is now translating his microbiome research into startups targeting epilepsy, ALS, and even anxiety and depression. We discuss the science behind how gut microbes may influence neurotransmitters and mood. Dr. Reyes gives an insider perspective on the challenges of standardizing microbial therapies when each person has a unique microbiome fingerprint.

We explore the regulatory landscape and future of microbial therapies for mental health. Dr. Reyes shares his experience navigating intellectual property, licensing deals, raising capital, and designing clinical trials to bring microbiome innovations to market. 

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner

Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Business Trip  launched in 2020 as a podcast focused on psychedelics. As Matias and Greg started to dive deeper into the complexities of mental health, they met more and more entrepreneurs and scientists creating novel treatments across many areas of mental health, including the gut microbiome.

Dr. Phil Strandwitz pulls back the curtain on the gut-brain connection and the future of mental health. As founder of Holobiome, Phil is pioneering microbial therapies for conditions like depression and epilepsy.

In part 1 of a 2-part series, we dive deep on how trillions of gut bacteria influence neurotransmitters, mood, cognition, and more. An imbalance in your microbiome could underlie mental health issues. Can fecal (poop) transplants treat depression? 

Phil shares how startups like Holobiome aim to develop microbiome-based treatments. We'll also explore lifestyle changes like diet, prebiotics, and probiotics to support gut health.

Part frontier medicine, part taboo, this conversation will change how you think about the gut-brain connection. 

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner

Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Stanford University is one of the leading universities in psychedelic science, focusing on understanding how psychedelics work in the body. 

This is part 3 of a 3-part series, where we will explore groundbreaking discoveries via leading Stanford researchers who are revealing the significance of psychedelic science in modern research. We conclude the series with Carolyn Rodriguez.

Carolyn Rodriguez is Associate Dean at Stanford University School of Medicine and a psychiatrist at the Palo Alto VA. As Director of the Rodriguez Translational Therapeutics Lab, she leads studies on severe mental illness. Her clinical trials pioneer rapid-acting treatments for OCD and related disorders demonstrating ketamine's efficacy in reducing OCD symptoms. She now plans placebo-controlled studies of MDMA and other psychedelics, unlocking their therapeutic potential for OCD.

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Stanford University is one of the leading universities in psychedelic science, focusing on understanding how psychedelics work in the body. 

This is part 2 of a 3-part series, where we will explore groundbreaking discoveries via leading Stanford researchers who are revealing the significance of psychedelic science in modern research. We continue with Boris Heifets.

Boris Heifets, an assistant professor at Stanford's School of Medicine. Boris leads the Heifets Lab, which is dedicated to understanding and improving on powerful, rapid-acting therapies for psychiatric disease, such as ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin. Boris is an anesthesiologist and neurologist, a combination that uniquely positions him to design a research study evaluating the effect of ketamine on patients under anesthesia with depression. 

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Psychedelics have long been known to induce altered states of consciousness. But there are many other techniques that can also expand our awareness - from meditation and breathwork to exploring dreams, prayer, light and sound. In this episode, Greg speaks with Scott Britton about the emerging startup landscape around tools for expanding consciousness.

Scott is an entrepreneur who now writes a newsletter called Consciousness ∞ The Doorway to Human Evolution He also hosts a podcast called EvolutionFM.

This special episode is a deeper dive into Greg & Scott’s recent article about the consciousness startup ecosystem.

In this episode, we discuss:

• VC-backable business models in psychedelic medicine
• Hardware devices that induce deeper meditation and lucid dream states
• Breathwork: app vs. in-person experiences 
• Prayer apps attracting huge investment
• Startups using sound, light, and visuals to catalyze altered states
• Integrating ancient wisdom into modern consciousness-expanding tech

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Stanford University is one of the leading universities in psychedelic science, focusing on understanding how psychedelics work in the body. 

In this 3-part series, we will explore groundbreaking discoveries via leading Stanford researchers who are revealing the significance of psychedelic science in modern research. We start the series with Robert Malenka.

Robert Malenka is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University with over three decades of experience in preclinical neuroscience research. His primary focus is on the study of psychoactive drugs, including psychedelics, and their potential therapeutic applications. In addition to his academic role, Malenka is a founder and deputy director of the Wsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford.

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

Psychedelic Science 2023, Learning Man, MAPS Burn...whatever you want to call it...was a magical conference organized by MAPS.

12k people made the pilgrimage to Denver to discuss psychedelic science, culture, business, art, spirituality, and more.

Rick Doblin called this the "Psychedelic 20's" and this event felt like a watershed moment.

Luckily, Greg brought his microphone and recorded his experience for a special episode of Business Trip.

Guests include Zach Haigney, Myriam Barthes, Lauren Taus, Hamilton Morris, and many more…

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank

What does it take for a traditional VC to fund a psychedelic company? In our latest episode, Matias takes us behind the scenes of a panel discussion at the Psychedelic Therapeutics & Drug Development Conference in San Francisco, CA. Matias talks with VCs at firms with $100M+ fund sizes: Anne Dwane, a partner at Village Global, Amanda Way, principal at Jazz Venture Partners and Dana Watt PhD, principal at Breakout Ventures.

In this episode, we discuss: (1) How VCs identify and evaluate a strong founding team, (2) Evaluating scientific, technical, and market risk, (3) The pros and cons of platforms vs. asset companies, (4) How to position a psychedelic company in the broader biotech ecosystem.

Credits: 

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg Kubin
Produced by Jonathan A. Davis,  Nico V. Rey & Caitlin Ner
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank