# atai Life Sciences

atai Life Sciences is an Asset Manager based in Berlin, Germany.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Berlin, Germany
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** Berlin, Germany
- **Founded:** 2018
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** atai.life
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/atai-life-sciences/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Florian Brand co-founded atai Life Sciences in 2018 alongside entrepreneur Christian Angermayer, creating a holding company structure that incubates and finances drug development for mental-health indications. The firm was listed on Nasdaq in 2021 via a SPAC merger with Newbury Street Acquisition Corp (per the firm, 2021). Wealth origins trace to Angermayer's prior biotechnology and investment ventures, though the firm discloses no single-family-office backing. atai's strategy targets the development of psychedelic compounds, including psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT analogs, for disorders such as treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and anxiety. The firm operates more than a dozen majority-owned subsidiaries, each focused on a specific compound or indication, including Compass Pathways and Small Pharma (per public filings). Its geographic footprint is primarily US and European based, with clinical trials conducted across multiple countries. The firm went public via SPAC in 2021, raising $175M in gross proceeds (per SEC filings, 2021). As of 2024, atai had not received approval for any marketed drug. Brand serves as CEO; Dr. Srinivas Rao leads clinical development. The firm maintains a non-profit-oriented access model through its VITAL program, which aims to ensure affordability if drugs are approved (per the firm's public statements, 2023). atai's structural differentiator is its hybrid model combining non-profit patient-access commitments with a for-profit public-company structure — a governance choice that pressures traditional pharma timelines but aligns with impact-focused investor mandates. The firm's holding-company approach allows it to spread trial risk across multiple compounds without betting the enterprise on a single molecule.

## Sectors

- Healthcare Services
- Digital Health

## People

- Florian Brand — CEO
- Christian Angermayer — Chairman of the Board
- Dr. Srinivas Rao — Chief Medical Officer

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at atai Life Sciences?

CEO Florian Brand leads the company, with strategic direction from Chairman Christian Angermayer. Clinical investment decisions are overseen by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Srinivas Rao. The board includes scientific advisors from the psychedelic research community.

### How does atai source and fund its subsidiaries?

atai identifies academic research or early-stage compounds targeting mental-health disorders, then forms or acquires companies around each asset. It provides initial funding, scientific support, and clinical trial management. Notable subsidiaries include Compass Pathways (psilocybin) and Small Pharma (DMT), per public filings.

### What investment stages does atai typically target?

atai focuses on preclinical to Phase 2 clinical-stage compounds. Its model is designed to advance multiple assets through early clinical proof-of-concept before seeking partnerships or later-stage funding from larger pharmaceutical companies.

### Does atai have a non-profit or impact mandate?

Yes. atai established the VITAL program, which commits that any approved therapy developed by the firm will be made available at affordable, not-for-profit pricing. This is a legally binding commitment for certain assets, per the firm's public statements.

### Which sectors does atai explicitly avoid?

atai does not invest in non-psychiatric pharmaceutical indications, medical devices, diagnostics, or platform technologies outside mental health. Its stated focus is exclusively on psychedelic-assisted therapies for psychiatric disorders.

## Related profiles

- [The Vaan Group](https://altss.com/profile/the-vaan-group)
- [Streamland Media](https://altss.com/profile/streamland-media)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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