Brom Rector — Investing in Psychedelics (EP.138)

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:

• Empath Ventures
  
• Brom’s LinkedIn
  
• Brom’s Twitter
  
• The Brom Podcast
  
• Episode summary from Podcasts Recapped

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