ATAI Life Sciences announces close of $24 million convertible note financing round and welcomes Jason Camm of Thiel Capital to Board of Directors

ATAI Life Sciences ("ATAI" or the "Company"), a global biotechnology company builder founded by Christian Angermayer that envisions an end to mental illnesses, today announced the close of a $24 million convertible note financing round. Despite market turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the round saw strong support from both new and existing investors. 

Several globally renowned investors like Peter Thiel as well as Steve Jurvetson and Maryanna Saenko of Future Ventures join ATAI’s numerous other reputable backers like Michael Novogratz’ Galaxy Digital, Thor Bjorgolfsson, Efrem Kamen, and ATAI founder Christian Angermayer’s Apeiron Investment Group, all of whom also purchased additional notes in the round. 

“We are thrilled to have partners like Peter Thiel and Future Ventures with us for the next phase of our journey,” said Christian Angermayer, Founder of ATAI. “Both Peter and Steve have been prescient in identifying paradigm shifting enterprises and we’re honoured by their trust in ATAI’s vision.” 

ATAI is recognized as the world’s leading mental health biotech company, leveraging a decentralized, tech- and data-driven platform that combines an emphasis on psychedelic compounds with non-psychedelics and artificial intelligence. ATAI’s portfolio currently includes: psilocybin for treatment resistant depression; ibogaine for opioid use disorder; arketamine for treatment resistant depression; deuterated etifoxine for anxiety; and a company designing next-generation psychedelic medicines using computational biophysics. 

Additionally, Jason Camm, Managing Director and Chief Medical Officer at Thiel Capital, has joined ATAI’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Jason drives Thiel Capital’s global biotechnology investment portfolio. He also serves as a Member of the Board at the Thiel Foundation, where he leads a team focused on science and medical philanthropy. Most recently, Jason was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. 

“ATAI’s world class team and one-of-a-kind platform are driving much needed change in mental healthcare,” said Camm. “I’m excited to be joining them in bringing novel therapeutics to the millions who’ve been failed by currently available medicines.” 

Finally, ATAI CEO & co-founder Florian Brand stressed the need to think of those with mental health issues in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: “Given the immediate and long-term mental health impacts of coronavirus containment efforts, the urgency of the mental health crisis will only grow. 

We are more committed than ever to ensuring people around the world have access to safe and effective treatment alternatives.” 

Brand went on to thank Innoplexus, another ATAI portfolio company, for making its proprietary Ontosight® AI search platform freely available to medical researchers around the globe to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.