The Landscape of Consciousness Startups Altered states of consciousness can be a transformative way to improve mental health, physical healing, creative breakthroughs, and spiritual connectedness. I believe we're at an inflection point where technologies that help induce altered states are going mainstream. @britton and I teamed up to to create a primer that outlines the venture backed startup ecosystem at the intersection of technology and the expansion of consciousness (link to full post at the bottom). Here’s a summary of the 7 categories of consciousness startups that are gaining traction and can achieve venture scale: psychedelics, breathwork, meditation, dreams, prayer, light and sound. PSYCHEDELICS - 100s of companies, $2b invested - ketamine available today, mdma-assisted therapy for ptsd by @MAPS could be approved by 2024, psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression by @COMPASSPathway could be approved by 2025 - VC-backable biz models include drug development and infrastructure -investors include @generalcatalyst, @usv, @foundersfund - 🔥take: the most successful companies may be non-psychedelic (e.g. @delix_tx ) MEDITATION - @calm and @headspace have millions of paid users and reportedly valued at $1b+ - next wave of companies developing hardware devices to make meditative states more profound…i.e. jhourney.io is developing a closed loop neurofeedback device to guide users into jhana states - investors include @lightspeedvp and @felicis - 🔥take: muse was founded in 2007 and still hasn’t taken off…will this time be different? BREATHWORK - startups like @othership_us and @Op_e__n offer in-person and virtual breathwork experiences - enhanced mood w/ breathwork is science-backed (even 5 min sessions). meanwhile many report leaving their body, accessing unconscious memories, or just experiencing a still mind - investors include @foundersfund, @bessemerVP, @susaventures - 🔥 take: breathwork pairs well with many other practices. is it a product or a feature? DREAMS - prophetic.ai created a headband called The Halo – it intends to make it easier to induce and stabilize lucid dreams - AI could be used to interpret dreams - 🔥 take: everyone dreams (huge market) but is lucid dreaming a big enough segment? PRAYER - @HallowApp and @pray are Christian prayer apps that have attracted huge followings as well as celebrity investors. - hallow raised $105m, pray raised $34m - investors include @homebrew , @SusaVentures , @generalcatalyst, @GreylockVC, @foundersfund, @kleinerperkins, Mark Wahlberg, and Diplo - 🔥 take: will there be prayer apps for other faiths? SOUND - rhythmic drumming and chanting over long periods of time can help people access more expansive states of consciousness - @EndelSound, @brainfmapp, and @NuCalm have created sophisticated and personalized soundscapes that entrain your brain and nervous system into more relaxed & focused states of being - vibroaccoustic beds are in: Opus launched a $2,499 soundbed this year which uses vibration and a companion soundscape application to port people into deep inner experiences. TuneBed’s $8,999 bed (and $39 monthly subscription) is designed to relax the nervous system in fifteen minutes - investors include @trueventures and @Techstars - 🔥 take: opus and tunebed don’t require behavioral change since they are furniture = positive sign LIGHT & VISUALS - @NeuroVizr and Lucia N*03 are devices that use light to stimulate the optic nerve and central brain to help users access deep states. @LumenateGrowth is an iPhone app that flashes the flashlight on closed eyes, resulting in kaleidoscopic shapes and subconscious exploration. - other startups like Reality Center offer in-person experiences - VR apps like @TRIPPVR and Psyreal have huge potential to create or assist in altered state experiences. - investors include: @MayfieldFund and @VineVentures - 🔥 take: the winner in this space will target multiple senses beyond just light (e.g. sound, vibrations) To read our full analysis and what's next, click below ⬇️