Florian Brand helped start ATAI Life Sciences with one vision in mind: to effectively treat mental-health disorders by turning psychedelics into medicines. The way to do that? By bringing psychedelics through clinical trials and getting approval from regulatory agencies. Prominent backers like Mike Novogratz, Peter Thiel, Thor Bjorgolfsson, and Steve Jurvetson have come on board with this vision, investing over $100 million in ATAI. More recently, traditional biotech and pharmaceutical investors have shown interest as well. ATAI plans to raise a fresh round of funding, Brand said.