Beckley Psytech

Beckley Psytech is a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2019 to develop psychedelic compounds into pharmaceutical medicines for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The company was co-founded by Lady Amanda Feilding and her son, Cosmo Feilding Mellen, as a for-profit extension of the Beckley Foundation.

The company's creation stems from Feilding's lifelong dedication to psychedelic research. She established the non-profit Beckley Foundation in 1998 to scientifically investigate psychoactive substances, supporting landmark studies like the world's first LSD brain imaging study and the first clinical trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Her son and Beckley Psytech's CEO, Cosmo Feilding Mellen, previously co-founded and managed cannabis-focused drug development companies, bringing commercialization experience to the venture. This background provides Beckley Psytech with a strategic advantage, leveraging over two decades of the Foundation's research, regulatory navigation experience, and global network.

Beckley Psytech's business model focuses on the clinical development of novel, short-duration psychedelic compounds that can be administered in a brief clinic visit. Its pipeline includes patented, synthetic formulations designed to offer rapid and robust therapeutic effects for conditions with significant unmet needs, such as Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The company's lead candidates include BPL-003, a novel intranasal formulation of 5-MeO-DMT (mebufotenin), and ELE-101, which was added to the pipeline after the acquisition of Eleusis Therapeutics in 2022. The company's revenue generation will depend on the successful progression of these compounds through clinical trials and eventual pharmaceutical licensing and sales. The company has successfully raised significant capital to fund its research, securing $153 million over four funding rounds, including a $50 million Series B investment from atai Life Sciences in 2024, which resulted in atai holding a 35.5% ownership stake.

Keywords: psychedelic medicine, biotechnology, clinical trials, neuropsychiatric disorders, treatment-resistant depression, 5-MeO-DMT, drug development, mental health treatment, psilocybin, pharmaceutical research, neuroscience, Cosmo Feilding Mellen, Amanda Feilding, Beckley Foundation, venture capital, clinical-stage company, alcohol use disorder, BPL-003, intranasal delivery, psychoactive substances