Field Trip Psychedelics Inc. (“Field Trip” or the “Company“), the world’s first mental wellness company focused exclusively on psychedelics and psychedelic-enhanced psychotherapy, is pleased to announce the closing of its oversubscribed Series A financing round. The financing, which was completed through a private placement, raised $8.5M USD for the Company.
Joseph is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Grassfed Ventures. He was the founder and CEO of CanvasRX which grew to be the largest cannabis clinic in Canada. After selling the company to Aurora Cannabis he joined their board of directors and, along with his partners led Aurora’s merger & acquisition and corporate development efforts resulting in over a dozen transactions. Prior to that Joseph co-founded Newten Home Comfort, a fast growing home services company acquired by Just Energy Inc. (JE.TO) in 2012. Prior to starting and growing Canadian Cannabis Clinics and CanvasRx, Joseph co-founded Newten Home Comfort, a fast growing home services company acquired by Just Energy Inc. (JE.TO) in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Finance and Entrepreneurship) from McGill University.
Joseph is a serial entrepreneur and a founder of Field Trip. He, along with Ronan, Hannan and Ryan, was a founder of CanvasRx and Canadian Cannabis Clinics, where he served as CEO. After CanvasRx Inc. was acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) in 2016, he joined Aurora’s board of directors and, along with his partners, led Aurora’s mergers/acquisitions and corporate development efforts. Following his time at Aurora, Joseph became CEO of Trait Biosciences Inc., a leading cannabis biotechnology company. Prior to working in cannabis Joseph co-founded Newten Home Comfort, a fast growing home services company which was acquired by Just Energy Inc. (JE.TO) in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Finance and Entrepreneurship) from McGill University.
An entrepreneur and a visionary, Ronan is one the founders of Field Trip. Concurrent with his work at Field Trip, he is a partner at Grassfed Ventures, a venture capital and advisory firm focused on the cannabis and biotech industries and is Chief Strategy Officer and Member of the Board of Directors for Trait Biosciences Inc., a leading biotech company in the hemp and cannabis industries. Prior to his current roles, Ronan (along with Joseph, Hannan and Ryan) co-founded Canadian Cannabis Clinics and CanvasRx Inc., the latter of which was acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) in 2016, after which he served as Senior Vice President, Business and Corporate Affairs for Aurora. A lawyer by training, Ronan started his career as a corporate lawyer at Blake, Cassels Graydon LLP and Legal Counsel at CTVglobemedia Inc. (now Bell Media Inc.) He holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, both from the University of Toronto.
Hannan is a founder of FieldTrip Ventures, Grassfed Ventures, CanvasRx, and Canadian Cannabis Clinics. He also served as President of Trait Biosciences, VP Operations at Just Energy and Sr. Business Manager of Teva Pharmaceuticals where he managed the Hospital, Animal and OTC markets. Hannan holds an MBA from McMaster University and a Medical Toxicology B.Sc. from the University of Guelph.
Chief Clinical Officer
Dr. Yermus graduated medical school from the University of Ottawa and completed his residency at the University of Toronto in 2009. Prior to Field Trip Ventures, Dr. Yermus founded the first fully compliant medical cannabis clinic in Canada. His current practice takes on the opioid epidemic as he works with patients to overcome this addiction. In addition, he actively invests in and advises promising new start-up companies.
Mujeeb is an experienced management professional and founder of Field Trip Ventures. Most recently, Mujeeb served as Vice President of Sales Strategy and Operations at Just Energy Inc. (JE.TO) and President of its Solar Energy division. He has held senior leadership roles in areas of corporate finance, operations, strategy and business development at Just Energy and SunEdison Inc. He serves as an adviser to Aptitude360, an innovative customer acquisition and communication startup based out of Toronto. Mujeeb received his bachelor’s in Information Technology Management from York University and a Global Professional Master of Laws from Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Waisglass has been working in the Canadian medical cannabis industry, influencing physicians, researchers, and regulatory authorities, both domestically and abroad. In 2014 he became the seminal physician and medical director of Canadian Cannabis Clinics. Soon after Aurora Cannabis acquired CCC in 2016 he became their medical director. Prior to his service in the cannabis space he was a family doctor for almost 40 years.
Dr. Sidney H. Kennedy is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, the Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide and Depression Studies, and a Scientist at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Canada. Dr. Kennedy is the lead investigator for a large depression biomarker initiative. He has published extensively on new drug evaluation, neuroimaging and neurostimulation therapies, personality factors in depression, antidepressant effects on sexual function and treatment guidelines for Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.
Dr. Kennedy is the Immediate Past President of the International Society for Affective Disorders, former President of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the founding chair of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT).
He has published more than 350 peer reviewed publications and 11 books on depression and related topics.
Dr. Hanlon is the founding Program Director for the University of Toronto Pain Medicine Residency. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia and practices Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital where he is Medical Director of the Chronic Pain Clinic.
He is the past-Chair of the Chronic Pain Section of the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society (CAS) and has a longstanding interest in pain education, neuropathic pain and the use of cannabinoids and ketamine in pain medicine.
Dr. Robert McMaster is a Forensic Psychiatrist with a diverse practice. He works at CAMH with patients who have severe and persistent mental health diagnoses. He is also the primary consulting psychiatrist to the Ontario Court of Justice on Finch Avenue, is actively involved in outreach psychiatry, and works within the field of addiction medicine. He completed his subspecialty training at the University of Toronto and is now a faculty member.
Sanjay Singhal is a Canadian Partner for 500 Startups Canada and the founder of Audiobooks.com. President of the Aquanta Group, A long-term inventor, entrepreneur, VC and angel investor. Sanjay assists startups and entrepreneurs achieve success by investing in them and using his own experiences to reduce risk and commonly made mistakes. Sanjay has an Undergraduate and Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and the University of British Columbia as well as an MBA from Cornell University.
Barry has 20 years of experience as a senior business leader, most recently as CEO of European-focused specialty pharmaceutical company Merus Labs. Barry is also serving as CEO of Vivo Cannabis. Previously he served as CEO of Teva Canada and Taro Canada.
Amber is a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist that brings over 10 years of healthcare experience to Field Trip. Drawing upon her graduate work in Integral Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, her facilitator training in Transformational Breathwork, and her personal exploration of plant medicines, Amber specializes in empowering individuals and groups in preparing for, navigating and integrating psychedelic experiences.
Brandon brings to Field Trip both multidisciplinary and international experience. Most recently, he worked at Novo Nordisk’s headquarters in Copenhagen, where he drove the global private market access strategy for the obesity portfolio and established a pioneering digital health partnership. Previously, Brandon worked at Datamonitor Healthcare, at Icahn School of Medicine’s nanomedicine laboratory, and at the New York City Department of Health. Both as a business professional and a soccer player, he has lived and worked in Canada, the US, the UK, Denmark and Brazil. Brandon holds an MSc in Public Policy & Global Health from Durham University, and a BSc in Biology from Quinnipiac University, where he played NCAA Division 1 soccer.
Melissa is a Biological Sciences alumna of Capital University. Her education and scientific curiosity enabled her to become an executive-level scientist with strong microbiology and analytical chemistry skills gained from positions held with the US Department of Homeland Security, Nestlé Quality Assurance Center, Silliker Mérieux, and the Ohio Department of Health. She is recognized as a scientific leader in the California cannabis industry for expertise in designing and operating Bureau of Cannabis Control regulated compliance laboratories while acting as a pioneer adviser for the AOAC International: Cannabis Analytical Science Program. Melissa is deeply passionate about using her quality-driven data to destigmatize the use of psychedelics while sharing her personal story of healing to help normalize mental health discussion.
Marshall is a scientist with a deep interest in psychoactive molecules. He spent his academic career at Cornell and Harvard, exploring the intersection of chemistry and biology in an attempt to unravel the molecular basis of neuropsychiatric disorders. He subsequently worked as a leading scientist at PLUS, one of the largest cannabis edibles manufacturers in California. His passion lies in guiding research to arrive at a deeper understanding of consciousness with the ultimate goal of enhancing wellbeing.
Amardeep is a seasoned business technology and operations executive with 15 years of experience across a variety of industries. Prior to joining Field Trip, he was VP Operations at Crius Energy, overseeing the buildout of a proprietary multi-party software platform and the back-office support organization for Crius’s solar division. Prior to Crius, he oversaw technology and operations at the cleantech startup LightWing, Inc, which was fully acquired by SunEdison in 2015. He also held several senior roles at the energy retailer Just Energy prior to 2014, where he oversaw both large business and technology organizations. Amardeep holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University.
Tyler is a dynamic CPA, CA comfortable working across all functions of an organization in high-growth environments. Most recently, Tyler was Finance employee #1 at HelloFresh Canada, where starting from a 100% outsourced model, he grew the Finance and Accounting function to a team of 8 over 30 months. While at HelloFresh he also led the due diligence, financial analysis, and business planning relating to the acquisition of Chefs Plate. Tyler started his career in KPMG’s audit practice after obtaining an Honours BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Matt brings a seasoned business and finance perspective to operations and business development at Field Trip. He is also a co-founder of the Psykia Institute, which works to advance frameworks around integrative holotropic therapies. Prior to joining Field Trip, Matt was a VP at H Plus Capital and HNA Capital International, where he executed principal investments and helped establish HNA’s Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation. He spent time as an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank, and at Ceniarth, a London-based social impact investment fund. Matt received his bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics from UCLA and completed the Executive Education Program at Columbia Business School. Matt’s personal exploration of plant medicines and consciousness sparked a passion to help share these healing modalities with others in safe and empowering settings.
Andrew has over three years of experience in the medical cannabis industry, working for Canadian Cannabis Clinics and CanvasRx. During his time there, Andrew began as a Cannabis Educator assisting thousands of patients with meeting their therapeutic goals during the treatment program, and was later promoted to be the Regional Manager of Canadian Cannabis Clinics’ largest region, overseeing 41 staff members and 9 clinics. Andrew was also instrumental in the launch of the Canadian Cannabis Clinics’ telehealth platform, which serviced over 12,000 patients in their first year.
Kori brings a deep entrepreneurial expertise and network from over 5 yrs of working with early-stage health startups in Silicon Valley as a strategic advisor, product lead, and investor. With a background in bioengineering and a personal dedication to health and wellness, she combines passion with execution to help make Field Trip the leader in psychedelics for mental health.
Dr. Bryson joins Field Trip after serving as Chief Scientific Officer at Cynapsus Therapeutics and at Acerus Pharmaceuticals. He brings more than 25 years of experience in various aspects of pharmaceutical development from early-stage drug delivery design and development through to regulatory affairs for market approval and medical affairs support for sales. Dr. Bryson holds a BSc in Chemistry from Auburn University and a PhD in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”). He performed post-doctoral research under two well-esteemed chemists, the late Dr. John Osborn at the University Louis Pasteur (Strasbourg, France) and Dr. Dietmar Seyferth at MIT.
Mr. Weinand is the former President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, AG and has 30 years of experience in senior executive roles with a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi, Otzuka and Pfizer. He has a demonstrated ability to recognize opportunity, create a vision and strategy, and mobilize organizations behind successful execution. Mr. Weinand has launched and marketed some of the industry’s most successful products, including Lipitor, Neurontin, Abilify, and Cipro.
Ms. Boudreau joins the Company’s Board of Directors after most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. Prior to that role, Ms. Boudreau served as CFO for biotech companies Proteostasis Therapeutics and FORMA Therapeutics. Previously, Ms. Boudreau spent 16 years at Novartis and Pfizer, serving in strategy and senior finance roles, including Global CFO, Oncology business unit, CFO US Corporate, VP Investor Relations, VP Finance, Customer Business Unit and Commercial Operations, and VP Finance Global R&D. She has contributed to successful product launches, driven sales growth and increased profitability, integrated mergers & acquisitions, and provided leadership across Finance, IT, HR, Strategic Sourcing, Facilities, and Innovation, Quality and Process improvement.