Funding the future of
psychedelic medicine.

Empath Ventures is a VC fund that invests in early-stage
psychedelics startups.

“The Psychedelic Revolution Is Coming.
Psychiatry May Never Be the Same”
The New York Times Logo

The mental health crisis is out of control

1B

People suffer from
mental health issues

$1T

Global economic cost
of poor mental health

200%

Increase in "deaths of despair"
over last 20 years

Psychedelics have the potential to transform mental healthcare, addiction treatment, and more
Learn more on our podcast:
Rebecca Nicholson - Investing in Psychedelic Retreats, Tripping with Amanda Feilding and the Importance of Female Representation in Psychedelics
Zach Haigney, Author of The Trip Report - Future Trends in the Psychedelics Industry
Sam Banister - The Art and Science of Designing Novel Psychedelic Compounds

Team

Brom Rector Headshot
Brom Rector
Founder and General Partner

Brom was raised in a military family, which gave him an extreme view into the challenges of mental health at a young age. Brom first experienced psychedelics nearly a decade ago.  Psychedelics helped him process traumas and stay emotionally healthy while pursuing a high-pressure hedge fund career, CFA Charter, and Master’s from Georgia Tech.

Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quantitative researcher - most recently as a Global Macro PM at Crabel Capital Management, a quant fund with $9B AUM. 

After leaving Crabel in 2020, Brom started a podcast that covers the psychedelics industry from an investing, scientific, and cultural impact perspective.  The research that went into this podcast and the connections it established laid the groundwork for what would become Empath Ventures.

Headshot Ayre Lipman
Arye Lipman
Scientific Advisor

Arye is a General Partner at MarsBio, a seed stage venture fund based in Los Angeles that invests in biotech and deeptech companies.

He holds a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UCLA and began his startup career as a founding member of ImaginAb, a UCLA spinout with several drug candidates in clinical trials.  

Arye leverages his deep experience operating and investing in drug development to support technical due diligence at Empath.  
Arye has a life-long interest in psychedelic pharmacology and is most interested in startups developing novel psychedelic molecules.

Headshot Danielle Stracham
Danielle Strachman
Venture Advisor

Danielle is a cofounder and General Partner of 1517 Fund, an early-stage vc that invests in hackers, makers and scientists working outside of universities and tracked institutions.  1517’s portfolio includes unicorns like Loom and Luminar.

Prior to 1517, Danielle was a founding team member and Program Director of The Thiel Fellowship. Danielle worked alongside Peter Thiel for nearly 5 years in this role, identifying and mentoring young founders. 10 years and 226 Fellows later, Thiel Fellowship companies are worth over $30 Billion, not including 2014 Thiel fellow Vitalik Buterin’s Ethereum.

Nancy Fechnay Headshot
Nancy Fechnay
Venture Advisor

Nancy is a Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, a Venture Partner at Gaingels and Republic, and founder of multiple companies, including a mental health nonprofit.

Nancy holds two masters degrees including an MBA from Duke, and brings a wealth of expertise as both a founder and investor to Empath.

Nancy is a mental health and psychedelic medicine advocate and has spoken at Psychedelic conferences such as Wonderland Miami.

Headshot Vaughn Blake
Vaughn Blake
Venture Advisor

Vaughn is a partner at Blue Bear Capital and investor in frontier technologies.