“Psychedelics increase the neuroplasticity in your brain that we can measure. I could look at your brain before and after psychedelics. Before, it looks like an internet map of Africa — some areas don’t have connectivity. Afterward, it looks like an internet map of Europe, with condensed connections everywhere.”
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Often called the godfather of NYC tech, Kevin Ryan is one of America’s most influential entrepreneurs and investors. He co-founded MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and Transcend Therapeutics, and continues to build and back new companies each year through AlleyCorp. Earlier in his career, he led DoubleClick from a 20-person startup to a global leader, taking it public before its acquisition by Google.
In this episode, Kevin shares his insights on two surprising pockets of the future that he’s betting on: psychedelics for mental health and AI-powered materials science. He unpacks how psychedelics are showing remarkable success in treating depression and PTSD, and why AI may discover revolutionary new materials, from helicopter blades to smartphone glass, that humans never imagined possible.
We explore:
The promising results of psychedelics in treating depression, PTSD, and addiction
How AI is accelerating materials discovery by exploring combinations humans wouldn’t try
The challenges of building successful incubators and why most attempts fail
How MongoDB lost $1 billion before turning a profit (and why it was worth it)
Why e-commerce businesses like Gilt Groupe often struggle against physical retail
How AlleyCorp plans for the future when shaping its investment strategy
What it really costs society to imprison someone for a year
The hard truth about Europe’s tech ecosystem and why it struggles to compete with the US
Explore the episode
Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(04:30) How Kevin collaborated with Scott Adams
(07:11) The origins of AlleyCorp
(08:33) The challenge of incubation
(10:00) Why intellectual flexibility matters
(10:54) What made MongoDB a breakout success
(13:49) How shifting market dynamics hurt Gilt’s business
(16:22) What Kevin would do differently if he built Gilt again
(17:45) Juggling AlleyCorp’s long-term vision with day-to-day demands
(20:26) How to make boards more productive
(22:25) Why Kevin believes investors should also found companies
(24:18) Future spaces Kevin is excited to invest in
(25:52) Kevin’s interest in psychedelics and founding Transcend
(28:20) Psychedelics for mental health
(32:03) How psychedelic therapy is being conducted
(34:11) Transcend’s work and the path to approval for methylone
(37:47) The challenges of psychedelic research
(40:28) How the Trump administration aims to accelerate psychedelic research
(41:50) The size and growth of the psychedelic market
(44:28) Materials science: What it is, its design tradeoffs, and how AI speeds discovery
(49:02) Radical AI’s work creating new compounds
(50:34) The industries Radical AI is targeting
(52:50) The state of European tech and why it still lags behind
(58:26) Final meditations
Follow Kevin Ryan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinryan3/
Resources and episode mentions
Books
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence: https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/1594204225
Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Breakneck-Chinas-Quest-Engineer-Future/dp/1324106034
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity: https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599
Birnam Wood: https://www.amazon.com/Birnam-Wood-Novel-Eleanor-Catton/dp/1250321719
The Odyssey: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/0393356256
Invisible Man: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-Ralph-Ellison/dp/0679732764
Abundance: https://www.amazon.com/Abundance-Progress-Takes-Ezra-Klein/dp/1668023482
The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future: https://www.amazon.com/Optimist-Altman-OpenAI-Invent-Future/dp/1324075961
The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-New-York-Idealists-Opportunists/dp/052551063X
People
Eliot Horowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliothorowitz
Dwight Merriman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmerr
Fred Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredwilson
Jamie Dimon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiedimon
Joseph F. Krause on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfkrause
Jorge Colindres on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcolindres
James Baldwin: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/introduction-james-baldwin
Other resources
Dilbert: https://dilbert.com
Peanuts: https://www.peanuts.com
DoubleClick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DoubleClick
MongoDB: https://www.mongodb.com
Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com
Zola: https://www.zola.com
Gilt Groupe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilt_Groupe
AlleyCorp: https://alleycorp.com
Oracle: https://www.oracle.com
SAP: https://www.sap.com
Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com
John Deere: https://www.deere.com
Tech:NYC: https://www.technyc.org
Stepful: https://www.stepful.com
Yale Program for Psychedelic Science: https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/research/clinics-and-programs/psychedelic/
Transcend: https://transcendtherapeutics.com/
A Multi-Site Phase 3 Study of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD (MAPP1): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03537014
Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28402682/
Methylone: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/methylone
Radical AI: https://www.radical-ai.com
Uala: https://www.uala.com.ar
Noma: https://noma.dk
Revolut: https://www.revolut.com
Monzo: https://monzo.com
Here’s What Happens When You Give People Free Money: https://www.wired.com/story/sam-altmans-big-basic-income-study-is-finally-out
Altered States and Social Bonds: Effects of MDMA and Serotonergic Psychedelics on Social Behavior as a Mechanism Underlying Substance-Assisted Therapy: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11378972/
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