Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – Germany-based biotech Atai Life Sciences, backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel, Mike Novogratz, Atai founder Christian Angermayer’s own family office and smaller investors such as Malmö-based money manager Mikael Petersson, went public last week on the NASDAQ. The psychedelics biotech start-up’s shares currently trade above $18 apiece, translating into a market capitalization of about $2.8 billion.
In September 2018, the biotech start-up completed a Series A financing round of $24.4 million to make psychedelic drugs to treat mental health disorders. Long/short equity fund Coeli Absolute European Equity, founded and managed by Mikael Petersson out of Malmö, invested close to $1 million in the Series A round alongside a select group of investors that also featured well-known entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel. After a Series B financing round of $43 million in March of last year, a $125 million Series C financing at the end of 2020 and a Series D fundraising of $157 million earlier this year, ATAI Life Sciences raised an additional $225 million through its initial public offering last week at the IPO price of $15.
“Committed to our public mission, now more than ever. atai Life Sciences is now a public company, listed on Nasdaq — a huge step for us, but we have so much work to do.”
“Committed to our public mission, now more than ever. atai Life Sciences is now a public company, listed on Nasdaq — a huge step for us, but we have so much work to do,” Atai Life Sciences writes on LinkedIn post. “Becoming a public company will help atai access the resources necessary to deliver on our goals, to deliver positive impact and improved treatment options for mental health disorders.”
“Becoming a public company will help atai access the resources necessary to deliver on our goals, to deliver positive impact and improved treatment options for mental health disorders.”
“The world we’re building is a bad place for our brain, so mental health issues will go up. But I do think we have some real shots in our portfolio to end the mental health crisis,” Atai’s founder and Chairman, Christian Angermayer, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday last week. Atai Life Sciences is the brainchild of Angermayer, who was joined by co-founder and current CEO Florian Brand to “enable people to live healthier and happier lives” by “bringing back formerly vilified drugs like psychedelics into the legal realm.”
“We are very proud and grateful of being an early investor in Atai Life Sciences AG. A company with the very important mission to end the mental health crisis in the world.”
“We are very proud and grateful of being an early investor in Atai Life Sciences AG. A company with the very important mission to end the mental health crisis in the world,” says Petersson, the founder and portfolio manager of Coeli Absolute European Equity. “From a dinner in Copenhagen to today’s form and shape in less than three years. Incredible!” he continues. “Big congratulations to Christian Angermayer and Florian Brand and the whole team for the success and we look forward to the coming years.”
Image courtesy of Nasdaq