Cosmo is a drug development entrepreneur dedicated to unlocking the medical potential of psychoactive substances in order to help patients in need. Cosmo has worked closely with the Beckley Foundation for over 10 years and, in 2016, he co-founded Beckley Research & Innovations to develop ethical business models focused on scientific research into medical cannabis and psychedelics. Cosmo subsequently served as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Beckley Canopy Therapeutics, a cannabis-based drug development company, and Spectrum Biomedical UK, a medical cannabis distribution company. In 2019, both of these companies were acquired by Canopy Growth Corporation, the world’s largest medical cannabis company.

Marc Wayne is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in starting and operating new ventures. In 2012 Marc co-founded Bedrocan Canada Inc (Bedrocan), one of the first federally licensed producers of medical cannabis in Canada and took the company public in 2014. In 2015, Marc successfully merged Bedrocan with Tweed Marijuana Inc. a key transaction that lead to the formation of Canopy Growth Corporation, now the largest cannabis company globally, where Marc served as Managing Director until December 2016. Subsequently, Marc became Founding President and CEO of Canopy Health Innovations, and Canopy Animal Health, and served as Co-Managing Director of Beckley Canopy Therapeutics – three innovative cannabis research organizations that achieved successful exits. Considered a pioneer in the medical cannabis space, Marc was also instrumental in developing the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids. (CCIC). Since its inception in 2007, the CCIC continues to be a global innovator in education and research on medical uses of cannabis.

Experienced CFO with a demonstrated history of working in public markets and private equity. Skilled in Fundraising, IPOs, Turnarounds, Business Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions and with a sector focus on eCommerce, Technology and Biomedical. Strong entrepreneurial background and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

With nearly two decades of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry, Adam previously served as Chief Financial Officer for five years at GW Pharmaceuticals, the UK-based drug development company focused on using cannabinoid therapeutics for treating a range of diseases. During this time he oversaw the company’s initial public offering on Nasdaq, and was involved in subsequent fundraisings totalling over $1.4 billion. Adam went on to serve as UK Managing Director from 2017 until December 2020, where he held joint responsibility for leading GW Pharmaceuticals’ Research and Development programmes. Since 2018 he has also served as Audit Committee Chairman for clinical-stage biopharma NuCana Plc, in addition to multiple senior financial roles across both public and private companies during his 30-year career. Adam is a chartered accountant and holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Bristol.

Christian started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London. Following a start-up journey as a co-founder, he entered the venture space and has been supporting entrepreneurs since 2013. Beside his commercial career, Christian has spent a considerable time in the philanthropic sector - supporting a range of social and environmental initiatives and currently serves as a board member of the Af Jochnick Foundation. His main personal focus is in the fields transformative therapies for mental health and regenerative agricultural ecosystems. Christian received an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE), and participated as a Visiting Research Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Legatum Center.

Rob Hershberg, M.D., Ph.D., is Co-Founder President, Chief Executive Officer and chairman of the board of directors of HilleVax. Rob is also a Venture Partner with Frazier Healthcare Partners and has been working with Frazier and its portfolio companies as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Senior Advisor, and executive for 14 years. He was formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, a Frazier-founded company developing a small molecule therapeutic to activate the immune system against solid tumors which he co-founded while an entrepreneur-in-residence at Frazier. Rob led the company through its transformational partnership with Celgene. He joined Celgene in 2014 to lead their efforts in Immuno-Oncology, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer in 2016 and was subsequently Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development & Global Alliances until the acquisition of Celgene by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2019. Prior to VentiRx, Rob served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Dendreon Corporation and led clinical development of Provenge, which was approved for metastatic prostate cancer. Before Dendreon, he was Vice President of Medical Genetics at Corixa, a Frazier portfolio company which was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. Earlier, Rob was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Rob completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles and received his Ph.D. at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Gerd Kochendoerfer is the Chief Operating Officer at atai Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. He has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles across the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors and a strong track record in drug development, corporate development, and team leadership. Prior to atai, Gerd was COO at NFlection Therapeutics and Senior VP of Operations at PellePharm, a BridgeBio company. He also held leadership positions at Depomed, FibroGen, and Gryphon Therapeutics. Gerd holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, is an inventor on multiple patents and has published more than 25 papers in peer-reviewed literature.

Srinivas Rao is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at atai Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Rao has over 20 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Prior to co-founding atai, Dr. Rao held the titles of Chief Scientific, Medical, or Executive Officer at companies ranging from venture-backed start-ups to vertically integrated, publicly traded pharmaceutical companies. He received his Ph.D. in neurobiology from Yale Graduate School and his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Yale College and Yale Graduate School, respectively.

Sahil Kirpekar is the Chief Business Officer at atai Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Kirpekar joined atai in 2022 after over 15 years of life sciences business experience, including more than eight years at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., most recently as the Global Head of Business Development. Over the years, Dr. Kirpekar has closed transactions with a total value of more than USD 2.7 billion, launched two drugs and built multiple drug-development focused organisations. He is a trained physician and holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where he is subsequently an honorary lecturer.

Amanda is the Founder and Executive Director of the Beckley Foundation, and is widely recognised as one of the driving forces behind the current psychedelic research renaissance. By establishing key research collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Imperial College London, UCL, Johns Hopkins, and Maastricht University, Amanda has propelled the field forward over the last 20 years. In the process, she has contributed to seminal pre-clinical and clinical research into the mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic benefits of psychoactive substances. Featured on the Guardian’s list of the Bravest Men and Women in the History of Science, Amanda has personally co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications on psychoactive substances, many with ground-breaking results, such as the world’s first LSD brain imaging study and the first clinical trial into psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment resistant depression.