The Billionaire Betting on Psychedelics to Upgrade Humanity

Christian Angermayer appears on my Zoom screen, wearing a white collared sweater and looking freshly shaven and relaxed. Behind him is a 1st-century B.C.E mosaic featuring Ganymede, the young prince who was so beautiful that Zeus abducted him and granted him everlasting life. 

“I want to go back to the classic era when the gift of immortality was something very positive,” Angermayer says of the artwork, before explaining that he believes it was medieval Christians who turned the world against the concept so they could sell more indulgences. The statement may be an incomplete reading of Greek mythology. (One recalls Tithonus, who was granted eternal life without eternal youth.) But it is an excellent vibe setter for my conversation, which lasts the better part of two hours, with the 47-year-old German billionaire investor and entrepreneur obsessed with human potential.

Angermayer founded and runs Apeiron Investments, his multi-billion-dollar fund and family office, which has financial stakes in various sectors, spanning cryptocurrency, neurotechnology, and biotech. Its tagline, “Next Human Agenda,” underscores his belief that we are entering a “golden age of human enhancement,” where technology will enable individuals to modify and optimize themselves as they see fit. Angermayer also co-founded Centenara Labs and Cambrian Biopharma — two companies focused on expanding the human life span — as well as the Enhanced Games, a planned 2026 Olympic-style event that has sparked controversy for its proposed policy to allow competitors to use performance-enhancing drugs.

Psychedelics are central to Angermayer’s vision. And, in this world, he’s best known as the co-founder and chairman of atai Life Sciences, a biotech company with multiple patented psychedelic compounds in clinical trials. Just days before we speak at the end of February, he announced a $22.75 million reinvestment in the company (out of a total $63.25 million raise), bumping his personal stake to 22.3%. The move, he hopes, will help to position atai as the industry leader, or as he previously put it, “the psychedelic mothership.”

While atai focuses on addressing mental health conditions like depression, addiction, and anxiety, Angermayer sees psychedelics as more than just medicine. He believes they have the potential to enhance cognition, resilience, and overall human performance. So what does that future look like? And as biotech pushes the limits of human potential, where does treatment end and transformation begin?

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