Tactogen
Tactogen is a Palo Alto-based public benefit corporation founded in 2020 that develops novel small-molecule entactogen medicines — including benzofuran-based MDMA derivatives, benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines — targeting PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders. It is a pre-revenue, 1–10 employee biotech using machine learning-driven discovery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tactogen does
Tactogen Inc is a Palo Alto-based public benefit corporation founded in 2020 that develops novel small-molecule entactogen medicines for mental health conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders. The company's pipeline targets known limitations of MDMA — transient anxiety, sedation, impairment, hypertension, and diminished response on repeat dosing — by engineering new chemical entities across four scaffold families: benzofuran-based MDMA analogs (including non-racemic 5-MAPB, 6-MAPB, and novel alpha-ethyl and beta-keto derivatives), benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines. Its lead composition-of-matter IP is U.S. Patent 11767305, granted September 2023, which the company reports is the first U.S. patent for novel psychoactive MDMA derivatives.
The company's discovery workflow combines machine learning and targeted assays to prioritize candidate molecules, with preclinical validation conducted through research collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (serotonin release and reuptake studies) and Western Michigan University (drug discrimination studies). The company has filed over a dozen patent applications covering molecules, drug combinations, treatment methods, and pharmaceutical preparations. Tactogen maintains a public-benefit governance stance and has engaged in regulatory advocacy, including a successful 2022 coalition effort that led the DEA to withdraw a proposed ban on five tryptamines.
Tactogen is pre-revenue with no commercialized products, pricing, or distribution channels. The company has raised $6.3 million since 2020 from undisclosed investors and, in November 2022, launched a Community Stakeholder Initiative via Wefunder under SEC Regulation CF — a non-traditional funding channel enabling non-accredited public participation, led by MacArthur Fellow Dr. Victoria Hale. Management has stated an intent to raise over $200 million over the next decade to advance the first candidate to market. The company employs 1–10 people, is led by CEO Matthew Baggott, PhD (a leading MDMA neuropharmacologist) and COO Luke Pustejovsky, and focuses its commercial ambitions on the U.S. pharmaceutical market.
Tactogen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tactogen
- Legal name
- Tactogen Inc
- Website
- https://tactogen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tactogen is a Palo Alto-based public benefit corporation founded in 2020 that develops novel small-molecule entactogen medicines — including benzofuran-based MDMA derivatives, benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines — targeting PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders. It is a pre-revenue, 1–10 employee biotech using machine learning-driven discovery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tactogen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Psychedelic Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)
Keywords
Where Tactogen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tactogen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Pharmaceutical Product Revenue: Tactogen is an early-stage drug discovery company developing novel entactogen medicines. The company anticipates generating revenue through FDA-approved pharmaceutical products once clinical trials are completed. As a public benefit corporation, they plan to raise over $200 million over the next decade to bring their first product to market.
- Community Stakeholder Initiative (Equity Crowdfunding): The company launched a community stakeholder initiative via Wefunder, enabling the public to purchase equity stakes. This uses SEC Regulation CF allowing non-accredited individuals to invest as little as $100 into private companies. Funds are used to further study Tactogen's molecules for clinical trials.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Tactogen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tactogen is a public benefit biopharma company that discovers and develops novel small molecule entactogen medicines for mental health applications. Its core offering is a pipeline of proprietary chemical entities, including benzofuran-based MDMA derivatives, benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines, designed to treat PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders while minimizing the side effects associated with MDMA. The company uses machine learning and targeted assays to identify and advance drug candidates through preclinical research in collaboration with academic and government partners.
Product overview
Tactogen is a public benefit corporation developing a next generation of mental wellness medicines. The company operates as a pharmatech company that develops novel small molecule entactogens — pharmacological agents that increase self-compassion and acceptance — for mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stress-related disorders. The product portfolio includes novel MDMA derivatives (benzofurans), benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines. Tactogen uses machine learning and targeted assays to identify promising medicines and evaluates therapeutic potential through academic partnerships and contract research organizations. The company has filed over a dozen patent applications covering molecules, drug combinations, treatment methods, and pharmaceutical preparations as of mid-2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Novel MDMA Derivatives (Benzofuran Entactogens) Proprietary benzofuran-based MDMA analog compounds (non-racemic mixtures of 5-MAPB, 6-MAPB, and previously unexplored alpha-ethyl and beta-keto derivatives) designed to retain MDMA's therapeutic emotional effects while minimizing anxiety, sedation, impairment, and hypertension. The benzofuran structure replaces one oxygen of MDMA with carbon, increasing metabolic resistance and reducing potentially toxic metabolites, and is being developed for prescription mental wellness use in PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.
- Benzothiophene Entactogens Novel benzothiophene-based entactogen compounds developed as part of Tactogen's chemical library for mental health applications, covered by published PCT patent applications covering the compounds themselves, drug combinations, treatment methods, and pharmaceutical preparations.
- Tryptamine Compounds Novel tryptamine-based chemical entities, including derivatives beyond those covered by existing third-party patents, developed as part of Tactogen's entactogen drug discovery pipeline for mental wellness indications.
- Indolizine Compounds Novel indolizine-based chemical entities developed as part of Tactogen's entactogen drug discovery program for mental health applications, covered by published PCT patent applications covering the compounds, drug combinations, treatment methods, and pharmaceutical preparations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Novel MDMA derivatives minimize unwanted effects while retaining therapeutic benefits
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tactogen
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tactogen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
Tactogen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mindstate Design LabscorePennsylvania-based company developing psychedelic therapeutics for mental health conditions. Collaborated with Tactogen on formal opposition to DEA's proposed tryptamine ban. Represented together by Calyx Law and Yetter Coleman LLP.
- Calyx LawminorSan Francisco-based legal representation for Tactogen's regulatory and patent matters.
- Yetter Coleman LLPminorHouston-based legal counsel representing Tactogen in regulatory matters including opposition to DEA tryptamine ban proposal.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreConducts preclinical research on serotonin release and reuptake with Tactogen's molecules.
- Western Michigan UniversitycoreConducts preclinical drug discrimination studies with Tactogen's molecules.
- Hamilton MorrisminorRenowned pharmacologist who interviewed Tactogen CEO Matthew Baggott on his podcast. Contributed scientific evidence supporting coalition opposing DEA's tryptamine ban proposal.
- St. Joseph's University (Jason Wallach)minorAcademic partner who assembled compelling scientific evidence for coalition opposing DEA's tryptamine ban.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tactogen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Compass Pathways: Compass Pathways is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, currently in late-stage clinical trials. Comparable as a well-capitalized psychedelic therapeutics company pursuing FDA-regulated psychedelic medicines for mental health, with similar go-to-market challenges around Schedule I compounds.
- GH Research: GH Research is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel serotonergic therapies (including 5-MeO-DMT) for psychiatric and neurological disorders. Comparable as a small-molecule psychedelic therapeutics developer with a focused pipeline targeting treatment-resistant depression.
- MAPS PBC: MAPS PBC (the public benefit corporation affiliated with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) is developing MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, currently in Phase 3 trials. Most directly comparable to Tactogen as both target MDMA-derived medicines for mental health conditions, though MAPS PBC is significantly more clinically advanced.
- Journey Colab: Journey Colab is developing psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions including addiction. Comparable as a small psychedelic therapeutics developer with a mission-driven, community-focused approach similar to Tactogen's public benefit orientation - and explicitly co-paneled with Tactogen at MIT Future of Healthcare 2021.
- Cybin: Cybin Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing psychedelic-based therapeutics for mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. Comparable as a small-molecule psychedelic therapeutics developer with multiple programs in clinical development.
- Usona Institute: Usona Institute is a non-profit medical research organization conducting psilocybin clinical trials for major depressive disorder. Comparable as a psychedelic therapeutics developer focused on mental health applications, with a public-benefit-aligned structure similar to Tactogen's PBC status.
- Eleusis: Eleusis is a clinical-stage company exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health and inflammatory conditions. Comparable as a small-molecule psychedelic therapeutics developer operating in adjacent therapeutic areas with similar discovery-stage profile.
- MindMed: Mind Medicine (MindMed) is a clinical-stage psychedelic medicine biotech developing novel psychedelic-derived treatments (including LSD analog and MDMA-inspired programs) for mental health. Comparable as a small-molecule psychedelic therapeutics developer with multiple programs in clinical development.
- Atai Life Sciences: Atai Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing psychedelic and non-psychedelic compounds for mental health conditions. Comparable as a platform-approach psychedelic therapeutics developer with multiple programs and a significantly larger capital base.
- Mindstate Design Labs: Mindstate Design Labs is a Pennsylvania-based company developing psychedelic therapeutics for mental health conditions. Direct peer and explicit partner of Tactogen on regulatory matters, including the joint opposition to DEA's proposed tryptamine ban - indicating a closely aligned mission and operational profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tactogen social profiles
Digital presenceTactogen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tactogen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tactogen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tactogen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tactogen
What does Tactogen do?
Tactogen is a public benefit biopharma company that discovers and develops novel small molecule entactogen medicines for mental health applications. Its core offering is a pipeline of proprietary chemical entities, including benzofuran-based MDMA derivatives, benzothiophenes, tryptamines, and indolizines, designed to treat PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders while minimizing the side effects associated with MDMA. The company uses machine learning and targeted assays to identify and advance drug candidates through preclinical research in collaboration with academic and government partners.
Is Tactogen a public or private company?
Tactogen is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Tactogen founded?
Tactogen was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tactogen based?
Tactogen is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tactogen make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Pharmaceutical Product Revenue is the primary driver. The others are community Stakeholder Initiative (Equity Crowdfunding).
Who are Tactogen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Compass Pathways, GH Research, MAPS PBC, Journey Colab, Cybin, Usona Institute, Eleusis, MindMed, Atai Life Sciences and Mindstate Design Labs.
Does Tactogen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tactogen.
What industry is Tactogen in?
Tactogen's product category is Psychedelic Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAI, Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation). Its NAICS code is 32541 and its SIC code is 2834.