Leafy Tunnel

What Leafy Tunnel does

Leafy Tunnel is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom, founded in 2022 by Nikolay Tretiyakov (Co-Founding Partner, previously founder of Blue Wire Capital in 2013) and Dennis Tran (Principal, previously at EY and US cannabis operator Holistic Industries). The firm invests exclusively in European medical cannabis and global medical psychedelics, targeting early-to-growth stage companies developing alternative-medicine therapies for mental health and pain disorders. Its stated thesis addresses the unmet medical need created by ineffectiveness and side effects of existing standard-of-care treatments for conditions such as pain disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.

The firm's product is capital and strategic partnership to portfolio companies. It does not develop proprietary technology, sell software, or operate product lines; revenue is generated through conventional venture capital mechanics (management fees on committed capital and carried interest on investment returns), although no fund size, AUM, or realized returns are disclosed in the source material. The firm operates a direct-investment go-to-market model, sourcing deals through founder networks, direct outreach, and a stated emphasis on rigorous analysis and ethical investment practices. Marketing presence is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, a LinkedIn profile for the lead partner, and a Spotify playlist under the user handle 'forsunki'.

The portfolio spans approximately 13 companies across the alternative-medicine value chain. Core-tier holdings include ATAI Life Sciences (psychedelic and non-psychedelic compounds for mental health), Beckley Psytech (psychedelic medicine), Lykos (formerly MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD), Tetra Pharm (cannabis-based pharmaceuticals), and Iuvo Therapeutics. Minor-tier holdings include Prohibition Partners (cannabis market intelligence), Tactogen (psilocybin therapeutics), CereType, Maya Health, Hoodie, Cantourage, Amandala Neuro, and 2 Biosciences. The firm has no disclosed subsidiaries, no public listing, no parent company, and no identified external institutional ownership.

Name

Leafy Tunnel

Legal name

Leafy Tunnel Ltd.

Website

https://leafytunnel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leafy Tunnel is a London-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022, investing exclusively in European medical cannabis and global medical psychedelics companies developing therapies for mental health and pain disorders. It provides capital and strategic partnership to a concentrated portfolio spanning the alternative-medicine value chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Healthcare Investment

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRANAFAB

Medical Cannabis Dispensaries

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/Cannabis Dispensaries (Adult-Use & Medical)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Medical cannabis investment
• Psychedelic therapeutics
• Alternative medicine investment
• Early-stage biotech funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: Generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies operating in the medicinal cannabis and psychedelics sectors. Revenue realized through exits, IPOs, or secondary sales of portfolio company equity. Typical VC model with management fees on committed capital and carried interest on investment returns.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Leafy Tunnel is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests equity capital into European medical cannabis and global medical psychedelics companies. The firm partners with companies developing alternative medicine treatments for mental health and pain disorders, providing capital, strategic guidance, and access to its network of entrepreneurs and startups across the alternative medicine value chain.

Product overview

Leafy Tunnel is a Venture Capital firm rather than a product company. It operates as a single unified investment offering focused on alternative medicine, specifically medicinal cannabis and psychedelics. The firm provides venture capital investment to early-stage companies in this sector through direct investments, rather than offering software products or technology services. The company maintains a portfolio of investments in companies developing cannabis and psychedelic-based therapies, but does not offer distinct branded products, platforms, or modules under its own name.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Neo Kuma Ventures: Venture firm focused on psychedelic-assisted therapies and mental-health innovation. Directly comparable to Leafy Tunnel's psychedelic medicine thesis and early-stage check size.
• Merida Capital Partners: Cannabis-focused private equity and venture firm investing across the value chain (cultivation, brands, pharma, and infrastructure). Closely matches Leafy Tunnel's whole-chain investment orientation but with materially larger AUM.
• Phyto Partners: Early-stage venture fund dedicated exclusively to the cannabis industry, investing across cultivation, retail, and ancillary services. Closely comparable by specialization to Leafy Tunnel, albeit with US-centric deployment.
• Empath Ventures: Early-stage venture capital firm investing in psychedelic medicine and mental-health startups. Directly comparable by fund size, stage, and exclusive sector focus.
• Casa Verde Capital: Cannabis-focused venture capital firm backing ancillary, tech, and plant-touching businesses across the cannabis value chain. Most analogous in mandate narrowness and sector conviction to Leafy Tunnel, though broader sector remit.
• Altitude Ventures: Cannabis-focused venture firm targeting ancillary software, tech, and consumer brands supporting the cannabis industry. Comparable small-stage specialist mandate with strong domain emphasis.
• Ravenwood Capital Group: Private investment firm specializing in the cannabis and psychedelics sectors, providing capital across debt and equity. Comparable vertical concentration and early-stage orientation.

Others

• Prohibition Partners: Cannabis and psychedelics market intelligence, consultancy, and events platform. An ecosystem participant rather than a capital peer, but directly comparable because Leafy Tunnel is also an existing portfolio investor.

Emerging players

• JW Asset Management: Cannabis-focused asset manager with venture and private credit capabilities. Comparable as a smaller, sector-dedicated alternative asset manager, though with broader capital-structure tools.

Broad incumbents

• Canopy Rivers (now GEM Group): Former venture arm of Canopy Growth, investing across global cannabis cultivation, brands, and pharma. Larger incumbent with broader geographic reach but overlapping value-chain coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/leafytunnel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leafy Tunnel