Onaya Science
Onaya Science is a UK-based not-for-profit research organization that studies ayahuasca and Amazonian plant medicines in partnership with Indigenous Shipibo-Konibo healers, generating peer-reviewed scientific evidence from research conducted in Peru for academic and clinical audiences worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Onaya Science does
Onaya Science is an independent, UK-domiciled not-for-profit research organization founded in 2016 by Dr. Simon Ruffell to study Amazonian plant medicines — primarily ayahuasca — and translate Indigenous Shipibo-Konibo healing knowledge into peer-reviewed scientific evidence. Its primary audiences are the global academic and clinical psychedelic research community, Indigenous healers and communities acting as co-researchers, and study participants experiencing mental health conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Research operations are concentrated at the Ayahuasca Foundation's Riosbo Research Center in the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve near Iquitos, Peru, while coordination occurs through a distributed team of approximately 25+ researchers, clinicians, and traditional healers based across the UK, Australia, Canada, the USA, and Peru.
The organization applies multi-disciplinary research methodologies — epigenetic analysis, neuroimaging, physiological measurement, and standardized psychological assessments — to study the acute and longitudinal effects of ceremonial ayahuasca. Its core research product is the Onaya Science Research Platform (onaya.science), which has produced 20+ peer-reviewed publications between 2019 and 2025 in outlets including Frontiers in Psychiatry, Psychopharmacology, Nature, and Oxford University Press, spanning topics such as mental health outcomes, personality modulation, ADHD, default mode network changes, nature relatedness, and psychedelic safety. A secondary offering, the Onaya Training Course (onaya.io), delivers education and mentorship on plant medicine and psychedelic-assisted therapies to broader practitioner and lay audiences.
The organization's business model is charitable rather than commercial: Onaya Science sells no products or services, does not publish pricing, and is funded primarily through donations and research grants — most notably a Medical Research Council (UK) award in 2021 for work on ceremonial ayahuasca and mental health outcomes. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on scientific publications, conference presentations, podcasts, earned media (Forbes, BBC, The Times, South China Morning Post), and on-site research retreats in Peru to build reputation and stakeholder engagement. No venture capital or institutional investment ownership is disclosed in the source material.
Onaya Science firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Onaya Science
- Legal name
- Onaya Science
- Website
- https://onaya.science
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Onaya Science is a UK-based not-for-profit research organization that studies ayahuasca and Amazonian plant medicines in partnership with Indigenous Shipibo-Konibo healers, generating peer-reviewed scientific evidence from research conducted in Peru for academic and clinical audiences worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Onaya Science industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Psychedelic Plant Medicine Research
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ayurveda & Traditional Medicine Retreats (THAGAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ayurveda & Traditional Healing (Ayurvedic Retreats, Panchakarma, Herbal Therapies) (THAJAHAE)
Keywords
Onaya Science business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Funding: As a not-for-profit organization, Onaya Science relies on donations to fund research into Indigenous-led plant medicine research
- Research Grants: Funded by organizations such as the Medical Research Council (UK) for specific research projects
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Onaya Science product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Onaya Science is a not-for-profit research organization that translates Indigenous wisdom of plant medicines into scientific terminology. It conducts rigorous research on ayahuasca and Amazonian plant medicines using epigenetic analysis, neuroimaging, physiological measures, and psychological assessments, in direct collaboration with Shipibo-Konibo traditional healers at the Riosbo Research Center in Peru. It also offers an education and mentorship training course via onaya.io.
Product overview
Onaya Science is a not-for-profit research organization focused on translating Indigenous Amazonian plant medicine knowledge into scientific data. The organization operates two primary offerings: the Onaya Science Research Platform (onaya.science), which conducts psychedelic research, neuroimaging, physiological and psychological studies on ayahuasca retreats; and the Onaya Training Course (onaya.io), which provides education and mentorship programs. The research platform serves as the primary hub for their scientific investigations and publications, while the training course extends educational access to broader audiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Onaya: Onaya means 'one who knows' - a healer who works with oni (wisdom/knowledge), the Shipibo name for ayahuasca
Products and services
- Onaya Science Research Platform Not-for-profit research platform dedicated to translating Indigenous wisdom of plant medicines into scientific terminology, conducting research on ayahuasca and Amazonian plant medicines in collaboration with Indigenous healers using epigenetic analysis, neuroimaging, physiological measures, and psychological assessments.
- Onaya Training Course Training course platform at onaya.io offering education and mentorship programs related to plant medicines and psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Significant reductions in depression scores (BDI-II: 13.9 to 6.1), anxiety (STAI: 44.4 to 34.3), and improvements in self-compassion following ayahuasca retreats
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Onaya Science
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Onaya Science technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Onaya Science partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Yorenka Tasorentsi InstitutecoreOnaya Science received an invitation to collaborate with the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute in 2025, representing a critical mission to build respectful relationships between Western and Indigenous communities in plant medicine research.
- Heroic Hearts ProjectcoreOngoing collaboration investigating the impact of ayahuasca retreats for military veterans who have experienced trauma, examining psychometrics, brainwaves, gut microbiome, and epigenetic change.
- University of MelbournecoreCollaboration with the University's Medicinal Psychedelics Research Network to study ayahuasca effects on veteran mental health using neuroimaging and psychometric measures.
- Ayahuasca Foundation - Riosbo Research CentercorePrimary research hub located in the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve near Iquitos, Peru. Onaya Science works alongside Indigenous healers to design and conduct studies into ceremonial ayahuasca.
- University of British Columbia (UBC)majorAcademic collaboration for psychedelic research, with researchers including Dr. Giorgia Caspani working at UBC investigating anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties of psychedelic analogues.
- Goldsmiths, University of LondonmajorAcademic partnership contributing to psychedelic research and publications.
- UCL (University College London)majorCollaboration on research including genetics and genomic medicine aspects of psychedelic research.
- University of SouthamptonmajorAcademic partnership supporting psychedelic and ayahuasca research.
- University of California, Riverside (UCR)majorCollaboration with researchers including Xavier Celaya in cognitive neuroscience research on psychedelics.
- Universidad Científica del SurmajorPeruvian university partnership supporting local research ecosystem, with Dr. Luis Lopez Chau as faculty member.
- Chacruna InstitutemajorOnaya Science supports the Chacruna Institute financially and through research activities including articles, lectures, and mutual dissemination of work on Indigenous reciprocity.
- ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service)majorSupported financially and through research collaboration to advance Indigenous knowledge and psychedelic plant medicine research.
- RAIN (Regenerative Agroforestry Impact Network)minorOnaya Science supports RAIN financially, which works to restore forests via reforestation projects in Brazil partnering with local cooperatives.
- Drug SciencemajorCollaboration with Drug Science organization; Jo Neill serves as Chair of Medical Psychedelics Working Group at Drug Science and is a scientific advisor.
- Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic ResearchcoreMultiple team members (Brandon Weiss, Sam Gandy) work with Imperial College's Centre for Psychedelic Research, collaborating on veteran studies and psychedelic research.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Onaya Science competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chacruna Institute: Non-profit organization promoting reciprocity and ethical engagement with Indigenous plant medicine traditions. Mutual partner of Onaya Science; shares a focus on Indigenous knowledge integration and psychedelic cultural education.
- Heroic Hearts Project: Non-profit providing psychedelic therapy access to military veterans with PTSD. Active research partner of Onaya Science, conducting veteran ayahuasca studies — directly comparable in target population and plant-medicine retreat research model.
- ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service): Non-profit focused on Indigenous plant medicine preservation and research, including ayahuasca advocacy. Supported financially by Onaya; shares the mission of advancing Indigenous knowledge and psychedelic plant medicine research.
- Imperial College Centre for Psychedelic Research: Academic psychedelic research center with whom Onaya team members (Brandon Weiss, Sam Gandy) collaborate. Conducts neuroimaging and clinical research on psilocybin, MDMA, and other psychedelics — overlapping peer-reviewed research methodology with Onaya.
- Beckley Foundation: UK-based psychedelic research foundation that conducts and funds scientific studies on psychoactive substances, including policy reform advocacy. Directly comparable to Onaya as a non-profit psychedelic research organization with academic and media reach.
- Ayahuasca Foundation: Operating partner of Onaya Science, hosting the Riosbo Research Center in Peru where Onaya conducts its research. Directly comparable as an ayahuasca-focused organization conducting both traditional ceremonies and scientific study.
- Drug Science: UK-based independent scientific body on drug policy and psychedelics. Close collaborator with Onaya — Jo Neill chairs its Medical Psychedelics Working Group and James Bunn is Head of Operations — sharing the same UK psychedelic research and policy ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS): The largest and most established psychedelic research non-profit, focused on MDMA-assisted therapy FDA trials. Directly comparable in mission (psychedelic research and therapy) but significantly larger in scale and clinical trial infrastructure.
- Usona Institute: Non-profit psychedelic research organization sponsoring FDA-approved psilocybin clinical trials for major depressive disorder. Comparable as a non-profit advancing psychedelic medicine through rigorous clinical research, though operating at significantly larger scale.
Emerging players
- Synthesis Institute: Psychedelic therapy and research organization conducting psilocybin retreat research with academic collaborators. Partially comparable to Onaya in retreat-based research methodology, though operating in a legal psilocybin jurisdiction (Netherlands) rather than ayahuasca.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Onaya Science social profiles
Digital presenceOnaya Science financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Onaya Science leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Onaya Science funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Onaya Science 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 Onaya Science
What does Onaya Science do?
Onaya Science is a not-for-profit research organization that translates Indigenous wisdom of plant medicines into scientific terminology. It conducts rigorous research on ayahuasca and Amazonian plant medicines using epigenetic analysis, neuroimaging, physiological measures, and psychological assessments, in direct collaboration with Shipibo-Konibo traditional healers at the Riosbo Research Center in Peru. It also offers an education and mentorship training course via onaya.io.
Is Onaya Science a public or private company?
Onaya Science is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Onaya Science founded?
Onaya Science was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Onaya Science make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Funding is the primary driver. The others are research Grants.
Who are Onaya Science's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chacruna Institute, Heroic Hearts Project, ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service), Imperial College Centre for Psychedelic Research, Beckley Foundation, Ayahuasca Foundation and Drug Science. Broad incumbents are Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Usona Institute. Synthesis Institute is listed as an emerging player.
Does Onaya Science have an API?
No public API is recorded for Onaya Science.
What industry is Onaya Science in?
Onaya Science's product category is Psychedelic Plant Medicine Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGAMAF, Ayurveda & Traditional Medicine Retreats, with a secondary code of THAJAHAE, Ayurveda & Traditional Healing (Ayurvedic Retreats, Panchakarma, Herbal Therapies). Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 8731.