Dallas- and Fort Worth-based Satori Capital has launched a new investment business focused on “transformational companies developing innovative solutions for mental health.”

Satori Neuro will target companies developing breakthrough treatments and disruptive business models to address “the world’s most critical mental health challenges,” Satori said. The investment firm says the new business aligns with Satori’s purpose of creating, funding, and inspiring “businesses that elevate humanity.”

“We’ve spent a significant amount of time and resources over the last several years evaluating mental-health-related opportunities,” James Haddaway, chief investment officer and managing partner of Satori Alpha, said in a statement. “Because we believe so strongly in the tremendous potential of these innovative solutions, we decided that if we could find the ideal chief investment officer to lead a focused strategy, we would explore it ourselves.”

Dr. Amy Kruse to be the managing partner and CIO

After a widespread search, Satori appointed Dr. Amy Kruze as managing partner and chief investment officer of Satori Neuro.

Kruse has more than 20 years of experience in science, technology, and innovation, with a special focus on neurotechnology and human performance, Satori said. She’s a former general partner at Jackson, Wyoming-based Prime Movers Lab, a VC firm that invests in early-stage scientific-driven startups. Previously, she served as chief scientific officer of applied neuroscience research company Optios, and she has prior experience as chief technology officer of Cubic Global Defense and as a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Kruse has both a Bachelor of Science in cell and structural biology and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“Amy’s experience and subject matter expertise, as well as her impressive professional background, position her ideally to lead this innovative neuroscience and mental-health-related strategy,” Satori co-founder and managing partner Randy Eisenman said in the statement. “Along with our principals’ operating experience in building and managing successful companies, we believe Amy’s unique expertise, experience, and relationships give us a distinct advantage in recognizing the most promising and innovative businesses in the sector.”

Seeking opportunities from psychedelic medicine to brainwave devices and more

Kruse will lead Satori Neuro in seeking out opportunities to address the largest mental health, brain health, and wellness challenges and opportunities, Satori said.

The new business will explore innovative therapeutics that feature a wide range of treatments, “from psychedelic medicine and transcranial magnetic stimulation to virtual/augmented reality protocols and non-invasive brainwave devices.” These treatments are designed to address conditions including treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and substance abuse, neurological disorders, and more, Satori said.

“This is a thrilling time for neuroscience and brain health,” Kruse said. “We’ve learned more about the human brain in the last five years than we previously learned in the last 50—and that knowledge is rapidly transforming into real-world applications that hold the promise of completely transforming our approach to mental health challenges we’ve struggled with throughout human history.”

“I think of these innovations as the future of human flourishing, and I’m delighted to be partnering with a purpose-driven firm like Satori in supporting companies developing breakthrough treatments and new business models,” Kruse added

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