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Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage neuroscience biotech developing NCEs for psychiatric diseases, focused on major depressive disorder.
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals has raised $88.2M across 6 funding rounds.
Key people at Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals.
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2019 by Andrew Kruegel (Founder) and Dalibor Sames (Founder) and JONATHAN SPORN (Founder).
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals has raised $88.2M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Based in New York, Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage neuroscience biotechnology company developing novel chemical entities and psychedelic-related therapies for psychiatric diseases. The firm focuses on rapid-acting treatments for mental health conditions, advancing a clinical pipeline that includes the NMDA receptor antagonist blixeprodil and the major depressive disorder drug bretisilocin. Operating with a team of 15 employees, the venture-backed enterprise has secured significant capital, including an oversubscribed $60 million Series A funding round supported by Y Combinator partner Jared Friedman. Gilgamesh recently established major strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical giant AbbVie, securing a $65 million upfront agreement for non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens that could reach $1.95 billion, alongside a separate $1.2 billion acquisition deal for its bretisilocin program. The company was founded in 2019 by Jonathan Sporn, Dalibor Sames, Andrew Kruegel, Jeff Witkin, and Mike Cunningham.
Key people at Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals.
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2019 by Andrew Kruegel (Founder) and Dalibor Sames (Founder) and JONATHAN SPORN (Founder).
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals has raised $88.2M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals's investors include National Institute on Drug Abuse, Amy Kruse, B Capital Group, Negev Capital, Prithvi Ventures, PsyMed Ventures, Satori Capital, What If Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Gron Ventures, JLS Fund, Palo Santo.
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in developing novel therapeutics for mental health disorders. Their core focus is on creating innovative new chemical entities (NCEs) that harness the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and other psychoactive compounds to transform psychiatric treatment from symptom management to rapid-acting, durable therapies. They serve pharmaceutical partners, researchers, and medical professionals by addressing unmet needs in mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and opioid use disorder through safer, orally bioavailable, and non-hallucinogenic drugs[1][2][3].
Founded around 2020, Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals was established by experts including Andrew Kruegel, a medicinal chemist and pharmacologist, and Dalibor Sames, a Columbia University chemistry professor with deep expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. The idea emerged from their combined scientific and entrepreneurial experience in psychoactive drug design and neuropharmacology, aiming to overcome the stagnation in psychiatric drug development. Early traction included building a multidisciplinary team with backgrounds in academia and large biopharma, securing funding, and advancing proprietary compounds into clinical stages[1][4].
Gilgamesh is riding the wave of renewed interest in psychedelic and neuropharmacological therapies amid a global mental health crisis and decades of limited innovation in psychiatric medicine. The timing is critical as regulatory environments evolve and scientific understanding of neuroplasticity and brain circuits advances. Market forces favor companies that can deliver rapid, safe, and effective treatments for mental illnesses, which affect millions worldwide. Gilgamesh’s approach, combining cutting-edge chemistry with AI-driven drug discovery, positions it as a key player influencing the future of mental health therapeutics and the broader biotech ecosystem[2][4].
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is poised for significant growth, especially following recent funding rounds and clinical advancements, including promising candidates like Bretisilocin for major depressive disorder. The company’s future will likely be shaped by continued innovation in psychedelic-inspired medicines, expansion of clinical pipelines, and strategic partnerships or acquisitions (notably, AbbVie announced plans to acquire Gilgamesh’s Bretisilocin program). Trends such as AI integration in drug discovery and increasing demand for mental health solutions will further propel their influence. Gilgamesh’s mission to revolutionize psychiatric treatment aligns with urgent global needs, making it a company to watch in the evolving neuroscience biotech landscape[5][6].
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals has raised $88.2M across 6 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.1M Venture Round in February 2026.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2026 | $6.1M Venture Round | ||
| Mar 14, 2024 | $14.0M Grant | National Institute on Drug Abuse | |
| Dec 1, 2022 | $39.0M Series B | Amy Kruse | B Capital Group, Negev Capital, Prithvi Ventures, PsyMed Ventures, Satori Capital, What If Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Gron Ventures, JLS Fund, Palo Santo, Route 66 Ventures |
| May 1, 2021 | $27.0M Series A | Prime Movers Lab | B Capital Group, Negev Capital, Prithvi Ventures, PsyMed Ventures, Satori Capital, What If Ventures, Gron Ventures, JLS Fund, Noetic Fund, Palo Santo, Route 66 Ventures |
| Aug 1, 2020 | $130K Seed | 2xN, Alumni Ventures, Bond, Scott Hartley, Flexcap, Flucas Ventures, Incisive Ventures, Intel Capital, Modern Venture Partners, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, SignalFire, Social Capital, Stone Mountain Ventures, Tango.vc, Threshold Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, What If Ventures, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, George Godula, Julian Shapiro, Mandeep Singh | |
| Jul 1, 2020 | $2.0M Seed | Element 14 Capital, Invariantes Fund, Rainfall Ventures, Ravelin Capital |