Ronan Levy

Businessperson

Ronan Levy is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of the ketamine clinic network Field Trip Health. He remains active with Grassfed Ventures, a cannabis-focused venture capital and advisory firm, which he co-founded in 2018. He also serves on the Board of Trait Biosciences, a biotechnology research organization.

Mr. Levy has worked on a series of other entrepreneurial ventures, including several in the medical cannabis industry, and has held several corporate law positions. He received his J.D. in 2004 and Bachelor of Commerce in 2001, both from the University of Toronto. 

His involvement with the cannabis industry began with his founding of Canadian Cannabis Clinics and CanvasRX since acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. According to an interview with Reality Sandwich, his entry into the psychedelic space was inspired by the success of his cannabis ventures, reading Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind, and meeting other aspiring psychedelic entrepreneurs.

Mr. Levy is outspoken about his science-driven and Triple-Bottom-Line business philosophies. In an interview with Seth Ferranto of The Fix, he stated,

Numbers do not lie, and if the evidence supports the safety and efficacy of psychedelics, then there is no debate, no need to legitimize. The data does all that for us. That is why we are taking a very research-based approach to all the work we are doing.

Acknowledging the parallels between psychedelics’ mainstreaming and that of cannabis, which shares a history of regulatory crackdown and stigma, Mr. Levy expressed that scientific objectivity is key to “mov[ing] beyond the legacy and mistakes of the past.” He also said, “capitalism done well and thoughtfully can create the greatest amount of positive impact…we’re going to do it in the right way, consciously and thoughtfully.”

Field Trip Ventures, the company behind Field Trip Health, was founded in April 2019. Over the course of 2020, it opened its first three clinics in Toronto (where the company is headquartered), New York City, and Los Angeles with plans to expand to 75 clinics within four years. In September 2019 the company announced its intention to finance the world’s first magic mushroom research center in Jamaica. An article in Psychedelic Science Review describes the plans

Mr. Levy hosts a podcast called Field Tripping “about epic personal, spiritual, and business journeys on — and in — psychedelics.” His other speaking engagements include 2020 and 2021’s MeetDelic conference, the O’CannaBiz conference in April 2020, and a feature on Paul Austin’s The Third Wave podcast.