This week’s Psychedelic Groundbreaker is Marcus Maria. Marcus Maria is a house of psychedelic brands. They are building psychedelic brands that address the quality, accessibility, and convenience of psychedelic mushrooms to normalize their place in society.
What’s this article series about? Psychedelic Groundbreakers is a get-to-know-you-style blog series highlighting prominent and groundbreaking companies in the psychedelics industry.
What’s your company vision?
Marcus Maria is a house of psychedelic brands.
We are building psychedelic brands that address the quality, accessibility, and convenience of psychedelic mushrooms to normalize their place in society.
Why was your company started?
Our founder has been cultivating gourmet, medicinal, and psychedelic mushrooms for the past 8 years and endeavoring to make psychedelic mushrooms more accessible to the average person. In 2019, the unexpected death of his mother, spurred him to create our first brand, jennyjill which is dedicated to her life’s quest of exploring herbs, tinctures and alternative medicines to heal herself and those around her.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far?
Educating the public about the dosage, effects, safety, etc. around the use of psychedelic mushrooms is a big hurdle that the entire industry faces.
What excites you most?
It’s a toss-up between the industry’s potential and the feedback we get from our members. Macroscopically, the widespread acceptance of entheogenic medicines sweeping the nation is something I couldn’t even dare to dream of 8 years ago. On a micro-level, the positive feedback we hear when someone has introduced our product into their routine keeps us going. We’ve heard so many stories that someone has replaced their SSRIs or Adderall with Matcha Micro and it has changed their lives for the better. That’s huge!
What is your biggest lesson learned when raising capital?
Grind. It’s a long path, don’t get discouraged.
Did you notice any type of investor differences while raising money?
They’re all different. They all have different questions and ways of seeing. You gotta take them as they come and hope they’re able to see what you’re trying to accomplish.
Describe your business model in 10 words or less
Entheogenic mushroom products that affect mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.
What tips would you give founders entering fundraising?
It can be a long, slow burn. Take every opportunity that comes your way to pitch your company, but commit to those who align with your vision and passion.
We’d like to thank Marcus Maria for being a part of the Psychedelic Groundbreaker series. Stay tuned for more profiles on leaders in the psychedelic industry.
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