The Inner Development Economy
Adam Soffer@adamsoffer
+2.7%
since Oct 6
The idea
I believe superintelligence will make awakening mainstream within 5-10 years: it frees people to turn inward and becomes the teacher. By awakening I mean recognizing one's true nature, as in nondual teachers like Shinzen Young, not wellness or religion. Emerging neuroscience suggests it's a measurable state, so tech that detects and trains it wins. Overweight neurotech (focused ultrasound, neurofeedback, EEG wearables), then delivery (retreats, clinics, contemplative and psychedelic platforms), with a small slice of psychedelic biotech, which I think is overpriced vs. the other layers.
What it owns
- Brain stimulation and monitoring devices already approved and generating revenue today provide the hardware foundation for neurotechnology to scale. · MedtronicDeep brain stimulation systems for movement disorders are already approved and in use, positioning the company to expand into mood and mental health indications., Abbott LaboratoriesNeuromodulation implants for pain and brain conditions generate revenue today, proving that hardware-based brain intervention has a paying market., LivaNovaVagus nerve stimulation for hard-to-treat depression is already FDA-approved, showing that device-based brain intervention works as a clinical therapy., NeuroPaceImplants that read brain activity and respond in real time currently treat epilepsy, making them the purest play on reading and writing to the brain becoming a platform.24%
- Established drugmakers with approved mental-health franchises offer steady exposure to the psychiatry market as it expands into new modalities and indications. · Johnson & JohnsonSpravato, a psychedelic-adjacent therapy, proved that the FDA approves brain-focused treatments and that they can build billion-dollar businesses within large pharmaceutical companies., AbbVieStrategic acquisitions in neuroscience and psychiatric drugs show a major drugmaker committing capital to the brain as a therapeutic frontier., Eli LillyStrong investment in brain-focused research and the financial capacity to acquire successful psychedelic and neurotech programs position it to capture large market share.23%
- Devices that measure stress, sleep and brain activity turn inner states into data, creating a quantifiable layer for mainstream wellness adoption. · AppleThe Apple Watch already tracks mood, mindfulness and sleep across millions of wearers, making it the device layer most people already own for inner-state monitoring., GarminWearables that track stress, sleep and body battery already measure inner states at consumer scale and generate real revenue from that data layer., GE HealthCareBrain imaging machines document what meditation, psychedelics and stimulation do to the brain, enabling verification that inner development produces measurable changes.19%
- Clinic networks and digital platforms that deliver mental health treatment at scale provide the infrastructure needed to bring new therapies to mainstream consumers. · LifeStance HealthA large therapist network provides the delivery infrastructure needed to scale psychedelic-assisted and tech-augmented therapy to mainstream patients., Hims & Hers HealthDirect-to-consumer mental health delivery with consumer-friendly marketing demonstrates how niche treatments move into the mainstream., Teladoc HealthBetterHelp operates one of the largest online therapy platforms, serving as the distribution channel if demand for mental health treatment continues to rise.16%
- Biotech companies running FDA trials to turn psychedelics into approved therapies represent the path from experimental treatment to regulated medicine. · Compass PathwaysPsilocybin therapy for depression is in late-stage trials, making it the most direct public route to owning the outcome of psychedelic medicine reaching patients.7%
- Cash10%