In a landmark move to push the boundaries of mental health care, Beckley Waves, a venture studio with a focus on psychedelic therapies, has acquired Nue Life, a leading provider of digital ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT). This acquisition marks a significant turning point for Beckley Waves as it seeks to bring cutting-edge, well-being-enhancing treatments to a broader audience. The goal is clear: to challenge the antiquated approaches to mental health treatment that have long dominated the industry and come up with more accessible, innovative solutions.
Daniel Love, co-founder and partner at Beckley Waves, as well as interim CEO of Nue Life, expressed the core vision behind this acquisition. “At the end of the day, ketamine-assisted therapy is really the only psychedelic that’s widely accessible and legal, at least at a federal level,” Love shared in an interview with Behavioral Health Business. “If we want to help people now, this is what’s possible, and we think it’s quite compelling.”
The combination of Beckley Waves’ expertise in psychedelic ventures and Nue Life’s proven track record in delivering digital KAT creates a unique opportunity to change the way mental health care is delivered in the U.S. and beyond. With a focus on expanding access to psychedelic therapies, Beckley Waves and Nue Life are poised to address the growing need for alternative solutions to mental health challenges.
Nue Life’s Digital Ketamine Therapy: A Game-Changer for Mental Health
Nue Life, based in Miami, Florida, has been at the forefront of utilizing ketamine-assisted therapy to treat patients with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. By combining sublingual ketamine doses with a comprehensive digital platform, Nue Life has already helped over 10,000 patients across 23 states. This groundbreaking approach offers patients the flexibility of receiving therapy from the comfort of their own homes, while also providing virtual after-care services.
The treatment model is based on rapid-dissolve ketamine tablets, which have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical studies. This form of ketamine, when used in conjunction with psychotherapy, can help alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders, particularly for those who have not responded to traditional treatments. Given that ketamine is legally available for therapeutic use in the U.S., it presents an immediate and viable option for people struggling with mental health challenges, making it a powerful tool in modern therapy.
One of the major advantages of Nue Life’s model is its affordability. Traditional in-person KAT clinics can charge anywhere from $4,500 to $6,000 for a full course of treatment. In contrast, Nue Life’s digital model, which delivers therapy through an app-based platform, offers in-home treatments for between $1,000 and $1,400, making it much more accessible to a wider range of people. This price difference is particularly significant when compared to the often prohibitively high costs of other mental health treatments.
By using digital tools to administer and monitor treatment, Nue Life has created a cost-effective and scalable model that could transform the mental health care landscape. The company’s app not only supports therapy sessions but also includes features like one-on-one coaching, group integration work, meditation, and contemplative practices, all of which are designed to help patients maintain long-term mental health improvements.
Expanding Reach: Nue Life’s Pivot to B2B and Nue Network
Nue Life’s success in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) space has been impressive, but the company has recently pivoted to expand its offerings through business-to-business (B2B) partnerships. This new strategy involves launching the Nue Network, a partnership program that allows employers, health systems, and other organizations to offer ketamine-assisted therapy to their employees or clients.
This shift to a diversified model enables Nue Life to reach more individuals while also capitalizing on the growing interest from employers who are increasingly focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of their workforce. By offering affordable and accessible mental health treatment options, companies can improve employee productivity, engagement, and overall well-being.
Love notes that Nue Life’s platform is designed to track outcomes, which will play a critical role in fostering these B2B partnerships. “One of the interesting things about Nue Life is that we can actually track outcomes,” Love explained. “There’s a platform and an app that goes with it. We can present and show, ‘Here is where your population was before,’ and ‘Here is where they are now.’ That’s how you can begin to get payers on board so they’re actually saying, ‘Hey, this is much more cost-effective and a better outcome for my people.’”
The ability to measure patient outcomes and demonstrate the efficacy of ketamine therapy is a critical factor in ensuring reimbursement for these treatments. Efforts from other KAT providers, like Enthea, which partners with employers to offer KAT, are already showing positive signs. Love is optimistic that Nue Life’s outcome-based approach will help pave the way for more widespread acceptance of ketamine-assisted therapy as an effective, reimbursable treatment option.
A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health: Beyond Ketamine Therapy
While ketamine is a powerful tool for treating mental health disorders, Nue Life’s approach goes beyond just the medication. The company places a strong emphasis on providing ongoing support through its app, which offers group integration sessions, one-on-one coaching, and a variety of mindfulness and meditation practices. This holistic model recognizes that mental health is a complex issue that requires more than just medication to achieve lasting recovery.
Love has highlighted the importance of maintaining relationships with patients after their ketamine treatment sessions have ended. “Maintaining these relationships is the company’s greatest opportunity for growth,” Love said. The focus on continuity of care and patient retention is key to ensuring that individuals not only experience short-term relief but also achieve long-term mental wellness.
Nue Life’s dedication to providing ongoing support and ensuring patient safety aligns with Beckley Waves’ broader philosophy of slow, sustainable growth. The company is committed to building a strong foundation and ensuring that the highest safety and compliance standards are met before scaling its operations further.
“Generally, our philosophy is slower and sustainable growth,” Love said. “I would think that we want to be Patagonia, not H&M. We will grow, but we have to first slow down before we start to speed up again.”
This thoughtful approach to growth underscores Beckley Waves’ commitment to making a meaningful impact in the mental health space. Rather than rushing to scale for the sake of growth, the company is focused on creating lasting, positive change through careful, strategic expansion.
Overcoming Stigma and Changing Public Perception
Despite the promising results of ketamine-assisted therapy, there remains significant stigma surrounding psychedelic treatments, including ketamine. Love acknowledges that while the public’s perception of psychedelics has shifted in recent years, there is still work to be done in overcoming the lingering skepticism and misconceptions surrounding mental health and drug use.
“When I moved into the psychedelic field three years ago, I had old mentors and bosses telling me I was committing career suicide,” Love shared. “I think we’ve passed to a certain extent into the mainstream consciousness, but I still think there’s a lot of stigma when it comes to mental health, drugs, and ketamine.”
As psychedelics like ketamine continue to gain acceptance in the medical and mental health communities, the stigma surrounding their use is gradually beginning to fade. However, Love recognizes that changing public perception will take time. The growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of ketamine for mental health treatment, coupled with the increasing number of patients who have benefited from the therapy, will play a key role in shifting societal views.
The Future of Psychedelic Therapy
The acquisition of Nue Life by Beckley Waves marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of psychedelic-assisted therapy. With its digital platform, cost-effective treatment model, and holistic approach to mental health care, Nue Life is well-positioned to play a key role in the future of mental health treatment.
By focusing on slow, sustainable growth, establishing B2B partnerships, and leveraging outcome-based data to demonstrate the effectiveness of its services, Nue Life is setting the stage for widespread adoption of ketamine-assisted therapy. While the road ahead may still be challenging, the commitment of Beckley Waves and Nue Life to overcoming stigma, improving accessibility, and providing ongoing support to patients promises a brighter future for mental health care.
In the coming years, we may look back on this acquisition as a turning point in the journey toward more innovative, effective, and accessible mental health treatments—one where psychedelic therapies like ketamine are no longer seen as fringe but as essential tools in the fight for better mental health.
