Billionaires

Sergey Brin Backs Startups From Psychedelics to ‘Energy Islands’

  • His Catalyst4 nonprofit also funding research into Parkinson’s
  • It owns stakes in MapLight Therapeutics, Stellaromics, Soneira
Sergey BrinPhotographer: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
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Sergey Brin’s climate and health-focused nonprofit bankrolled startups working on everything from psychedelics to an ambitious $155 billion dollar project to build “energy islands” in Copenhagen, a recently released tax filing shows.

The investments, which cover through the end of 2023, reflect the Alphabet Inc. co-founder’s growing appetite to fund research into Parkinson’s disease and other central nervous system diseases and disorders. The 51-year-old billionaire has said he has a genetic mutation that’s been associated with higher rates of Parkinson’s.