Silent Storm Foundation

Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Industry: Healthcare/Alternative Medicine Research

Founding Student Name(s): Luca Drago

Brief Description of Solution: The Silent Storm Foundation connects those suffering from trauma with psychedelic-assisted therapy within the United States. For those who cannot afford it, donations fund the treatments. We serve veterans, police officers, abuse victims, and many more through a three-step program that features highly qualified therapists and facilitators, ensuring an empirically sound recovery.

Funding Dollars: ~$14,000

What led you to launch this venture? Since my early teenage years, I’ve become obsessed with pharma and biotech because of my powerlifting hobby. After working for a biotech startup in my freshman year and attending investor conferences, I learned that there is a misalignment between incentives and curing chronic ailments. Coupled with the fact that obesity, depression, anxiety, OCD, and many other mental/physical illnesses are on a sharp incline, I’ve been eager to experiment with ways to tackle these two major problems. While lifting at my local gym, I met a Marine veteran. Over a sushi lunch, he confided in me that he has been silently suffering from depression and PTSD; his relationships were deteriorating, and a strong sense of alienation from everyone around left him in a life-threatening state. After learning of the primitive yet extremely promising effects of psychedelic experiences, I set up everything and sent him on his way. After treatment, he’s enrolled in med school with hopes of starting his own private practice. He is also eager to start a family with his new partner and introduced me to four of his peers who needed help. This is when I realized I can contribute to a fascinating field while profoundly impacting such incredible people.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? The biggest accomplishment is certainly the patient’s testimonies. It is a very subjective and emotional event, but the results of “turning over a new page” are consistent and long-lasting. Beyond this, the formation of the legal entity and gaining tax-exempt status was a major milestone. Not only does it incentivize donations, but it also shows that the IRS/Federal government is accepting, or at least neutral, the idea of such operations. This has allowed us to ride the tide of evolving regulations in a responsible manner.

How has your business-related major helped you further this startup venture? My major has given me both the hard skills and connections to further my venture. I’ve learned how to properly organize, manage, and maintain operations from a legal and financial standpoint. I’ve also learned the different approaches to pricing, marketing, analyzing the competitive landscape, and many more imperative ways of thinking. Through Dyson, I have also been introduced to pitch competitions and mentorship. At the same time, I’ve been put in environments where I have met advisors, customers, and many other key personnel and organizations. My major has been a tool that both opens doors and teaches me how to step through them with confidence.

Which business class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The most valuable business class was Communication for Entrepreneurs. The class is focused on developing an intuition of what a good pitch is. With an idea and ambition as unconventional and stigmatized as mine, effective communication to stakeholders is essential. The class made apparent the fact that almost everything that is now normal was once crazy. What allowed entrepreneurs to cross the chasm was their ability to present – upfront and with no fluff – how they will change the world. Leading with emotion, backing with evidence and traction, and simple language and visuals are all things I learned from this class and are all things my venture would not have survived without.

What business professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Two professors have influenced the way I approach my venture. Tom Estad, Professor of Communication for Entrepreneurs, is the first. We are both passionate about social entrepreneurship and reading biographies of entrepreneurs. Bouncing ideas off him while being a TA for him for two semesters has taught me far more than I can write in this response.

The second professor is Professor Iason Xygkis. I took his classes on both business philosophy and ancient Greek and modern existential philosophy. In all of our conversations, we strip down to metaphysics and ponder the finitude of our existence. Many argue that psychedelic substances prompt very existential questions and force this sort of intellectual exploration. In being the middleman for such a substance, it is important that I understand the questions they may face. Iason helped me learn how to run my venture ethically and has guided me in my attempt to grasp nature. To both, I am forever grateful.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? One of my hobbies is reading the biographies of founders. It is impossible to choose one, but there are a few that have each contributed to my mental framework. First is the classic Steve Jobs with his relentless curiosity, emphasis on nature preferring simplicity, and his youth in counterculture that turned Apple into what it is today. Second is Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. He motivated me to compete on quality above anything else and to instill a social conscience into any organization I started. Finally, Dee Hock, founder of VISA, motivated me to intensely reflect upon the human condition and to sift my way through the atrocities of modern corporations to leave a positive mark on society for the right reasons.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? I hope to use the platform that is created from this venture to open a mental health clinic, or something similar that is patient-facing. There is a vast array of archaic systems, both back and front-end, that cause hospitals to sink and patients to not get the care they need. We have seen this already with shocking headlines regarding insurance, medical bills, and negative experiences with medications. The best way to step into such a formidable industry is to start from the ground, be face-to-face with patients while seeking zero profit, and implement heavy technical expertise (both from therapeutics and a solid operational tech stack).

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? There is no telling where my personal achievements end, and my environmental influence begins. Both go hand-in-hand. If it weren’t for the Cornell startup ecosystem, I would not have known about pitch deck competitions, business plans, tech founders, venture capital, or anything of the sort. I owe plenty of what I know to this beautifully curated ecosystem, and it’s been a pleasure contributing to it.

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