The Model
UK-based editorial site publishing source-cited research on ibogaine for addiction recovery, PTSD, and veteran TBI. Connects US patients to a curated panel of licensed Mexico clinics under direct B2B affiliate relationships brokered by Patrick on the ground. Monetised through affiliate commissions on converted referrals plus integration-coach referrals plus newsletter sponsorship at scale.
This is NOT a vendor. We never touch product. Treatment happens in licensed Mexican clinics under doctors with cardiac telemetry. Medical liability sits with the clinic. We are the information layer that owns the demand-side relationship.
Why Now — The Window
- 18 April 2026: Trump signed Executive Order fast-tracking FDA review of ibogaine + psilocybin. $50M federal funds. Joe Rogan stood beside him at the signing — he texted Trump directly to push it through.
- Texas IMPACT program: $50M state appropriation to UTHealth Houston / UTMB for ibogaine clinical trials (Hubbard + Rick Perry partnership). Largest single govt ibogaine investment globally.
- Senate Bill S.4031 (March 2026): Establishes VA research centres for ibogaine. $30M/year authorisation. Companion H.R. 2623 in House.
- Stanford Nature Medicine study (Jan 2024): 30 Special Ops veterans, 87% reduction in depression. The anchor citation for all credible coverage.
- VETS organisation: 1,300+ veterans funded for treatment. Massive warm-referral pipeline if we partner properly.
- April 2026 media wave: CNN, NPR, CBS, PBS, Rolling Stone, Military.com, Stars and Stripes all ran features. Mainstream breakthrough.
Search interest is at the inflection. The veteran demographic + Rogan listenership (millions of US men 25–55) is the highest-intent traffic pool in the US right now.
Operator Seat — Profile Required
This venture has one operator seat that has to be filled by someone with on-the-ground Mexico capability. The seat is foundational — not auxiliary — for four reasons:
- Mexico is the global hub. All major operators — Beond (Cancún), Ambio, Crossroads (Tijuana), Iboga Quest, MindScape (Cozumel) — operate in Mexico under COFEPRIS sanitary frameworks. The operator needs to be in-country.
- Pharma middleman relationships translate. The Mexico pharma B2B world — clinic procurement, doctor relationships, regulatory navigation — is where affiliate terms get decided. Adjacent industry experience accelerates the work materially.
- Affiliate deals are NOT public programs. Public sources confirm no major Mexico ibogaine clinic publishes an affiliate program. Deals are direct B2B, relationship-built. A profile-matched operator can secure 3–5 in 6–8 weeks that would take a UK-only operator 6+ months and cold introductions.
- Cultural + language fit. Clinic operators trust local representation. Spanish-language outreach negotiates better terms than London-based cold contact.
Identified profile match — Patrick. Patrick (Mexico-based, native Spanish, existing pharma middleman operation, warm clinic-side leads) maps directly onto the operator seat above. The natural conversation is to invite him into this venture. He has not yet seen this brief; equity terms TBD in conversation. The intent on this seat is equal partnership — 50/50 spirit between the operator seat and the editorial / research / build seat. Specific terms set when both parties sit down.
Budget impact — with vs without a Mexico-based operator
The capital figures in this brief assume the operator seat is filled by someone already based in Mexico (Patrick is the identified profile match). What changes if that seat is filled differently — or not filled at all:
| Scenario | Phase 2 capital impact | Timeline impact | What changes |
|---|
Mexico-based operator
(Patrick scenario — what the brief assumes) |
Baseline: £4,500–£9,500 |
~6 weeks to first signed clinic deal |
In-country travel + lodging absorbed into operator's seat contribution. Spanish-language outreach native. Warm intros possible. Clinic-side relationships pre-existing. |
UK or US-based operator
(remote BD with travel) |
+£1,800–£4,500 to Phase 2
= £6,300–£14,000 total Phase 2 |
~12–16 weeks to first signed clinic deal |
Transatlantic flight + 5-night hotel × 1–2 trips (£1,100–£3,000), in-country domestic travel between clinics (£200–£500), Spanish translator/interpreter for negotiations (£500–£1,000). Cold outreach replaces warm intros. 6+ weeks of additional operating burn before first revenue. |
No operator seat filled
(operator-seat-empty fallback) |
+£12,000–£30,000 over 6 months
OR venture model changes |
Indefinite — may not happen |
Either (a) outsource clinic BD to external agency on £2K–£5K/mo retainer (£12K–£30K over 6 months, no equity alignment), OR (b) pivot the model entirely from per-conversion affiliate to flat paid-listing/directory ($200–$500/listing/yr vs $1,500–$2,200/conversion). Per-conversion economics that justify the venture's projected run-rates depend on the relationship-built B2B negotiation only an in-country operator can do efficiently. |
Translation: The Mexico-based operator seat is not optional budget padding — it's structurally why the venture's projected economics work. Removing or downgrading the seat doesn't save the £4,500–£9,500 Phase 2 — it adds £1,800–£30,000+ of substitution costs AND slows revenue by 6 weeks to multiple months. If Patrick isn't the operator, the brief assumes the seat still gets filled by someone with equivalent in-country capability before launch.
Why in-country travel matters (operator side)
Even with a Mexico-based operator, the operator still travels domestically — and the venture relies on that work happening. Five reasons in-country travel is compulsory, not optional:
- Clinics are geographically scattered. Beond is in Cancún, Crossroads in Tijuana, MindScape in Cozumel, Tandava in Tepoztlán, Iboga Quest in Playa del Carmen. No single regional cluster — covering a 3–5 clinic affiliate portfolio means flights or drives across Mexico.
- Cardiac-safety verification cannot be done remotely. The single biggest editorial-discipline rule of this venture is "only recommend telemetry-monitored licensed clinics." Confirming that means seeing the telemetry equipment, the on-site doctor's Cédula Profesional credential, and the COFEPRIS sanitary licence in person. We're sending vulnerable patients to these clinics — one un-verified recommendation that ends in a cardiac death = national news + venture-ending reputational damage.
- Affiliate deals are relationship-built, not paperwork-only. Public sources confirm no major Mexico ibogaine clinic publishes an affiliate program. Terms get negotiated in person, often over multiple visits. Remote B2B negotiation in this segment has a sub-10% close rate; in-person is 50%+.
- Editorial credibility on clinic reviews. Site content distinguishes itself from US-based directories by having the operator's signature + verification badge on each clinic review ("Verified in-person by [operator] — May 2026, cardiac telemetry confirmed, Cédula on file"). This is the trust moat against US sites that have never set foot in a clinic.
- Ongoing relationship maintenance. Clinics change protocols, staff, pricing. Quarterly or semi-annual operator visits keep the affiliate relationship warm + the editorial accurate. Two trips per year is the realistic minimum cadence post-launch.
Domestic Mexico travel cost (operator's side, not in venture budget): ~£200–£500 per multi-clinic trip, depending on routing and lodging tier. Absorbed into the operator's seat contribution as standard operating overhead for an equity partner.
Revenue Stack
1. Direct B2B Clinic Affiliate (primary, durable)
- Target: 3–5 signed clinic relationships by Month 4
- Industry affiliate norm (unverified pattern): 10–20% of cash treatment fee per converted referral
- Per-conversion (Beond pricing tiers $12.5K / $15.5K / $19.5K): $1,200–$3,900
- Realistic portfolio mix: $1,500–$2,200 average per conversion
Critical verification step in Weeks 2–4: Patrick directly outreaches 5 clinics to confirm actual commission bands. All current numbers are industry-pattern inference until Patrick lands real terms. If actual rates come in below 8%, the unit economics need re-running — possibly pivot to a paid-listing/directory model.
2. Integration-Coach Network (secondary)
- Pre-treatment screening + post-treatment integration coaches charge $500–$3,000
- Referral fee 15–25%
- 3-coach panel curated by the site, paid placement model
3. Veteran-Vertical + VETS Partnership (long-tail)
- Veteran demographic = highest intent + grant-funded (VETS has paid for 1,300+)
- Site becomes the trusted information layer for veterans seeking treatment
- Possible: formal informational partnership with VETS (non-commercial, builds authority)
4. Email List + Sponsored Slots (Month 4+)
- beehiiv newsletter — "Psychedelic Recovery Watch" or similar
- Sponsored slots to compliant operators at 5K+ subs
NOT in the stack
- Selling ibogaine or any product. Information layer only.
- Therapeutic claims. Cure claims. Outcome promises. Period.
- Underground / unlicensed clinic referrals. Hard editorial rule — telemetry-monitored licensed facilities only. Protects against negligent-referral exposure if a death occurs at an underground retreat.
Unit Economics — Per 1,000 Organic Monthly Visitors (Months 4–6)
| Conversion rate | Monthly revenue | Notes |
|---|
| 0.5% lead → treatment | $7,500–$11,000 | Conservative — high-commitment treatment |
| 1.0% | $15,000–$22,000 | Base case if veteran-vertical content lands |
| 2.0% | $30,000–$44,000 | Bull — requires VETS partnership or similar trust amplifier |
For comparison, peptide bridge per 1K visitors is ~$900/mo. Ibogaine is 10–20× the per-visitor economics. Traffic is harder (higher trust requirement, longer content runway) but the prize is materially bigger.
6-Month Operating Plan
Month 1
Build + clinic outreach in parallel. UK Ltd incorporated. Domain. Site build. 5 cornerstone articles drafted (EO explainer, Stanford breakdown, veteran pathway, clinic comparison, cardiac-safety primer). Patrick begins 5-clinic outreach with in-person visits where feasible.
Month 2
Content + first clinic deal. 8–10 articles. Veteran-vertical cluster prioritised. Patrick targets first signed affiliate deal by end of month. Reddit / Discord presence begins.
Month 3
Pipeline matures. 2 clinic deals signed (one premium, one mid-market for portfolio diversity). Site at 1–3K visitors/mo. Newsletter at 500+ subs. First referral revenue arriving.
Month 4
Demand inflection. Federal EO implementation milestones tracked + covered. Texas IMPACT updates covered. Newsletter sponsored slot opens. 3rd clinic deal signed. Traffic 3–8K/mo.
Month 5
Monetisation lift. 4th clinic deal target. Integration-coach panel live. Native ad test budget (£800). Traffic 8–15K/mo.
Month 6
Decision point. Run-rate review. Continue compounding / scale aggressively / sell to industry operator (likely buyer: established clinic group acquiring traffic + email list + clinic relationships).
Honest Numbers
| Scenario | Month 6 monthly run-rate | 6-month gross |
|---|
| Bear | £3,000–£6,000 | £8,000–£15,000 |
| Base | £8,000–£15,000 | £25,000–£50,000 |
| Bull | £18,000–£35,000 | £60,000–£100,000 |
| Sale exit (Month 6–12) | — | £80,000–£250,000 lump |
These are 3–5× the peptide bridge numbers — driven by the per-conversion economics of cash-pay clinic treatment ($10K–$20K) vs supplement-affiliate ($150–$300 AOV). A fully-filled Mexico operator seat is what compresses the clinic-acquisition curve; without it the timeline materially slows.
Venture Roles + Capital Required
Two seats need filling. the operator sits in the editorial / research / build seat (already in place). The operator seat needs a Mexico-based partner; Patrick is the identified profile match (see section above). Equity intent is equal partnership — 50/50 spirit — with specific terms set in conversation when the second seat is filled.
Editorial / Research / Build seat — Proven Longevity (Isa)
Known capability — in place from Day 1.
- Editorial-first site (Astro on operator VPS, zero marginal hosting cost)
- Research desk — Stanford, EO timeline, Texas IMPACT, S.4031, regulatory monitoring
- SEO content engine — 15+ cornerstone articles, veteran-vertical primary cluster
- Cardiac-safety editorial discipline (the trust moat)
- Brand + voice + automation infrastructure
- Funnel automation — lead capture, clinic-handoff, attribution tracking
- Entity, accounting, ongoing IP ownership
- ~5 hrs/week ongoing after Week 4
Operator seat — Mexico-based partner
Open. Patrick identified as profile match (see section above).
- Clinic relationship development — direct B2B affiliate negotiation with Beond, Ambio, Crossroads, Iboga Quest, MindScape
- In-country verification — safety-protocol checks, telemetry confirmation
- Spanish-language outreach + ongoing clinic-partner comms
- Industry insight on pharma B2B + COFEPRIS framework
- ~15 hrs/week operational
Capital required (facts of what's needed)
| Tranche | Range | Trigger |
|---|
| Phase 1 — launch (Month 1) |
£2,200–£3,800 |
Entity formation (Companies House £50), domain (£10), ICO data protection fee (£52), business email (£12–£70), basic UK ad-law review (£1,500–£2,500), Ahrefs Starter 3mo (£87), buffer (£300–£500). Deploys before any clinic conversation. |
| Phase 2 — ramp (Month 3+) |
£4,500–£9,500 |
US healthcare attorney — AKS + medical-tourism structure review (£4,000–£8,000), native ad test budget (£500–£1,500), buffer (£400). Gate-tied to real clinic pipeline traction; not deployed speculatively. |
| 6-month total |
£6,700–£13,300 |
Funding source TBD. Capital-recovery-first waterfall would apply to whoever funds each tranche — funder recovers outlay off the top before profit distribution. Standard structure; specifics set when funder confirmed. |
Unit costs sourced May 2026 — see canvas methodology section. Phase 2 US healthcare attorney cost can be consolidated with Peptide Bridge's same engagement, saving £4,000–£8,000 across the Bridge family (single combined review instead of two separate). In-country travel + lodging are absorbed by the Mexico-operator seat as part of their seat contribution — not separately budgeted.
Editorial drawn-line — what the venture will NOT do
- Never represent the site as a US-facing principal. UK Ltd is the entity.
- Never position any partner as medical authority — editorial voice stays journalistic.
- Never make therapeutic claims publicly.
- Never recommend an unlicensed or non-telemetry-monitored clinic.
Risks — Real Ones
HIGHCardiac death at a recommended clinic = national news. Low risk at licensed clinics with telemetry (191-patient cohort study: zero deaths). Medium overall in the broader ibogaine space. Mitigation: hard editorial rule — only recommend telemetry-monitored licensed clinics. Cardiac-safety primer prominent. US healthcare attorney AKS + medical-tourism structure review pre-clinic-deal (£4,000–£8,000, Phase 2 line item — Holt Law / LumaLex Law).
HIGHClinic affiliate rates come in below industry-pattern inference. The 10–20% band is not verified. Mitigation: operator seat owner verifies in Weeks 2–4 by direct outreach to 5 clinics. If terms below 8%, revisit unit economics or pivot to paid-listing/directory model.
MEDFDA / FTC promotional-claims letter. Foreign-website shield doesn't exist. Mitigation: editorial discipline — no cure claims, source-cited journalism only, paid relationships disclosed, "consult a doctor" hard CTA.
MEDTrump EO doesn't translate to demand spike. Already happening — Rogan ongoing, Texas IMPACT live, VETS pipeline growing. EO is amplifier not sole driver.
MEDOperator seat exits mid-sprint. Mitigation when terms are settled: vesting tied to deliverables + capital-recovery-first waterfall protect both sides. The editorial site remains an asset (email list + traffic) and can be sold or wound down if the operator seat empties.
Open Decisions
- Brand name — three candidates pre-launch. Working candidates: "Lucidity," "The Recovery Compass," research-desk style names.
- Operator seat conversation — invite Patrick into the venture (identified profile match). Bring this brief + the canvas to the conversation. Settle equity terms (50/50 spirit) at the table, including vesting tied to deliverables + capital-recovery-first waterfall.
- Phase 1 capital sourcing (£2,200–£3,800) — funder TBD. Operator, Patrick (if onboarded), or external. Single conversation.
- Phase 2 capital sourcing (£4,500–£9,500) — gate-tied to clinic-pipeline traction. Triggered Month 3+. Can be same or different funder.
- Pre-Phase-2 legal discovery call — 30-min consult with one US healthcare attorney (Holt Law or LumaLex Law) before committing the legal review budget. Confirms scope + final flat-fee.
- VETS partnership pitch — when to approach (Month 2 once site has 5 cornerstone articles), through what channel
- Cardiac-safety advisory — engage a US-based cardiologist as named medical advisor? ~£200/mo retainer for editorial credibility
- Exit decision rights — equal vote on sale decisions between operating seats, mandatory 30-day notice