Our People

Team

Sa’ad Shah

Managing Partner & Cofounder

‍“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.” – Rumi

‍

Sa'ad is a proud father of two daughters and devoted advocate for mental health, particularly for young women and minorities dealing with generational trauma.

He brings decades of experience working in financial markets, starting at RBC Capital Markets, where his work spanned real estate, investment banking, loan syndication, and derivative sales and trading. Later, he led marketing and client services at DGAM (Diversified Global Asset Management), which reached nearly $7B at its peak and was ultimately acquired by The Carlyle Group. Sa'ad has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University.

It was at DGAM that Sa'ad and Warren met, realizing their shared concerns around growing mental illness around the world, while both also became new parents. Over the years, their paths continued to intertwine as close friends and collaborators, until they saw an opportunity to marry their experience in finance with their desire to help others – thus birthing Noetic.

At Noetic, Sa’ad leads investor relations and business development. While the firm's vision is broad and backed by a multi-modal investment thesis, Sa’ad is particularly passionate about the gut-brain connection, the importance of the circadian rhythm in mental health, the potential application of AI in streamlining drug development, and harm reduction in the therapeutic use of psychedelic medicine.

Sa’ad is also an advisor to Learn Capital and a board member of Necessary Angel, a not-for-profit theatre company. He is an avid supporter of the performing arts, including past projects writing and co-producing short documentaries and films. Around the office, he is known as a health geek, from trying new recipes to little-known superfoods to super-long fasts. How do you make the best homemade cashew milk? Just ask Sa’ad!

Team

Warren Wright

Managing Partner & Cofounder

“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”– Buddha

‍‍

Warren is a father and passionate outdoorsman, who loves using nature to help others nurture connection and mind-body balance.

His path to Noetic was built on decades leading investments – first, as the head of hedge fund investments at Northwater Capital, before co-founding DGAM (Diversified Global Asset Management) and building it as CIO to nearly $7B at its peak, until it was acquired by The Carlyle Group. He then spent time at Carlyle as a partner and CIO of the Liquid Markets Group (Investment Solutions division). Warren is a Chartered Financial Analyst, member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, and he has a BBA in Finance from Bishop's University.

At DGAM, Warren met Sa'ad, where they became close friends and collaborators. As they both went through important milestones, from parenthood to spiritual discovery, they realized their shared commitment to mental health and the dearth of accessible solutions – ultimately leading to the creation of Noetic in their mission to find cures to mental illness.

Warren leads Noetic’s investment strategy and actively supports the portfolio companies. He is currently on the boards of the Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI) and Sana Health, and was formerly on the boards of Bexson Biomedical, People Science and Psygen Labs. He is also a member of the Ontario Brain Institute’s NewCo Advisory Committee. Across many interests, Warren is especially committed to preventative treatments and precision psychiatry, the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, the role and potential of the ‘mystical experience’ in psychedelic therapies, and safety, efficacy and harm reduction in plant medicines.

While models and frameworks are Warren's bread-and-butter, he is also our go-to person at Noetic for advice on going off-grid and finding the best lake getaways. He is devoted to living with intention and kindness – and finds great pleasure in passing this wisdom on to his children, communing with nature, and exploring the beauty and infinite possibilities of consciousness.

Team

Richard Cheung

General Counsel

15+ years advising clients ranging from startups to multinational corporations on intellectual property and regulated health products, at firms including Fasken, Ogilvy Renault, and Bereskin & Parr

Licensed pharmacist in the Province of Ontario, with experience in community and hospital pharmacy

LL.B. from Western University

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and B.Sc.Phm. (Pharmacy) from the University of Toronto

Registered Patent Agent and Trademark Agent in Canada

Team

Sri Teja Mullapudi

Principal, Fund Investments, Scientific Lead

“The world is perfect as it is, including my desire to change it.” – Ram Dass

‍‍

Teja is an insatiably curious scientist and explorer, whose passion for health innovation has led him to a career across three continents.

Rooted in innovation, he began his journey as an engineer in India before pursuing an advanced biology program in Germany. There, as part of a European industry-academia consortium, his focus on metabolism and drug discovery led to multiple awards and publications in peer-reviewed journals (PubMed). This interest continued with his work at TIAP, Toronto’s scientific and innovation hub, where he identified opportunities for investment to advance commercialization of early-stage technologies across therapeutic areas. He also co-founded and led business development for a neuropsychiatry startup. Teja has a BTech and MTech in Biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and a PhD in Biology from the Max Planck Society.

At Noetic, Teja drives investments and supports portfolio companies. He serves on the boards of Apollo Neuro, Bexson Biomedical and Damona Pharmaceuticals. He is deeply motivated by the prospect of shifting the current mental health paradigm from symptom management to a curative and preventive one, through a holistic and multimodal approach.

Beyond Noetic, Teja is active in the Canadian innovation ecosystem, including being an investigator for Creative Destruction Lab, an early-stage incubator. He finds balance through sport, especially soccer – with past stints on professional teams in Germany (TSV Rödgen) and Toronto (Toronto City FC)!

Team

David Schnarr

Chief Compliance Officer & Head of Operations

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein‍

‍

David is a champion of process, proud dad and self-professed armchair athlete, who enjoys using sport and the outdoors to nurture mind and body connection.

He brings years of experience establishing systems and leading teams in risk management, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and taxation. Most notably, he spent over 20 years at Maple Financial Group in multiple senior roles, with a broad mandate to meet local regulatory and European banking requirements. He later served as CFO and CCO for Clearwater Execution Services, a CIRO-registered broker-dealer that was purchased by the Bank of Montreal in 2020. David is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst, and he graduated from the University of Waterloo.

At Noetic, David is responsible for all financial operations and compliance.

Known as the most active person on the team, David devotes his summers to long-distance cycling and hiking, and in the winter, he is an active snowboarder and curler. He is also a volunteer at his local homeless shelter, assisting residents with their tax returns.

Team

Yee Tan

Principal, Finance & Operations

Yee is a girl-dad, foodie and advocate for wellbeing through family, community and cultural exploration.

He brings deep experience in financial markets, having spent over 20 years at RBC Capital Markets, first in corporate banking before becoming a senior corporate dealer. Across these roles, he served a wide portfolio of clients through corporate FX sales, risk management, structuring, hedging, advising and more. Yee is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has a BComm in Finance from Dalhousie University.

At Noetic, Yee is responsible for financial modeling, forecasting and portfolio valuation. He is particularly interested in early detection and prevention of dementia.

In his spare time, Yee enjoys exploring low-impact sports and advocates for holistic mental and physical lifestyle habits that boost quality of life.

Team

May Lee

Senior Associate

“The darkest hour is before the dawn.”

‍‍

May is a lifelong advocate for innovation that advances accessibility, equal opportunity and sustainable growth, motivated by early experiences in a low-income immigrant household and supporting family with untreated mental illness.

With health as her driving force, May was the first employee at Numinus, one of Canada’s earliest psychedelic therapy companies, working across investor relations, marketing and operations to support national and US expansion. In this time, she championed diversity in the emerging psychedelics sector, noting under-representation in clinical trials and protocol development, and advised the Psychedelic Medicine Association and Heroic Hearts Project Canada (veterans). Being a startup enthusiast, she has worked in various early-stage environments, including an edtech non-profit in Bangalore and impact investment project in Vancouver. May has a BA in History and International Relations from the University of British Columbia.

At Noetic, May is responsible for communications. She is especially interested in community-based interventions, passive monitoring and patient empowerment, and strongly believes in reframing health to include determinants such as gender, race, culture, financial health and the built environment.

Beyond the firm, May loves travel, healthy eating, mindfulness practice and fitness, including past (failed) attempts at amateur boxing. She greatly enjoys supporting entrepreneurs and is a member of Epic Angels, a global women-only angel investor collective advancing startups in SEA and LATAM.

Team

Victor Mifsud

Head of Real World Evidence

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

‍

Victor is a longtime champion for health optimization and psychedelic medicine, driven by his personal discovery of treatments for blindness since being diagnosed with a progressive rare eye disease as a child.

Being a multimedia artist and explorer, his path has blended numerous creative projects and wellness across health areas, from founding the Vision Optimization Summit to creating the feature-length documentary, “My Neuroplastic Adventure”. Over the years, he has worked with and mentored under renowned researchers and clinicians, including Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Norman Doidge and Dr. Lara Boyd. Victor has a BA in New Media from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).

At Noetic, Victor explores emerging treatments and overlooked areas of research, particularly focusing on neuroplasticity, mental health, cellular regeneration and cognitive enhancement.

Outside of Noetic, Victor is also a passionate music lover and DJ who sees sound as both art and medicine. He finds balance and renewal in the outdoors, especially while kayaking, and firmly believes in the power of nature to bring the mind, body and spirit into harmony.

Team

Mirza Haider

Consultant

Mirza is a travel enthusiast, gamer and advocate for mental health through meaningful connection, nature exploration and continuous personal growth.

He brings over seven years of experience in audit, compliance and taxation, having worked with diverse clients across industries to help them navigate tax regulations and maintain compliance with evolving standards. Mirza holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Cardiff University.

At Noetic, Mirza is responsible for tax compliance and accounting. Beyond the numbers, he is passionate about advancing conversations in mental health, especially around the early detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Outside of work, Mirza enjoys playing soccer, travelling and immersing himself in gaming, reflecting his appreciation for balance, curiosity, and staying active mentally and physically.

Team

Jeffrey Becker

Venture Partner

Dr. Becker is a leading medical expert and thought leader in the area of ketamine-assisted therapy, along with applied genetics and functional nutrient science in mental health. He is the Chief Scientific Officer and a cofounder of Bexson Biomedical. Jeff is board-certified in psychiatry and integrative and holistic medicine, and he completed his MD at UCLA Medical School.

Select Advisors

Marine Mallinson

Venture Advisor

Marine is an experienced tech entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, including one in a global business data platform (GIA) and another in an Asia-wide business expert platform (Fusion). As a dedicated mental health advocate, she is a board member and investor in several mental health companies.

Previously, Marine was also a co-founder and CEO of a gamified and AI-powered social network for cancer patients in China and a video Q&A platform. Her other past work includes investment banking in Tokyo and leading the editorial team of a Japanese publishing house. Marine has an MSc in Economics and Finance from Sciences Po Paris and a BA in Japanese Studies from INALCO Paris.

Select Advisors

Craig Hippern

Advisor

Craig is an innovative and entrepreneurial executive with 30 years of progressive experience focused on real estate, investment and financial services. Some of his most notable work includes the investment of over $15B across multiple asset classes, the launch of the world’s first hedge fund share class denominated in gold, and management of regulatory reporting for three TSX-listed publicly traded entities. Previously, he spent 10 years as the CFO of a Bermuda-based hedge fund and a Canadian real estate development company, and over eight years as VP of Finance, Risk Management and Hedge Fund Investment Due Diligence at Northwater Capital Management. Craig is a CPA and CA in Canada, and a CPA in the US (IL).

Select Advisors