u/The_First_Medicine

I’m a pharmacognosy researcher and process-development chemist, and for the past several years I’ve been developing a process for extracting, purifying, and standardizing botanical alkaloids.

My current focus is kanna. At small scale, I can currently manufacture around 40 g/week of \~60% alkaloid isolate. After providing samples to distributors and manufacturers, I’ve received interest in quantities significantly beyond what I can presently produce.

Because of that, I recently completed a detailed scale-up proposal for producing approximately 50–100 kg/month of standardized 5% finished product.

I’ve also tested variations of the underlying method on several other plant species, including Corydalis and Catuaba, with similar results. My long-term goal is to build this into a broader platform for standardized botanical products rather than rely on a single plant.

The technical side is where I’m strongest. My background includes pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical manufacturing, analytical chemistry, QC/QA, and process development.

What I’m missing is the right person on the business side.

I’m looking for someone serious who understands some combination of business development, operations, manufacturing, distribution, commercialization, or building an early-stage company. I’m not expecting someone to simply fund the project. I’m looking for someone who actually wants to help build it.

I’ve had a previous business partnership that ultimately didn’t work out, so I’m being much more deliberate this time about finding someone whose goals, commitment, and expectations genuinely align with mine.

I figured a community of other founders would be a good place to put this out there and see whether anyone has been in a similar position.

I’m a pharmacognosy researcher and process-development chemist. For the past several years, I’ve been developing a process for extracting, purifying, and standardizing plant-derived alkaloids.

My current focus is kanna. At small scale, I can produce approximately 40 g/week of ~60% alkaloid isolate, and after providing samples to distributors and manufacturers, I’ve received interest in quantities far beyond my current production capability.

That led me to develop a detailed scale-up plan targeting roughly 50–100 kg/month of standardized 5% finished product. I’ve also tested variations of the underlying method on several other botanical species with similar results, so I believe there may be a broader platform here beyond one product.

My background is heavily technical: pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical manufacturing, analytical chemistry, QC/QA, and process development.

Where I’m struggling is the business side.

I don’t think what I need most is simply an investor. I think I need the right commercial/operations partner; someone who understands business development, manufacturing, distribution, fundraising, or scaling an early-stage company and can complement what I bring technically.

For founders who have been in a similar position, how did you find a serious business partner without giving up too much control or ending up with someone who wasn’t equally committed?

I’d especially be interested in hearing how other technical founders evaluated potential partners before formally going into business together.