Sabba Nazhand spent 20 years in startup sales roles in London, Hong Kong and New York before turning to psychedelics. Today he is co-founder and CEO of Safar, an AI-driven continuity-of-care platform for psychedelic practitioners.

A first 5-MeO-DMT journey with no integration support left him disoriented for weeks and showed him the gap he would go on to build Safar to fill. In this episode, he talks about building a psychedelic startup in a space with almost no money, how he found the right co-founder, why AI can help practitioners between sessions, and what chasing this mission has cost him personally.

In this conversation:
02:35 — What Sabba leaves out of his origin story
05:41 — From years in startup sales to psychedelics
07:41 — A first 5-MeO-DMT journey with no integration support
14:11 — Building Safar in a space with no money
20:23 — How to break into the psychedelic field
24:48 — How Sabba found his co-founder
31:57 — How Safar supports clients between sessions
39:05 — AI, privacy and sensitive client data
42:07 — The sacrifices behind building Safar
45:06 — Depression, divorce and an ADHD diagnosis
54:23 — What keeps Sabba grounded
57:18 — Three lessons for entering the psychedelic field
1:05:10 — How Sabba told his family about psychedelics
1:08:43 — Sabba's wishes for the psychedelic industry

Meet Sabba
Sabba Nazhand is the co-founder and CEO of Safar, a continuity-of-care platform that helps therapists, coaches, clinics and retreat centers stay connected with clients between sessions and measure outcomes. Before entering the psychedelic space, he spent 20 years at fast-paced startups, working his way up from appointment setter to chief sales officer.
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Instagram: @sabba_joinsafar

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LinkedIn: Sophie J. Spitzer

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Disclaimer:
This episode includes open conversations about psychedelic use and mental health. Everything shared reflects personal experience and is not medical advice or a substitute for professional care. Psychedelics are illegal in many countries, so check the laws where you live. If you're going through a hard time, please reach out to a qualified professional or a local support service.