Inward

Robbie Bent's journey to Inward began in the depths of failure and depression. After his international SIM card startup raised $25 million but became obsolete when roaming fees disappeared, he found himself broke and directionless. A friend suggested he take an ayahuasca retreat in South America—a decision that would change everything. On that retreat, he met someone launching a crypto venture capital fund who suggested he explore Ethereum, then trading at $6.

With nothing to lose, Robbie dove deep into Ethereum despite knowing nothing about crypto. He started organizing hackathons, connecting engineers with portfolio companies, and became so immersed in the energy around Ethereum that the Ethereum Foundation recruited him as their first non-technical marketer. He built the community, hosted events, and rode Ethereum from under $10 to thousands of dollars per coin. The experience was transformative—both financially and spiritually.

After making significant wealth in crypto, Robbie got serious about the very experience that redirected his life: psychedelics and wellness. He built an epic facility in his Canadian garage—a custom cold plunge, a 20-person sauna, greenhouse greenery, and musical installations. He started hosting facilitated cold/heat therapy sessions and guided psychedelic experiences with a doctor on site. When he listed these experiences on Airbnb and Groupon, they booked solid 24/7. The demand was immediate and overwhelming.

The in-person events proved the concept perfectly, but they had a hard ceiling: one garage, limited dates, geographic constraints. Robbie recognized the bottleneck and pivoted to an app-based solution. Inward launched as a breathwork app—guided sessions with curated music designed to replicate the energy and effect of his live sessions. The app captured the essence of what made the in-person experiences work: structured guidance, music curation, and the feeling of a "guaranteed high without drugs." Early users responded enthusiastically, with some experiencing lightheadedness and euphoria from five-minute sessions.

Inward is positioned at the intersection of two huge trends: the shift toward mental fitness (not just mental health) and the mainstream adoption of breathwork as an alternative to traditional fitness. The app represents the Calm/Headspace opportunity for breathwork—an ancient technique modernized and packaged for mass consumption. With strong word-of-mouth traction from early users, Inward is scaling what Robbie proved works at scale in a garage, now packaged for millions.