Hello Mycopreneurs,

Welcome to Part 2 of 26 Mushroom Companies to Watch in 2026.

This is an annual list I’ve been compiling since 2023 that helps people track some of the many innovative and impactful mushroom startups and established companies operating in different fungal niches across the globe. You can find Part 1 of this list here.

This list is by no means exhaustive and is simply one perspective rather than a definitive ranking. I’ve made an effort to include a number of international and largely under the radar mycopreneurs in the spirit of celebrating innovation and aptitude where marketing dollars and major funding are absent.

Beneath Part 2 of this list you’ll find a round up of some recent mushroom news from across the world, and at the bottom of this newsletter you’ll find an invitation to today’s Mycopreneur Incubator, our weekly low-key, cost free online accelerator and networking hub for global mushroom entrepreneurs.

Mycogenius is an emerging leader mushroom supplement category in the EU . Recently awarded First Place in the Cordycup for Best Extract, the brand was built for consumers tired of unverified powders. By sourcing exclusively high-potency mushroom extracts and mandating rigorous third-party testing for every batch, founder Seth Colchester is proving that in 2026, premium functional mushrooms are defined by measurable quality markers, not just marketing.

Mycelium Matters is an El Paso, Texas based educational and advocacy outfit that has had a remarkable global impact in the last few years. From co-organizing the African Rising Mushroom Festival in Uganda to packing the house at MUD/WTR Psychedelic Summit in Los Angeles, to the annual Texas Mushroom Conference in Austin and more taking shape in the Petri dish right now, Mycelium Matters is a force to be reckoned with in the fungi event space. They also have a mushroom farm in El Paso and are involved in mycoremediation research and psilocybin mushroom policy advocacy among numerous other successful ventures that are each growing in profile - definitely a team to keep tabs on and get involved with collaboratively here.

The Future Is Fungi Award is a biannual global award and launchpad for frontier fungal startups and science entrepreneurs solving some of our largest environmental challenges. This award has been in effect for three years and serves to help focus attention on the Fungi Kingdom as a viable resource base for addressing many of the planets most pressing issues ranging from regenerative product design to climate solutions to food and materials and beyond. The organization made waves at the World Economic Forum annual Davos just last week, where fungi innovation took the stage in earnest amidst many of the most globally significant power players and industries represented at the annual meeting.

Sacred Path Retreats is stepping up their international psilocybin mushroom retreat game in a big way in 2026. Drawing upon 4 years of successfully hosting bespoke mushroom retreats in multiple countries and collaborations with high profile outfits like Beckley Retreats, founder Andy Sudbrock has recently been named Director of Retreats for the renowned Coral Cove Wellness Resort in Jamaica. Andy and I are teaming up for the inaugural Laughter Is Medicine retreat at Coral Cove March 15-20 with an afterparty March 20-22. The mycotourism space is surging right now as a growing part of the $1 Trillion Wellness Tourism industry and this niche within the broader mycopreneurial space is mushrooming across the world. From Jamaica to The Netherlands to many more places, mushroom tourism is booming. Beyond psilocybin mushroom tourism, many other companies are now running mycotourism trips focused on mushroom foraging, cooking, and connecting with indigenous fungal traditions with mushroom focused expeditions to places like Mexico, France, Thailand, India and virtually every other corner of the world.

The Laughter Is Medicine Retreat is the first mushroom retreat offering from Mycopreneur as well, marking a significant development in the life of this platform. We already have a number of spots sold for this first of its kind offering in the mushroom retreat space which focuses on fun, comedy and joy as the primary driving force of the retreat.

The Early Bird discount for the Laughter Is Medicine retreat has been extended through February 14th, and you can learn more about it and reserve your spot here

Amentara has emerged as the leader in the rapidly growing Amanita muscaria mushroom space. You already know the iconic mushroom 🍄, but chances are you have developed a healthy skepticism and even flat out aversion to this legal psychoactive fungus due to years of cultural programming and misinformation around it.

The recent RAND report documenting psychedelic use among the U.S. adult population placed Amanita muscaria mushrooms as one of the most consumed psychoactive substances in 2025. Amanita muscaria has battled stigma around it’s potential toxicity and delirium inducing properties, yet millions of people around the world use this mushroom for its noted medicinal qualities that have centuries or perhaps even millennia of documented human use as a visionary tool, a potent pain medication when used topically, and numerous other use cases. The team at Amentara have been instrumental in helping to bring this ‘other magic mushroom’ into the cultural limelight in the United States and beyond. I for one can comment that I’ve had repeated and beneficial experiences with Amanita muscaria thanks to accurate preparation and dosing guidelines from the Amentara team, with specific effects largely related to the amplification of dream states and deep sleep.

The mushroom coffee sector has been heating up in a big way over the last few years — initially written off by some as a bubble of sorts, this functional beverage category has made inroads into virtually every major chain store in the U.S. and an increasing number of coffee shops and boutique vendors internationally. I was even surprised to find a mushroom coffee blend made by refugees in Uganda during my visit there in November of 2025.

Mycroboost is positioned to have a breakout 2026 and join the ranks of the biggest players in the sector thanks to the premium quality of the product and the resourcefulness and diligence of the team behind it, who draw from decades of experience building successful brands in the wellness space.

Check out Mycroboost co-founder Robert Johnson’s recent appearance on the wildly popular Detox / Retox podcast discussing the brand here

Aleacion FUN is one of the leading mushroom startups in Latin America thanks to their combination of brick and mortar storefront and online presence mixed with an exceptional product and cross-cultural communication skills. Originally founded in Argentina and currently based in Mexico, they have built a thriving community around the mushroom lifestyle. With offerings like daily adaptogenic mushroom chocolates, nootropic beverages such as their excellent Adaptogenic Cacao, and microdose massages available in person as part of their ‘mushroom spa’ services, this group is leveling up the fungi culture anywhere they pop up.

The team produces events such as the Yuy Fest in Chiapas, Mexico, which has drawn over 1,000 attendees to each of its two editions. Their TikTok presence has also extended the reach of the brand internationally.

Circle back next week for the next installment of 26 Mushroom Companies to Watch in 2026…Think your company belongs on this list? Get in touch by replying to this newsletter.

Yeah….no. The first sentence in this article shoots the credibility of this take right in the foot:

“Psychedelic drugs, after decades of being synonymous with counterculture, are now being seriously studied as medical treatments.”

Amanita muscaria mushrooms actually have been used by various cultures for over 6,000 years, since at least 4000 BCE, so trying to paint it as some new emergent phenomenon that is now being ‘seriously studied’ is a misinformed perspective.

The majority of the article addresses the emerging consumer market for products purporting to be Amanita muscaria and the piece often compares them to psilocybin mushrooms in regards to modern cultural appeal, but the article makes the grave mistake of confusing the unregulated consumer market in which products labeled as Amanita muscaria often test positive for novel psychoactive substances or other synthetic compounds unrelated to Amanita muscaria itself for the mushroom in question here.

This isn’t to say that anyone should go out and eat wild foraged Amanita muscaria right out of the ground — the process of decarboxylation will serve those who are interested in Amanita muscaria well, as will educating oneself about the fungus and connecting with reputable vendors such as Amentara. If being uninformed and unscrupulous regarding random gas station or online ‘Trippy’ products is your thing, then this article is correct. If meticulous research and empowering yourself with education and self-control is more your lane, then this article reads like fearmongering clickbait.

Various mushrooms have been used in skin care in Asia for many years thanks to their hydrating properties. I myself have used some form or another of mushroom skincare for about three years after stumbling upon a product in South Korea — the U.S. market appetite for healthier skin with the aid of mushrooms is increasing, and this will be a space to watch in the coming years.

Zide Door in Oakland is a psilocybin mushroom megachurch run with 130,000 + members. For anyone confused about the concept of a ‘mushroom church’, it’s simply a vehicle for protecting people’s access to natural sacraments thanks to a carve out in the U.S. Constitution protecting Freedom of Religion. The first entheogenic church was established in 1918 with the Native American Churchm which was established to protect indigenous access to the mescaline containing Peyote cactus. This tradition continues today with an estimated 500 + psychedelic churches in the United States and more internationally — this piece by NPR is a solid look into the largest mushroom church in the U.S.

Mushrooms and high fashion continue to function symbiotically together as evidenced by the recent myco inspired Chanel fashion show in Paris. I’ve also personally seen mushroom-themed window displays at the Louis Vuitton store in Singapore before. This recent fashion show leaned into mushrooms as a world-building motif, positioning models beneath gorgeous representations of various macromycetes as shown above.

Time: Today, Jan 29, 2026 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT U.S.
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Thanks for reading the Mycopreneur Newsletter and please forward this to your friends and colleagues who may be interested in joining the Mycopreneur Incubator or plugging into the global mushroom entrepreneurial community here.

Cheers,

DW