From CultState

NXIVM is a Amway-style multi-tier marketing company that sells self-improvement techniques. It was founded by Keith Raniere, an advertising executive and excessively charismatic personality. He successfully attracted high profile people to his cult and managed to bring in not just both Sara and Clare Bronfman, but a considerable chunk of their wealth as well. Sarah and Clare are the daughters of the former World Jewish Congress president Edgar Bronfman Sr. and heiresses to the Seagramm's estate. They are the half-sister of Edger Bronfman Jr., the former chairman of Warner Music Group.

What was NXIVM doing? Their "research" fell under the category of improving "human potential". Their multi-tiered hierarchy is designed to promote commitment to loyalty. NXIVM requested members to submit blackmail material about themselves to progress through the ranks. The higher they went, the more severe the blackmail, the more they could build out a workforce to perform illegal operations. NXIVM was deeply interested in unethical and unmonitored 1930s-style experimentation upon human states and conditions. A simple search will reveal some of their more unorthodox experiments They not only claimed to research, understand, measure, and improve human potential, but they found people who were seeking the same thing, both as members and as investors.