Over the past few years, conferences devoted to studying aging and longevity have attracted scholars, gerontologists, and medical specialists from all walks of life. This makes it logical, given the topics covered in a Ph.D. The biology of Ageing course likely includes cellular rejuvenation, autophagy, and senescence. As society has become more health conscious, companies focusing on increasing human longevity have risen.
However, motivation to work out can come from more than simply your smartphone. Many biotech-focused illness prevention and organ regeneration initiatives qualify as longevity businesses. Most people want a long, evergreen life, and some organizations come with the perfect information and services. In this article, we will discuss one of the core startups of the longevity of human life, “ Life extension venture.”
Life Extension Ventures and the people behind it
Life Extension Ventures, based in New York City, is a new $100 million fund promising to prioritize “longevity for people and planet.” on practice, this means investing in startup founders who are hastening the longevity research process. This encompasses artificial intelligence, direct-to-consumer, web3, infrastructure-as-a-service, platforms and markets, and humans, animals, agriculture, food, energy, and transportation.
The good news is that the fund’s founding team has extensive experience in research, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. Investors and founders from other VCs, the creators of unicorns, and significant institutions are among Life Extension’s LPs. Dr. Inaki Berenguer, co-founder of Life Extension, attended MIT and Columbia before starting Pixable, which was bought by Singtel, and CoverWallet, which will be acquired by Aon in 2020.
Dr. Amol Sarva, the Co-Founder, went to Stanford and Columbia for his education in cognitive science and afterward taught at Columbia. He founded Peek, which SoftBank acquired, and the flexible office unicorn Knotel. The two have previously invested as angels in companies like DeepCell, which utilizes artificial intelligence to construct a library of cell morphology, and Particle Health, which has raised $40 million. Galatea Bio is a DNA databank for genetic discoveries.
According to Sarva, “There was a clean tech 1.0, a clean tech 2.0, and something similar is happening in the biotech universe right now.” The prospect is more akin to technology now that software intersects with research in novel ways. We’re going to zero in on software and data-driven businesses,” Berenguer continued. Most businesspeople we’ll invest in differ from your standard lab-coated biologists. They will use these simulations to analyze data gathered from actual experiments. For instance, APIs will be used in commercial settings like online marketplaces. This is remarkably close to the situation 20 years ago on the internet.
What we do for individuals, but also for the earth we live on, is crucial to the destiny of humanity,” Sarva said. Equally true. The science and technology involved are the same. The results are visible. Biology and chemistry are involved. It affects people in many ways, including agriculture, food production, and electricity generation. The solution to every problem lies in this cutting-edge science. Let’s investigate the overlap between software and science, we reasoned. That will have a tremendous effect. The fund’s headquarters will be in New York, but there will also be staff in Madrid, London, and San Francisco.
Elementary Phase of Life Extension Ventures
Life Extension Ventures was founded by two doctors, Inaki Berenguer, and Amol Sarva.
Berenguer has started and led several successful businesses, including the $30 million acquisition of Pixable by SingTel (SGD) and the $60 million financing and subsequent acquisition of CoverWallet by Aon. Sarva has co-founded several businesses.
There includes Virgin Mobile USA, Peek (which raised $12 million and was acquired by Bharti SoftBank), $10 million in funding for Halo Neuroscience (which was acquired by rival Flow), and $350 million for Knotel (which was acquired by Newmark (NMRK) in 2021). Sarva appropriately attended universities like Stanford and Columbia to study cognitive science.
There’s no denying Berenguer and Sarva’s wealth of industry experience. They’ve started or put money into scores of firms that have since gone public.
However, it remains to be seen how much knowledge they possess regarding longevity and climate. Since the fund has no investments, we cannot speculate how this crossover could function in practice.
On the fund’s website, the founders brag about their investments in companies, including Deepcell, GlycanAge, Galatea Bio, Particle Health, and Mable, all working to improve human longevity. Whether or if Life Extension Ventures have an actual effect on longevity research, the arduous process of developing new drugs, or the pursuit of life extension, in general, remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the prospects are encouraging.
Considering the network effect this could have on bringing in thousands of tech-savvy individuals to longevity and the availability of new financing, it’s easy to see why this is an exciting development.
The Goal and current situation of Life Extension Ventures
Life Extension Ventures’ $100 million fund aims to lengthen people’s lives. The company’s funding of early-stage ventures at the interface of science and technology is intended to stimulate interdisciplinary approaches to the aging crisis.
Have a long and happy life! TechCrunch says significant funding is being allocated to discover how to extend the human lifespan beyond the current maximum of 77 years.
Life Extension Ventures, based in New York City, has established a $100 million fund for companies working on technologies that would increase “longevity for people and planet,” such as those that will aid in preventing disease or regenerating damaged organs. Biotechnology, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and renewable energy are examples of new businesses merging science and software to improve human and environmental longevity.
Experts in science and business (such as Life Extension Ventures co-founders and serial entrepreneurs Drs. Inaki Berenguer and Amol Sarva) should ensure the company’s millions are used. As more and more individuals look to technology to help them age gracefully, the longevity industry is thriving.
According to the Ageing Analytics Agency, funding for longevity-focused startups hit $40 billion in 2017. Apollo Health and Maximon, two European investment businesses, are establishing sizable funds totaling $180 million and $96 million, respectively. Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, each worth tens of billions of dollars, are making significant investments in the sector. By 2025, Bank of America forecasts that the market may be worth a healthy $600 billion. There’s always the metaverse to fall back on if all that cash is wasted.
Conclusion
Now you have a good knowledge of live extension ventures. It is one of the most effective ways of ensuring a long and happy life. People should show more and more interest in those organizations to thrive. More investment and effort should be put in for the utmost success.
FAQs
How big is the Life Extension Ventures Fund?
The $100 million Life Extension Ventures fund aims to support businesses working to develop “longevity for people and [the] planet.” Humans, livestock, farms, food, power, and transportation are all areas of interest to the fund.
Who is the CEO of Life Extension?
Life Extension, led by CEO Paul Gilner, has its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
What is the lifespan of a venture fund?
The average lifespan of a venture capital fund is 8-10 years, starting at the time of the initial close. Fund managers typically seek pre-determined extension periods (2-3 years, for example) to ensure a seamless withdrawal from all investments. Ending the contract early is possible if specific conditions are met.
Where is Life Extension from?
The Life Extension Foundation (LEF) and its affiliated vitamin and supplement retailer, the Life Extension Buyer’s Club, operated out of the same Fort Lauderdale, Florida office. It also maintains a call center in Sin City.
Who owns Life Extensions?
Gilner claims that Life Extension’s roots are in the b2c sector, where the company’s 315 employees started. Life Extension is privately held by co-founders William Faloon and Saul Kent.
