Dear Friends -
How much would you invest in the chance to live to 150? Or to add 20 healthy years to your life? For Silicon Valley billionaires, the answer is billions. Over the past 25 years, more than $12.5 billion has been poured into companies chasing longevity breakthroughs. When I saw this article in last Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, I knew I wanted to share it with you all.
Names you know are behind it: Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Marc Andreessen, Yuri Milner, Brian Armstrong, Vinod Khosla, Marc Benioff. They are betting on science that might one day reverse aging, reprogram cells, or treat the diseases we now assume are part of growing older.
Here are a few of the big bets:
Retro Biosciences: Backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with $180 million, Retro is working to rejuvenate aging cells. Its CEO, Joe Betts-LaCroix, has been part of multiple biotech ventures over the years.
NewLimit: Co-founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong with support from Thiel, NewLimit is focused on reprogramming cell biology. It has raised more than $200 million, with investors including Eric Schmidt, Joe Lonsdale, Vinod Khosla, and Peter Diamandis.
Altos Labs: With $3 billion raised, Altos is the biggest player in the space. Its goal is cellular rejuvenation, essentially trying to reset cells to a younger state.
BioAge Labs: Backed by Andreessen and Khosla, BioAge is developing drugs to treat age-related diseases and recently went public.
Viome Life Sciences: Founded by Naveen Jain after his father’s death from cancer, Viome raised over $230 million to sell at-home tests and personalized nutrition plans. Investors include Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff and Khosla Ventures.
Function Health: A startup focusing on lab tests and lifestyle suggestions that has drawn celebrity backing from Kevin Hart and Matt Damon.
Not all of these ventures succeed. Unity Biotechnology, once flush with more than $350 million in funding, was delisted from Nasdaq this summer and announced it would shut down. But the failures don’t seem to slow the flow of capital or the dreams of the ultrawealthy.
What drives them? Personal stories and big visions. Jain wants to make “aging optional.” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, inspired by fasting science, invested $47 million in L-Nutra. Vinod Khosla says his goal is for a 70-year-old to feel like a 40-year-old.
And surrounding the money are the personalities who give longevity its cultural pull:
Peter Attia, doctor and bestselling author, co-founding a high-end longevity clinic.
David Sinclair, Harvard professor whose lab attracts billionaire visitors.
Bryan Johnson, spending $1 million a year on self-experiments that landed him a Netflix documentary.
Peter Diamandis, who created a $101 million XPrize competition to reverse aspects of aging.
Whether these companies succeed or fail, one thing is certain: the idea that aging can be slowed, reversed, or radically redefined has moved from the fringes to the mainstream.
For those of us in our Act Three, there is a choice. We can wait to see if science delivers a miracle pill or procedure. Or we can invest in the everyday longevity strategies that are already proven to work: strength training, better sleep, healthy nutrition, connection, purpose. The billionaires may be chasing 150, but most of us would be thrilled with vibrant, healthy years into our 80s and 90s.
Reflection for the week:
If you could add 20 more healthy years to your life, how would you spend them?
Cara Gray
Third Act Consultant, CPRC, CEPA™️
P.S.S. If you want to start planning your third act, set up a time on my calendar for a chat: Schedule a Chat with Cara