Can performance-enhancing drugs push the boundaries of human potential? Creators Improved games say yes – and they build a latest sporting event to prove it.
The goal of the Enhanced Games, backed by Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, is to disrupt the Olympics with competitions that allow athletes to dope. The games, which is able to launch in Las Vegas in May 2026, promise a $1 million prize for breaking world records and rely on a business model reminiscent of Red Bull’s, using the spectacle as marketing for future enhancement products.
Today on the Equity TechCrunch Podcast, she spoke with Rebecca Bellan Aron D’Souzaco-founder and president of Enhanced Games, about the business of enhancement, what it means to build in the longevity space, and who gets to do it.
Listen to the full episode to listen to:
- How the enterprise raised “double-digit millions” and landed Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley, who D’Souza said will break Usain Bolt’s 100m record at age 31.
- Why D’Souza thinks Olympic drug testing has stymied performance-enhancing research, and how allowing improvements in sports could lead on to a breakthrough in longevity.
- Enhanced’s plan to build a telehealth platform selling testosterone and weight reduction drugs (which have yet to be developed).
- Social, economic and ethical consequences of extending human life.
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