We all age. But we have never aged this much before.
In the USA at least one in six people is now over 65. At the same time, in most developed countries, older people constitute an unprecedented proportion of the population.
It is also a global phenomenon, especially for the very old. Over the next 30 years, the number of individuals aged 80 and older will increase about three times more worldwide. It is predicted that the variety of centenarians increase tenfold between 2010 and 2050.
But chronological age is often not the best method to measure aging. As longevity-focused startups are often quick to indicate: It’s just a number. The affluent, health-conscious, and genetically lucky among us can remain quite spry, even as the years wear on.
Age-Based Startup Boomlet and Key IPO
The long-standing mantra of longevity-minded investors and entrepreneurs has been that it is higher to focus on biological ageusing biomarkers to trace the actual state of the body.
At the same time, a large group of startups have emerged in the past few years, offering services that aim to slow, maintain, or even shorten biological age by a few years. To date, they have collectively raised billions in areas such as precision medicine and age-related metabolic diseases.
The space is also poised for one of its most prestigious public offerings yet, the debut of BioAge Laboratorieswhich develops therapies for obesity and other metabolic diseases that concentrate on the biology of human aging. The Richmond, Calif.-based company is searching for $142.5 million in funding Nasdaq along with a $15 million private placement.
BioAge, as its name suggests, is one of the more longevity-focused corporations. Founded and led by an experienced aging researcher Kristen Fortneyfocuses on studying the impact of molecular changes that occur as humans age and how they cause physical deterioration and disease. Her current leading therapeutic goal is obesity.
Notable longevity funding rounds in 2024
In addition to being the largest pending IPO, BioAge is also the largest longevity-focused enterprise capital firm to shut this 12 months $170 million Series D in February under the chairmanship Sofinnova Investments.
While other longevity-focused corporations have secured sizable funding, none have come near this size. To illustrate, here are nine standout fundings.
The second largest fundraiser on our list is from Framingham, Massachusetts. Alzheoncreator of oral treatment in Phase 3 trial that goals to slow or stop Alzheimer’s disease. 11-year-old company acquired $100 million in Series D funding in June.
The third largest round went to a company based in Berkeley, California. Aeovian Pharmaceuticalswho raised $50 million in March financing to develop treatments for rare genetic and age-related diseases. Next up was Sunnyvale, California Rubedo Life Scienceswhat provided $40 million in Series A in May for a mission whose goal, as she describes herself, was “to discover and develop drugs that will allow us to maintain biological youth by affecting pathological cells that cause aging.”
Meanwhile, one other pioneering name in this field – Human longevity — also obtained latest financing, addition $39.8 million for Series BFounded in 2013, Human Longevity achieved unicorn status in 2017 but later saw a decline valuation drops rapidlyThe San Diego-based company did not disclose a valuation in its latest funding announcement.
Not Every Life Extension Startup Is a Long-Lived Company
Funding data for longevity-focused corporations provides only a partial picture of investment in life-extending therapies.
That’s because many corporations working on biotech breakthroughs that might extend life don’t market themselves as longevity startups. Instead, they define themselves around a specific therapeutic area, such as oncology or organ transplantation.
Therefore, the more broadly we glance at what constitutes a longevity-oriented company, the greater the amounts of financing and exits might be.
One of the most spectacular results of such events was the opening of a precision medicine company in June. Tempus AI listed on the Nasdaq. Chicago-based Tempus now has a market capitalization of nearly $8 billion. While it’s not explicitly a longevity company, its focus is an area that investors have identified as having great potential for life-extending breakthroughs.
Many of the biggest recipients of biotech funding this 12 months are also working in areas that might help longevity. That includes Boston Cardurion Pharmaceuticalsfocused on heart problems, based in South San Francisco Free namewhich offers early detection of cancer and eGenesisbased in Cambridge, Mass., which is developing engineered organs for human needs, initially focusing on kidney transplants. Together, the three organizations have raised greater than $700 million this 12 months.
Live longer, but also higher
While most of us welcome the prospect of living longer than our ancestors, our overriding goal is also to live well.
Longevity startups promising improved monitoring and early detection of treatable diseases, as well as latest treatments, could make a significant contribution to realizing these ambitions.
Of course, health breakthroughs will take time. Fortunately, demographic trends suggest that more of us will wait for them.