Longevity.Technology CEO Phil Newman on the longevity industry\u2019s evolution and why Longevity 3.0 might not be as far off as it sounds. <\/p>\n
In May this year, the Vitalist Bay Longevity Investors Summit<\/a> convened a cross-disciplinary cohort of scientists, entrepreneurs, clinicians and investors on the shores of the San Francisco Bay in Berkeley \u2013 a gathering that positioned itself not only as a forum for thought leadership but as a locus of commercial and translational momentum within the longevity space. Held within the context of the newly launched Vitalist Bay initiative<\/a> \u2013 an ecosystem designed to accelerate geroscience innovation through collaboration, capital and community \u2013 the event featured a number of data-rich presentations, including a presentation by Phil Newman, the founder and CEO of Longevity.Technology. The session offered a candid assessment of the industry\u2019s current state and mapped its possible futures \u2013 from the maturing scaffolds of Longevity 2.0 to the speculative architecture of Longevity 3.0.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Phil Newman on\u2026 The scale of the longevity ecosystem <\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing major developments in the industry overall; influencers like Bryan Johnson have entered the conversation, GLP-1s are on the market \u2013 it\u2019s a very exciting time. People are starting to analyze what this space might become but the issue is, the data often conflates all sorts of interpretations of what longevity is: supplements, luxury cruises for elders\u2026 it\u2019s a bit of a mess.<\/p>\n Our 2024 report<\/a> looks at the data in the noise; we analyze 14 subdomains \u2013 from senotherapeutics to reproductive longevity and rejuvenation, and we analyze the industry across 25 different domains of longevity. We\u2019re adding a 26th: biostasis, which we hadn\u2019t previously taken as seriously, but it\u2019s clearly becoming important.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s good news: across our 1,500 tracked companies, funding from 2023 to 2024 peaked at $8.26 billion. That shows the market is rebounding \u2013 although we\u2019re not quite back to the highs of 2021, partly due to the ongoing biotech winter. The number of deals has fallen, but deal sizes are increasing.<\/p>\n This funding spreads across the 25 longevity domains. Discovery platforms are still the outliers. Neuropharma has also become more prominent recently due to some fascinating developments. The US dominates funding \u2013 85% of last year\u2019s funding went to US companies, with California leading the charge.<\/p>\n We all know the problem we\u2019re trying to solve but compared with other sectors, longevity still lacks capital and visibility. As an industry, we\u2019re not yet clearly articulating our value proposition, or hitting our stride, and we\u2019re still waiting for some of the therapeutics we all want to see.<\/p>\n From 1.0 to 2.0 and beyond <\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about the spaghetti that is the longevity industry. Right now, we\u2019re in Longevity 1.0, but we\u2019re moving toward Longevity 2.0, and with that in mind, we are recutting our data into our Ten Levels of Longevity framework<\/a> \u2013 and here are some highlights.<\/p>\n Lifestyle management: Diet, sleep, exercise, alcohol \u2013 but it\u2019s all shifting. Technogym is leaning into longevity, calling it \u201chealthness.\u201d There are more M&A, and gyms are getting involved.<\/p>\n Consumer diagnostics: The market needs standardization. I don\u2019t buy into \u201cI\u2019m 47, but I test as 21.\u201d We need reliable, benchmarked consumer diagnostics. AI and efforts like the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium<\/a> will help.<\/p>\n Longevity biohacking: Supplements, red light therapy, cryo \u2013 it\u2019s a booming market. We\u2019re in this space, and I recently met with Alex Zhavoronkov, who\u2019s working on GRAS-level supplement innovation.<\/p>\n Longevity clinics: I\u2019ve been to three clinics, each identified different issues \u2013 the sector lacks consistency, and we\u2019ll be launching a Longevity Clinics Directory soon. Standards in diagnostics, intervention, and clinic practice are coming \u2013 and needed.<\/p>\n Aging disease management: This is the sick-care paradigm. We do count companies here if they\u2019re targeting aging diseases, but the opportunity lies in preventing aging diseases altogether. Think GLP-1s, BioAge\u2026 things are going in the right direction.<\/p>\n Targeted age reversal: Everyone\u2019s talking about partial cellular reprogramming. Life Biosciences is about to enter Phase 2 trials on the eye<\/a>. Turn.Bio is another exciting player and Fauna Bio has a big deal with Eli Lilly<\/a>. This field is still young but very promising.<\/p>\n Longevity 3.0 \u2013 the new frontier <\/p>\n Longevity 3.0 could mean disease-free, hyper-longevity \u2013 even endless existence. Some avoid terms like \u201cimmortality,\u201d but that\u2019s the frontier.<\/p>\n In the digital space, early efforts are fascinating. A company called Subsense<\/a> is using two types of nanobots that go through the nasal cavity into the brain \u2013 read\/write nanotech for neurodegenerative diseases, and eventually, telepathy. Their funding came from Silicon Valley investors excited by this longer-term vision.<\/p>\n We should consider systemic aging reversal \u2013 senotherapeutics, mitochondrial transplant, full-body cellular reprogramming. Companies like Mitrix Bio<\/a> in California and others in Israel are working to reprogram all mitochondria in the body.<\/p>\n And if that doesn\u2019t work? Then we look at organ preservation, which is a practical, near-term step. But biostasis \u2013 this emerging domain \u2013 is one of the most exciting areas right now. I recently asked Alex Zhavoronkov how serious head transplants are. He said: very. A Chinese doctor is already performing spinal cord transplants in humans. Combine that with surrogate body concepts, and this becomes a real frontier.<\/p>\n Eventually, maybe we\u2019ll retire to the cloud and leave behind our biological bodies. That\u2019s what some thinkers and investors are aiming for. Laura Deming, for example, raised $48m for Cradle<\/a>, a biostasis project aimed at space travel. The crossover between longevity and space is growing.<\/p>\n AI isn\u2019t a threat \u2013 it\u2019s a tool. Everyone\u2019s using it now. We\u2019re all part of something remarkable, and the future is incredibly exciting, and frankly, too exciting for us to die. That\u2019s why I echo Bryan Johnson\u2019s mantra: Don\u2019t die<\/a>.<\/p>\n