5 investors explain why longevity technology is a long-term game – TechCrunch

Of all The stories passed down through history, the never-ending stories of life, have remained largely unchanged in the human imagination. The details vary, but almost every civilization since the time of the Egyptians has tried to delay death in some way or another.

While we are still far from achieving that lofty goal, science has come a long way and as life expectancy increases, longevity has become a field of technology and medicine that aims to help people live to a healthy age.

“There is a common misconception that longevity means being frail and old (the “curse of Tetonus”),” said Nathan Cheng and Sebastian Brunemeyer of HealthSpan Capital. “The goal is to slow down aging and even turn back the clock – this is already possible in animals. Longevity treatments mean we live longer and live in better health.”

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But the cost and time involved in developing long-term solutions is a big hurdle, which means founders must be prepared to take the long view. “It’s hard to convince people to do things that only have a long-term impact. One of those things is longevity,” says Samuel Gill, partner at JME Ventures.

But Gill notes that the vast potential of the space is unprecedented.

There are many angles to solving problems for very different groups with different requirements. Health vs. Lifespan, Longevity for Pets vs. Humans, Biotech vs. Health, Seniors vs. Youth, Dependency vs. Autonomy, Prevention vs. Treatment, Analytics, Education, Infrastructure… See Longevity APIs, Back Ends, and more.

Although it appears that many general investors may have some time left to take interest, it’s becoming clear that longevity as a theme resonates with investors.

To bring you up to speed on where the long-term market stands and where it’s headed, we spoke to:

Samuel Gill, Partner, JME Ventures

What is the most important thing for first-time longevity founders to know?

Longevity is a loaded word. Although most people are interested in extending healthy lifespans (the number of years lived without age-related health problems), not everyone is interested (and some are prejudiced) in extending life (delaying a person’s death).

There are several reasons for this. Some think life is meaningful because it has no end (who wants to live forever?). Others think about environmental or economic issues.

So my advice is to use the word “longevity” carefully or use alternatives.

As we all know, it’s hard to convince people to do things that only leave a visible impact in the long run. Longevity is one of those things. My advice here is that your product must solve a current problem for the consumer – help them relieve back or knee pain, make them look better, and more – to entice them to buy now. Then you can use a long-term program to keep the user for a long time.

There are many angles to solving problems for very different groups with different requirements. Health vs. Lifespan, Longevity for Pets vs. Humans, Biotech vs. Health, Seniors vs. Youth, Dependency vs. Autonomy, Prevention vs. Treatment, Analytics, Education, Infrastructure… See Longevity APIs, Back Ends, and more.

Analysts estimate that the market for delaying human death could reach $610 billion by 2025.

Let me take the opposite view: I think the main challenge for the space is that the boldest approaches and products need to be clinically tested in population samples over a very long period of time. However, there are many things you can try with a large upside down and almost none of them are harmful.

As soon as a clinical trial shows positive results in humans, it becomes a gold rush.

What are you most excited about in the long-term space?

We all know how powerful technology is in shaping behavior. I believe there is great potential in using technology to model health positive behavior (sleep, exercise, diet) in the population. The impact on the health care system can be very high.

I’m also very interested in digital self-movement. I find it really hard to know what’s going on in our car in real time, but we have no clue what’s going on inside our bodies. Continuous monitoring will be realized to some extent.