Longevity: Can Ageing Be Reversed?
The mapping of 150+ startups helping us live longer.
Launch your startup on Framer - free for your first year. First impressions matter. With Framer, early-stage founders can launch a beautiful, production-ready site in hours. No dev team, no hassle. Join hundreds of YC-backed startups that launched here and never looked back. As a subscriber, you can get one year of Framer free if you’re an early-stage startup - saving you $360.
The next trillion-dollar companies won’t help you work faster — they’ll help you live longer.
We all have an expiry date. We spend a third of it sleeping. The end is in sight for all of us, but something interesting is happening right now in startup land. It’s not just AI startups capturing investors’ attention; health startups are about to have their moment.
Over the past few months, I’ve become much more interested in my own health: my sleep habits, what I put into my body, exercise, and the daily routines that might help me live longer. I’m definitely not trying to become Bryan Johnson, but the more people I speak to, the more the topic comes up: how do we live longer?
I don’t believe this health trend is slowing down anytime soon. More and more of us are becoming invested in our personal well-being, so I thought it would be useful to share some of the most interesting startups out there right now, companies aiming to help us live better, more fulfilling lives.
Disclosure: This isn’t health advice, just a collection of interesting resources for you to explore on your own.
Where are we with longevity: The latest trends
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been exploring some of the most recent breakthroughs, science, and trends shaping what’s actually happening in longevity. Here are a few examples:
Healthcare is becoming proactive, not reactive: In some countries, getting a full private medical examination can mean long waiting lists and high costs. That’s why companies like Neko Health are worth watching. You can get a thorough, full-body check like nothing most people have experienced before, receive results instantly, and spend un-rushed time with a doctor, all for around $300.
AI is quietly becoming your first doctor: One of the most impressive advancements to come out of AI is that no matter where you are in the world, as long as you have an internet connection, you can now speak to an AI doctor. Platforms like Doctronic have already been used nearly 25M times.
Longevity is moving to the cellular level: Cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer, and even aging at the cellular level are all areas we want to get ahead of, not just treat after the fact. Companies like Corsera Health are focused on predicting and preventing cardiovascular issues before they begin. R1 Therapeutics is developing first-in-class therapies for patients with kidney disease. Radical Health provides personalized reports to help people better understand their cancer and treatment options. Cellular rejuvenation is the idea of making your body’s cells act younger again, with companies like Life Sciences and Altos Labs working toward making that a reality.
Gut health: Around 40% of Americans experience bloating at least a few times a month, with about 5% dealing with it daily. That’s why I find companies like Throne Science interesting. It’s essentially a device you clip onto your toilet that analyzes your health every time you go.
Your body is becoming measurable in real time: Brands like Oura, Garmin, and Whoop have seen huge growth in recent years. People want a deeper understanding of their activity levels and sleep patterns. There’s also a new product called Fort, a wearable focused specifically on tracking strength training.
Health is becoming social: Some of us just need an extra push to stay active. Platforms like Strava have helped with that for years, but there are also newer players worth watching. Hyrox is building a global fitness racing community, while Sweatpals focuses on social fitness experiences and recently raised $12M from investors including a16z Speedrun, HartBeat Ventures, and Patron.
Sleep: When was the last time you had a great night’s sleep? For founders and busy people, it’s not always easy. That said, new startups are helping unlock better sleep performance. Companies like Eight Sleep and Orion are building products around personalized sleep.
Supplements: Science-backed supplements are becoming more mainstream, helping people feel their best across brain, body, and gut. Brands like Heights are leading the way here.
Why this trend is inevitable?
Here’s the simplest way to think about it
The most valuable asset in the world isn’t money. It’s time in good health. And for the first time in history, we might be able to meaningfully extend it. That’s why some of the most iconic founders of our generation are now focused here - not on social networks or marketplaces, but on human longevity itself. When people who’ve already “won” the game choose to spend their next decade on a problem, it’s worth paying attention.
Some of the most compelling examples of iconic founders now building in the longevity space include:
John Mackey, formerly co-founder of Whole Foods is building Love.life - a holistic wellness and health club.
Miguel McKelvey, formerly co-founder of WeWork is building Unbound - modern health checks around you.
Daniel Ek, co-founder and former CEO at Spotify is building Neko - get a thorough health check. Receive all your results instantly and have unrushed time with a doctor.
Bryan Johnson, co-founder of Braintree which sold to PayPal is building Blueprint - longevity supplements.
Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI has poured $100M into Retro Biosciences which develops therapies for diseases driven by the biology of aging.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon is quietly supporting Altos Labs whose mission is to restore cell health and resilience through cell rejuvenation to reverse disease, injury and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.
If all these tech titans are focused on reversing aging, then this is probably a category worth paying attention to, right?
Meet the startups tackling longevity
I’ve mainly focused on consumer-facing startups in this market map, the kind of platforms many of us may use in the future. Categories include women’s health, men’s health, staying active through community, wearables, longevity clinics, and more. I’ve listed them below for ease.
Helping us live longer: Longevity clinics
Improving health: Supplements, Preventive Illness, Sleep, Fitness, Gut Health and AI Doctors.
Health for women: Menopause, Fertility, Wider Health, Personal Health & Tracking.
Health for men: Sexual health & hair loss
Connecting with health: Communities & Physical Health
Preventive Diseases: Cardiovascular, Kidney Care, Cancer and Cellular Rejuvenation.
Access the startups in full once you become a paid subscriber.