Longevity: Can Ageing Be Reversed?
The mapping of 115+ startups helping us live longer.
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The next trillion-dollar companies won’t just help us work faster - they’ll help us live longer.
Longevity is shifting from something that happens in hospitals to something that lives in products we use every day. Instead of seeing a doctor once a year, we’re starting to engage with our health daily - through wearables, diagnostics, and software that quietly tracks and nudges us on insights in the background.
Healthcare has historically been reactive, complex, and hard to access - and in some countries, incredibly expensive. Consumer products are the opposite: simple, habitual, and designed for daily use. The companies that win in longevity won’t just have the best science - they’ll be the ones that turn health into something people actually stick with.
Over the past few months, I’ve started paying more attention to my own health such as tracking sleep, nutrition, and training.
I’m not doing this in an extreme way, or trying to become the next Bryan Johnson, but enough to notice something: more and more people are starting to think this way.
Some of this will be new to you, while other parts may feel familiar. Health is increasingly something we actively manage, rather than something we only think about when problems arise, as more of us take a proactive interest in our long-term wellbeing and longevity.
This shift is beginning to show up in the startup space, with many startups building products and tools aimed at helping us live longer - something we’ll explore in this edition.
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 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 - which gives you a full thorough health check - receive all your results instantly and have un-rushed 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 $180M 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
With this trend set to rise, we wanted to share the latest startups building in this category. We’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:
Helping us live longer: Longevity clinics and senior care.
Improving health: Supplements, Preventive Illness, Sleep, Fitness, Gut Health and AI Doctors.
Health for women: Menopause, Fertility, Bladder Health, Personal Health, and Tracking.
Health for men: Hair loss, Sexual Health, and Weight Loss
Connecting with health: Communities & Physical Health.
Preventive Diseases: Cardiovascular, Kidney Care, Cancer and Cellular Rejuvenation.
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