Investor Type | Firm |
Type of Fund | VC |
Industries | BioTech • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • DeepTech • Healthcare (& Wellness) |
Stages | Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A |
Investing | United States |
Investment Range | $100,000 - $1,000,000 |
Investment Sweet Spot | $500,000 |
The Longevity Fund is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California, specializing in investments across the healthcare, therapeutic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors. With a primary focus on longevity, they target investment opportunities that aim to extend healthy human lifespans through innovative drug development. Founded in 2011 by Laura Deming, The Longevity Fund has pioneered the longevity investment space by funding companies that not only offer financial returns but also bring plausible drug candidates into clinical trials, specifically targeting age-related diseases. As they transition into a new decade, they anticipate a surge of high-caliber founders equipped with adequate resources to develop the first approved longevity drugs, achieve significant biotech valuations, and transform the planning of time and energy for the older demographic. Beyond 2050, they see longevity drug development becoming as mainstream and well-funded as cancer drug development is today. Their investment thesis revolves around the belief that first-time or early-career founders with unconventional backgrounds are better poised to succeed in this new industry thanks to their passion for the mission and ability to think differently. The Longevity Fund argues that counterfactual founders have an advantage in narrative-setting which is crucial for company-building in the longevity sector. Their position is that while Silicon Valley effectively hones the operational skills of first-time founders, these founders are essential for recruiting top drug development talent and for overcoming the traditional hindrances faced in more conventional biotech ecosystems. The Longevity Fund recognizes that regulatory strategies, scientific understanding, fundraising, and company-building in the longevity field will involve unique challenges. Hence, they are placing their bets on founders who envision starting longevity companies and can endure the hardship involved in creating medicines that could grant more healthy living years. The Longevity Fund's deep commitment to this cause is underscored by their core beliefs: longevity is technically possible, economically viable, and desirable. They refute common objections to longevity research by outlining their philosophy — from challenging misconceptions about the inevitability of death due to entropy to expressing confidence in the potential of biotechnology tools to incrementally enhance human lifespans.