In the Loop: Age-defying Biotech, Now Funded and Ready to Go
Here's the Scoop
Artificial Intelligence and Genomics-Focused Biotech Company Led by Coinbase CEO Secures $130 Million Funding to Combat Aging
NewLimit, an innovative biotech startup spearheaded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, has raked in a generous $130 million in a Series B funding round. This hefty sum will propel their mission to slow or even reverse the aging process, making longevity more attainable than ever before.
The round, fine-tuned by Kleiner Perkins, boasted participation from keen investors, including Returners Fund Founders Fund, Dimension Capital, angel investor Elad Gil, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, and a slew of newcomers like former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Apple's former machine learning director Daniel Gross, and Khosla Ventures [Source: Statement]. The grand total raised amounts to a whopping $170 million, following a Series A round in 2023 that put $40 million in their coffers.
The Long and Short of It
Driven by the ambition to devise therapies that boost "healthy life expectancy" (the number of years one can enjoy good health, separate from the mere duration of life), NewLimit intends to do so through the clever manipulation of human cells' behavior without altering their genetic makeup [Source: NewLimit].
This company aims to treat aging itself, viewing it as the primary culprit behind almost every major human disease, and has proposed that the burgeoning science of epigenetic reprogramming has shown aging to be a modifiable biological process [Source: NewLimit].
The Golden Age of Biotech
NewLimit's venture falls neatly into a pattern of visionary Silicon Valley moguls turning their focus from software and fintech to the alluring prospect of biological immortality [Source:Decrypt].
Many other longevity-focused startups are riding this wave, such as Retro Biosciences, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Altos Labs, and the Methuselah Foundation, which aims to make 90 the new 50 by 2030 and boasts PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin among its well-heeled donors [Source:Decrypt].
NewLimit's Longevity Plan
NewLimit's strategy involves straddling the line between large-scale genomics and AI-driven analysis. They employ a "Discovery Engine" to test countless reprogramming combinations on human cells and observe the effects. Their machine learning algorithms then help guide the selection of the most propitious cellular modifications for the next phase, avoiding the potential pitfalls of random experimentation [Source:Decrypt].
While NewLimit has yet to embark on human trials, it remains optimistic about its ability to harness the power of AI and large-scale genomics to expedite the discovery and development of therapies that extend human healthspan. Their expectation is that these scientific advancements will translate into treatments within a few short years [Source:Decrypt].
Originally written by Sebastian Sinclair
Fast Forward: A Peek into the Future
The pursuit of anti-aging therapies has become a grand, tech-supported crusade, driven by the ambitions of some of the wealthiest individuals in our society. As NewLimit and companies like it continue to dig deeper, the quest for immortality remains tantalizingly within reach.
- Brian Armstrong, the Coinbase CEO, is leading NewLimit, an innovative biotech startup that has raised $170 million to develop therapies aiming at slowing or reversing the aging process.
- The funding round for NewLimit, led by Kleiner Perkins, attracted investors like Founders Fund, Dimension Capital, Elad Gil, Garry Tan, Patrick Collison, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, and Khosla Ventures.
- NewLimit aims to boost "healthy life expectancy," focusing on treating aging as the primary cause of most human diseases, and utilizing epigenetic reprogramming as a modifiable biological process.
- The company's strategy involves a combination of large-scale genomics and AI-driven analysis, using a "Discovery Engine" to test cellular modifications and machine learning algorithms to guide the selection process.
- Bitcoin and Ethereum founders, including Sam Altman and Vitalik Buterin, are among the well-heeled donors of the Methuselah Foundation, another longevity-focused startup.
- The venture of NewLimit represents a trend in Silicon Valley, where moguls are shifting their focus from software and fintech to biology and the prospect of biological immortality.
- In 2023, NewLimit raised $40 million in Series A financing, with a further $130 million in Series B, bringing the total funds raised to $170 million.
- By 2030, the Methuselah Foundation aims to make 90 the new 50, indicating the potential for extending healthspan and longevity.
- The increasing interest in anti-aging therapies, driven by wealthier individuals and supported by technology, suggests that the pursuit of biological immortality remains tantalizingly within reach, with advancements in science, finance, AI, and technology playing significant roles.