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Thursday, July 10, 2025
At the heart of one of the most innovative regions in the world, a new “Holy Grail” is capturing the attention of researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors alike: longevity. In other words, not just living longer, but living better. What once seemed like a transhumanist fantasy is now a strategic pillar of research, driven by top academic institutions and industry leaders. At the crossroads of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and precision medicine, Silicon Valley is becoming the epicenter of a fast-accelerating medical, economic, and cultural revolution.
“By 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 or over.”
Longevity begins with the science of aging, a universal biological process marked by the gradual decline of cellular and physiological functions: chronic inflammation, telomere shortening, oxidative stress, tissue rigidity, and cognitive decline. While aging is not a disease in itself, it remains the primary risk factor for major chronic conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s...
The science of longevity rests on a central hypothesis: by targeting the biological mechanisms of aging, we can delay the onset of multiple diseases simultaneously. This paradigm, now recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasizes extending healthspan, the number of years lived in good health, rather than simply increasing lifespan.
The WHO defines “healthy life expectancy” as the number of years a person can expect to live in full health, without chronic diseases or age-related disabilities.
According to Joseph Coughlin, founder and director of the MIT AgeLab, another segment deserves special attention in the longevity space: women. “In the aging population, they are the real catalysts for innovation—they live longer, serve as primary caregivers, and are the most trusted advisors across generations.”
Biological age estimates how well - or poorly - your body is aging, beyond your chronological age. The concept was born from early-2000s research on “biological clocks,” notably by Steve Horvath, who developed DNA-based tests. These clocks rely on biomarkers, brain imaging, or memory performance to evaluate the vitality of your organs. Depending on the parameter (skin, heart, brain...), a person may have several distinct biological ages. The goal is to catch early signs of age-related decline before symptoms appear. This concept is gaining traction in preventive medicine and could soon become a standard tool for health monitoring.
Longevity is no longer just a medical challenge. It now defines a broad continuum structured around four stages: healthy lifestyle maintenance, chronic disease management, pushing biological limits with therapies or supplements, and cutting-edge molecular interventions. This lifecycle mobilizes diverse sectors—from wellness tech to biotech, medtech, nutrition, AI, and omics (genomics, microbiome, etc.).
Yet the impact goes far beyond healthcare. Longevity is becoming a universal innovation lens, reshaping consumer expectations and design standards. Many companies have embraced this shift—often without explicitly naming it. Dyson designs ergonomic products for all ages. Apple rethinks interface accessibility across generations. Nike and Skechers offer slip-on shoes loved by both young parents and seniors. Longevity is now a filter through which we can rethink design, user experience, mobility, and consumption.
In Silicon Valley, health is not siloed, it’s a field of systemic innovation at the intersection of biotech, digital, and AI. True to its disruptive DNA, from personal computers to generative AI, the region sees longevity as the next great technological frontier.
In the early 2000s, tech icons like Larry Page (Google) and Peter Thiel (Palantir) began exploring the biology of aging. In 2013, Google founded Calico (California Life Company) to understand and treat age-related diseases. Meanwhile, the Buck Institute, launched in 1999 in Novato, remains the world’s only institution fully dedicated to aging research, focusing on upstream biological mechanisms to prevent chronic disease.
As Dr. David Furman, Director of the Buck Bioinformatics and Data Science Core, puts it:
“Preserving physiological function during aging is what matters most to older adults. Medicine should prioritize function, not just the absence of disease.” — Dr. David Furman, Buck Institute
Today, the landscape is mapped by the Longevity Tech Tree platform from the Foresight Institute, listing over 1,000 startups in areas such as precision nutrition, predictive biomarkers, advanced diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and cell therapy.
Silicon Valley has become one of the most dynamic hubs for longevity innovation in the world. On the startup front, Altos Labs—backed by Jeff Bezos—is exploring cellular reprogramming to reverse aging. Retro Biosciences and Loyal (which uses animal models) are also pursuing this bold ambition. Jupiter Neurosciences, meanwhile, is leveraging its pharmaceutical platform with the launch of Nugevia™, a premium line of nutritional supplements, while continuing clinical research into neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Tech giants are no longer on the sidelines—they are investing heavily in redefining the boundaries between health and technology. Google is pursuing a two-pronged strategy: fundamental research on aging through Calico, and practical digital health applications via Verily, its life sciences subsidiary. Apple is transforming the Apple Watch into a predictive health tool, integrating heart monitoring, fall detection, and sleep tracking. Amazon is embedding connected health features into everyday life via Alexa. Microsoft is putting the power of its Azure cloud to work for computational biology, accelerating drug development. Meta is exploring brain-computer interfaces aimed at enhancing human cognitive abilities. And Elon Musk, through Neuralink, is pushing the convergence of AI and neurotechnology by developing implants designed to restore neurological functions—and, in the long term, to merge the human brain with machines.
At the same time, connected devices like Oura, Whoop, and Levels are popularizing a self-quantified health culture. By tracking sleep, stress, heart rate variability, and glucose levels, they turn personal data into actionable tools for health management. When paired with AI systems, these data streams fuel a preventive, highly personalized form of everyday healthcare.
Finally, recent advances in stem cells, epigenetics, the microbiome, and cellular reprogramming are paving the way for increasingly refined and personalized regenerative medicine. In South San Francisco—dubbed “Biotech Bay”—a thriving ecosystem of biotech innovation is emerging. AI, omnipresent throughout the Bay Area, is also transforming life sciences: from digital twins and accelerated molecule design to algorithmic disease prevention. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and NVIDIA are forging more and more partnerships in the healthcare space, helping to shape a new era of predictive medicine.
Iconic pioneers are helping shape the collective imagination around longevity—often inspiring as much admiration as skepticism. While some of their radical practices may raise eyebrows, they nonetheless contribute to sparking a broader public conversation about the importance of staying healthy throughout life.
- Bryan Johnson, founder of Blueprint, spends over $2 million annually on a radical protocol to reverse his biological age, becoming a media symbol of “quantified longevity.”
- On the other end, cardiologist Eric Topol (Scripps Research) champions a science-driven approach rooted in simplicity—emphasizing exercise, social connection, and intellectual stimulation.
- Peter Diamandis, through Abundance360, promotes a bold, entrepreneurial vision of aging as a solvable technological challenge.
Longevity is increasingly seen as a compelling investment thesis—at the crossroads of demographic shifts, technological breakthroughs, and the rise of preventive medicine. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, embodies this convergence: he invested $180 million in Retro Biosciences, which aims to extend human life by ten years through cellular reprogramming.
Silicon Valley investors are key drivers of the field. Funds like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Khosla Ventures, and individuals like Jeff Bezos and Bryan Johnson have poured hundreds of millions into aging research. The extraordinary concentration of venture capital on Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto further fuels this growth.
Recent fundraising rounds confirm this momentum. In 2024, Oura raised $200 million for its health wearables, while Function Health closed a $53 million Series A for its integrated preventive health checkups. Still, funding remains outpaced by the true scale of the challenge. In the U.S., chronic diseases alone account for 85% of healthcare spending—nearly $4.9 trillion—yet prevention-based business models are still struggling to gain traction.
“Investment is growing, but it’s still far from sufficient. The transition from research to adoption remains a major bottleneck,” says Phil Newman, founder of Longevity.Technology.
Geographically, innovation remains highly concentrated. The U.S. leads with 84% of global longevity deals and over half of all companies. Europe (notably Switzerland and Finland) and Asia (Singapore, Japan) show promise but continue to lag in visibility and funding capacity.
Once dismissed as a tech utopia, longevity is now taking root as a powerful lens for innovation across industries—healthcare, technology, consumer goods, mobility, and well-being. In Silicon Valley, it draws on interdisciplinary expertise, massive capital, and a forward-looking vision of longer, healthier lives. More than just a medical revolution, it marks a cultural shift—driven by artificial intelligence, biomedical research, and a holistic view of what it means to thrive as a human.
The RealChange team is currently exploring several ways to share the progress of this new wave of innovation with its clients and partners. If this topic interests you, we would be delighted to connect and co-create with you.
