SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--age1, a venture capital firm catalyzing the next generation of founder-led longevity biotech companies, launched today to build a community of visionaries advancing new therapeutics, tools, and technologies targeting aging and age-related disease.
age1’s specialized team has an industry-leading track record and unwavering commitment to the field, having pioneered the first longevity-focused venture capital fund in 2011 – five years ahead of any other fund of its type – and since backed multiple IPOs and acquisitions. The firm held an initial closing for $35 million to invest in companies with the highest potential to shift the current paradigm of sick care to health preservation and extension.
Built on a decade of success, age1 was co-founded by Laura Deming, founder of The Longevity Fund, and Alex Colville, Ph.D. who studied the biology of aging at Stanford and previous biotech investment manager at prestigious family offices. Dr. Colville previously established the biotech investment arm of Starbloom Capital and the philanthropic work of the Amaranth Foundation to advance the field of the biology of aging where he managed more than $100 million in investments and philanthropy. He will lead age1 as the firm’s General Partner, creating the only current longevity biotech fund managed by a PhD who studied the biology of aging.
“What started out as Laura's recognition of a huge gap in the biotech industry of a lack of funding supporting longevity biotech has grown into an unprecedented growth in the amount of longevity biotech companies that promises to change the way people age,” said Dr. Colville. “The Longevity Fund put longevity biotech on the map. We feel strongly that a next-generation fund with more founder resources is required to accelerate the longevity paradigm shift we are on the precipice of. age1 will back ambitious and pragmatic founders building companies to give people the agency to choose how long they live, in good health.”
The launch of age1 comes at a critical point in time.
A portfolio company from The Longevity Fund, made history in March 2023. Loyal was the first company to receive protocol concurrence from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a clinical study with the endpoint of healthspan and lifespan. The study moves beyond only proving efficacy against a single disease and intends to show that a drug extends healthspan and lifespan in dogs. The longevity biotech industry is on the brink of a similar regulatory milestone in human clinical trials.
“age1 is the next chapter in The Longevity Fund's mission and the inflection point for the field,” said Laura Deming, co-founder of age1. “We’re motivated by the idea that age1 will be the group to make the seemingly impossible possible–extending healthy lifespan.”
age1 focuses on founders and companies at the earliest stages of first-money in, pre-seed, and seed funding and is well-capitalized to continue to support companies through later rounds. The firm’s portfolio companies have access to strategic and regulatory guidance from successful founders, the longevity field’s leading experts, and access to an exceptional talent network. age1’s executive team has funded leading companies including Loyal, Gordian Biotechnology, Fauna Bio, Spring Discovery, Arda Therapeutics, Rubedo Life Sciences, Conception, and Bexorg.
About age1
age1 is a venture capital firm that funds healthy lifespan extension. Built on the foundation of The Longevity Fund, age1 is extending its decade of expertise to create one of the world’s biggest markets for global health. The firm makes focused investments in founder-led teams targeting age-related diseases and radically shifting our society’s notion of aging. To learn more, visit www.age1.com.
About Alex Colville
Alex Colville, Ph.D., is the co-founder and General Partner of age1. Dr. Colville previously established the biotech arm of Starbloom Capital and served as founding Chief of Staff of Amaranth Foundation. At Amaranth, Alex led the foundation’s support of skilled researchers and ambitious moonshot projects in the longevity field helping to advance lobbying efforts, the TIME Initiative, and the Marine Biology Laboratory Biology of Aging Summer Course, among other programs. He completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University studying the biology of aging in Dr. Thomas Rando's lab while consulting for several family offices, the R&D team of Rubedo Life Sciences, and the business development team of Maze Therapeutics. Before his Ph.D., he advised pharma companies as a management consultant at Putnam Associates, a boutique life sciences consulting firm.
The portfolio companies identified and described herein do not represent all of the portfolio companies purchased, sold, or recommended for clients by age1. The reader should not assume that an investment in the portfolio companies identified was or will be profitable. No compensation was provided to the portfolio company executives for their feedback although they may have an incentive to make a positive statement due to the executive's ongoing relationship with the firm. Past performance is not indicative of future results. A full list of all of our portfolio companies is available upon request.
This material is not a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any security.
