The Covid-19 pandemics has led to a dramatic market crash. However, investment activities in the Longevity Industry, including Biotech, Artificial Intelligence in healthcare and drug discovery and many others, are not decreasing. In the last few months and weeks we saw the successful close of two venture funds with mega-rounds of €900 million each. Meanwhile, in the same timeframe, several BioTech companies raised rounds of €180-270 million.

The global pandemic caused a vast majority of people, including UHNWs and investors to understand what is actually important in this life and what should be their new priorities and goals for the next decades. Many investors are now switching their attention from traditional assets which proved to be not relevant in times of pandemics (for example real estate, tourism, entertainment, etc.) towards the Longevity Industry.

In its previous assessment of the Longevity Industry the UK based Aging Analytics Agency predicted the sector to have a market cap approximately of $27 trillion (€24 trillion) by 2026, while in 2019 it was $17 trillion (€15 trillion). Longevity companies are in the business of finding ways to help people to live longer, healthier lives – whether by slowing, stopping or potentially reversing the ageing process. The last decade has witnessed the launch of a number of longevity-focused funds, taking a portfolio approach to longevity investment. By developing a portfolio of longevity investments, these funds hedge their risk across a number of promising longevity start-ups, thereby increasing their chances of success.

Aside from the obvious benefits of adding additional healthy years to our lifespans, greater longevity will mean people live and work longer, having significant societal implications that policy makers and social scientists are now having to address.

The market for investing in longevity has evolved significantly in recent years and it looks likely that 2020-2022 will be the breakout years for capital investment globally in the industry. Venture funds are lining up to lead early-stage funding rounds with huge interest, not just in the USA (where the longevity industry has its spiritual home), but notably in the DACH region, where the 4 of Top 5 European Longevity focused investment funds are based.

Sergey Balasanyan
... is the CEO of Longevity Card UK & EU and Co-Founder of Longevity Bank project. With onboarding AgeTech, HealthTech, Data Science and AI he wants to meet the needs of the senior generation and people of all ages by developing new financial products.

So who are the Top 5 European Longevity focused investment funds and Venture Capitalists behind them?

1) Rejuveron,​ Switzerland: invests in drugs and technologies which have the potential to significantly prolong human lifespan. Their leading experts aim to find cures for age-related diseases and advance science & technology to help people live longer, healthier lives.

CEO: Matthias Steger

2) ​Apollo Health Ventures, Germany: develops interventions with the potential to prevent or reverse age-related diseases and extend healthy human lifespan.

Founders: Nils Regge and Alexandra Sharon Bause

3) Longevity.Capital, Switzerland: ​specialized venture fund focused on the Longevity Industry, with a diversified investment strategy, which includes portfolio companies in Artificial Intelligence for Longevity, AgeTech and Longevity FinTech along with preventive precision medicine. Longevity.Capital in addition to traditional venture investments also issues bankable financial products in the form of Tracker Certificates on the Longevity industry, and to further expand its activities aims to raise around €200 million by the end of 2021.

Founders and Managing Partners: Dmitry Kaminskiy and Stefan Hascoet

4) ​Kizoo Technology Capital, Germany: provides mentoring, seed and early-stage financing with a focus on rejuvenation biotech.

Founders: Michael Greve and Patrick Burgermeister

5) ​Juvenescence, UK: ​have raised USD €150 million since 2017 to build a pipeline of therapeutic assets to target aging, regeneration and the diseases of aging.

Founders: Jim Mellon and Greg Bailey

Author: Sergey Balasanyan

The article was featured in our May edition 2020 „Geld“.

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