Longevity clinics promising to lengthen lifespans are attracting venture millions

160 years young… and still kickin’. Clinics promising to lengthen life for a growing number of wealthy clients are popping up across America. Some charge up to $100K/year to provide customers with out-of-(deep)-pocket treatments, like testosterone injections, plasma transfusions, hair rejuvenation, and stem-cell therapies.

• Guinea-pigging: Medical experts warn that the market for these “life-enhancing” treatments is unregulated. Some lack scientific backing, aren’t FDA-approved, and could even introduce health risks.

• Rich in health: One study of people age 50+ suggested that the most important factor in predicting lifespan is wealth. The affluent live longer and have eight to nine more healthy years than the poorest people.

The fountain of youth… is turning into a lake of longevity. Venture-capital investments in longevity clinics more than doubled last year to $57M. In the US — which accounts for 70% of global investment in these clinics — the rich are dipping their toes into the forever-young lifestyle. OpenAI's Sam Altman invested $180M in a biotech startup whose goal is to add a decade to the human lifespan (he also paid a startup to freeze and digitally backup his brain #UploadToCloud).

• Other tech titans who’ve invested in antiaging companies include Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and software entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who spends millions a year on de-aging himself (his experiments have included a plasma transfusion from his teen son).