More Signs of Growth in Venture Capital for the Longevity Industry

Venture funds dedicated to the longevity industry are growing in size and number. While all too much of the industry is focused on approaches, such as the development of calorie restriction mimetic drugs, that cannot possible produce sizable effects on human life span, and which are unlikely to even be as beneficial as regular exercise, a rising tide lifts all boats. Seed funding is easy to find for most ventures, given the broad support for slowing and reversing aging present in many wealthy circles, but it remains the case that raising a series A round of $10M or more is more challenging than it should be. It requires talking to biotech and pharma funds that (a) do not yet understand the treatment of aging as a field and (b) are notoriously conservative, unwilling to step outside their comfort zones. Filling that gap would accelerate progress over the next decade.

Apollo Health Ventures announces the final closing of its second venture fund to build a portfolio of data-driven biotechnology and health tech ventures aimed at extending human healthspan. The oversubscribed Apollo Health Ventures Fund II successfully raised $180 million to invest in both venture creation as well as externally sourced deals.

Advances in understanding the biology of aging coupled with emerging technologies have significantly increased pre-symptomatic detection of age-related damage and dysfunction, paving the way for novel interventions. Apollo Health Ventures' investments focus on companies targeting well-validated aging pathways with the aim of, for example, maintaining overall cellular health and fitness, reducing tissue damage caused by chronic inflammation, or restoring a healthy immune system to provide more resilience and protection against diseases.

Apollo Health's predecessor fund has successfully built and invested in companies developing differentiated therapeutics against age-related disorders demonstrating the firm's leadership and understanding of this therapeutic area. Portfolio companies from the fund include Aeovian Pharmaceuticals, a company developing a safer version of rapamycin, a drug which has been shown to extend healthspan as well as lifespan in several animal models. Apollo has also co-founded Samsara Therapeutics, the world's largest discovery platform developing autophagy-enhancing molecules covering a broad range of therapeutic indications.

Link: https://www.apollo.vc/post/apollo-health-ventures-closes-180-million-fund