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Laura Deming

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Laura Deming
Deming speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018
Born1994 (age 30–31)[1]
NationalityNew Zealander
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology (dropped out)
AwardsThiel Fellowship
Forbes 30 Under 30
Scientific career
FieldsLife extension
InstitutionsThe Longevity Fund
Academic advisorsCynthia Kenyon

Laura Deming (born 1994) is a venture capitalist whose work focuses on life extension, and using biological research to reduce or reverse the effects of aging.

Education

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Laura Deming is the daughter of John and Tabitha Deming;[2] she grew up in New Zealand.[3] Deming and her brother, Trey, were homeschooled; she says she taught herself "calculus and probability and statistics, and French literature and history". At age 8, Deming became interested in the biology of aging,[4] and at age 12 she joined the lab of Cynthia Kenyon at the University of California, San Francisco.[3][5] Kenyon successfully increased the lifespan of the worm C. elegans by a factor of ten through genetic engineering.[citation needed][6] Deming was accepted to MIT at age 14 and studied physics,[5][7] but later dropped out to accept the $100,000 Thiel Fellowship and start a venture capital firm.[8] Deming was one of only two women in the 2011 initial class of Thiel Fellows.[9]

Career

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Deming is the founder of and partner at The Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm focused on aging and life extension.[3][5] The firm raised $4 million in its first fund and $22 million for its second fund, in 2017.[7][10] The Longevity Fund investments include Unity Biotechnology, which develops senolytic drugs targeting diseases of aging, Navitor Pharmaceuticals, and Metacrine.

In 2018, Deming launched the AGE1 accelerator, a four-month startup program aimed at supporting founders developing longevity-focused companies.[11] The program graduated its first cohort of six on October 10, 2018, including Fauna Bio, a startup using the biology of hibernation to aid in heart attack and stroke recovery.[12][13] In August 2018, Deming also began advising the newly launched Pioneer, a fund designed to find talent and "lost Einsteins" around the world, for projects in longevity.[14]

In 2023, Deming joined forces with Alex Colville to launch age1, a next-generation venture capital fund building on the success of The Longevity Fund.[15][16] With $55 million in funding, age1 is dedicated to advancing breakthroughs in longevity and aging science by supporting innovative early-stage companies.[17] Colville, the fund's co-founder, has been recognized for his leadership in driving innovation and advocating for regulatory reforms in aging-related drug development.[18]

Deming believes that science can be used to create biological immortality in humans, and has said that ending aging "is a lot closer than you might think".[19] She has been featured in "30 Under 30" by Forbes magazine,[20] and was one of the stars of "The Age of Ageing", a documentary by National Geographic television channel.[5] She also spoke at the 2012 Singularity Summit[21] and at the 2013 TEDMED conference.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Leuty, Ron (10 June 2019). "New age of aging attracts new generation of entrepreneurs". Memphis Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  2. ^ Kelly, Caitlin (15 September 2012). "Forgoing College to Pursue Dreams". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Jacobs, Vance. "Portraits of Silicon Valley". Storehouse. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  4. ^ Hedgecock, Sarah (10 June 2015). "Why Longevity Isn't Just A Numbers Game". Forbes. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Mulkerrins, Jane (22 November 2015). "Could this pill be the key to eternal youth?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  6. ^ DePuy, Larry. "Electric cars? Triple lifespans? Warp drive? Sign me up!". No. February 13, 2015. Times Standard. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  7. ^ a b Loizos, Connie (22 August 2017). "This 23-year-old just closed her second fund — which is focused on aging — with $22 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  8. ^ Leber, Jessica (3 February 2012). "Too Young to Fail". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  9. ^ Henderson, J. Maureen (20 June 2011). "Meet The Teen Who Got Paid $100 000 To Drop Out Of School". Forbes. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  10. ^ Mack, Heather (22 August 2017). "Longevity Fund Raises $22 Million to Support Anti-Aging Therapies". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  11. ^ "One of the youngest fund managers in the U.S. just launched her own accelerator, too". TechCrunch. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  12. ^ "A VC who dropped out of MIT at age 14 has invested in biotech companies that are now worth billions. Here's how's she's picking her next investments to help us live longer". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  13. ^ "A new startup backed by an anti-aging wunderkind is taking cues from animal hibernation to help humans recover from heart attacks and strokes". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  14. ^ Lohr, Steve (9 August 2018). "Wanted: 'Lost Einsteins.' Please Apply". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  15. ^ Gormley, Brian (19 September 2023). "WSJ News Exclusive | New Venture Firm Age1 Raises $35 Million Toward Early-Stage Longevity Fund". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  16. ^ "age1". www.age1.com. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  17. ^ "SEC FORM D/A". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  18. ^ Janin, Alex. "Make America Ageless: Trump's Health Picks Take Longevity Movement Mainstream". WSJ. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  19. ^ Segran, Elizabeth (25 August 2014). "The Eternal Problem Silicon Valley Can't Solve". Fast Company. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  20. ^ "30 Under 30". Forbes. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  21. ^ Popper, Ben (22 October 2012). "Rapture of the nerds: will the Singularity turn us into gods or end the human race?". The Verge. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  22. ^ "How can science and business team up for the long (health) haul?". TEDMED. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
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