Those in the audience who have been members of this community for a while will know that the Methuselah Foundation has long acted as a form of incubator for biotechnology startups relevant to healthy life extension, albeit as a non-profit organization rather than the more usual for-profit incubator structure. The organization has undertaken this role in addition to funding some of the most promising research efforts in the field, such as the SENS rejuvenation biotechnology projects. This incubator work hasn't involved a large number of startups in total, since we are not yet either a vast or a wealthy community when considered in the grand scheme of things, and it is the case that the Methuselah Foundation is powered by our charitable donations. Nonetheless, with our support in past years, the Methuselah Foundation helped to launch the noted bioprinting company Organovo, and provided seed funding for Oisin Biotechnologies, pioneering a programmable gene therapy approach to clearance of senescent cells. Another company presently in the early stages of being shepherded by the Methuselah Foundation is Leucadia Therapeutics, working on a novel approach to clearing metabolic waste from the aged brain. There is a demonstrated track record of success here, moving in parallel to the progress in longevity science that has taken place in the laboratory.

The future isn't just a matter of funding research in non-profit organizations - at some point the leap must be made to a company and for-profit development. Given the growth in interest and funding for the treatment of aging as a medical condition that has taken place in recent years, and given that a number of professional venture funds dedicated to longevity science startups are now emerging, it is time for the Methuselah Foundation to formalize its efforts as a non-profit incubator of startups and pull in more philanthropic funding to help advance the state of the art. Hence David Gobel, Sergio Ruiz, and the other busy folk at the Methuselah Foundation have been working hard these past months to put together the Methuselah Fund. This initiative is tailored to the way that the Methuselah Foundation works with companies, an effective approach that has advanced the state of the field and moved us closer to the era of functional, widely available rejuvenation treatments. It is a novel fund structure, somewhat different from traditional investment vehicles, as much focused on the philanthropic mission as on the goal of producing increased value. This means Methuselah Foundation funding and guidance for the most promising science and scientific groups, to help them reach the point at which they can and should launch a company, followed by Methuselah Fund assistance in the business and venture worlds to help to make that company a success.

The Methuselah Fund is also tailored for the people in our community, those of us who have over the years gained the ability and willingness to donate or invest a few tens of thousands of dollars or more, but who cannot undertake the risk of investing in startups directly. The Methuselah Fund is presently open to anyone in our community who can make that level of commitment to support this expansion of non-profit work, not just professional investors. If you are a member of the Methuselah 300, you can complete your philanthropic pledge of $25,000 by putting the balance of pledged funds into the Methuselah Fund. This is not a standard venture fund, but like most venture funds it has a set lifespan, running until 2030. That is 13 years to achieve great things along the way by investing in and supporting the growth of companies that are pursuing the SENS vision of clearing out or repairing the molecular damage that causes aging and age-related disease - and not just by investing, but by actively helping these companies to succeed at every step along the way. When it comes to research and development for the treatment of aging and there are few networks as good as those surrounding the Methuselah Foundation and their allies, such as the SENS Research Foundation and other similar organizations.

Is Fight Aging! putting money into the Methuselah Fund? Yes, that is underway. I, like most people past the first few decades of life, have savings that become more or less accessible for use depending on the level of risk involved and the degree to which it is for profit investment versus philanthropic donation. Funding startups, as I have done of late, a little, is the most risky activity one can undertake. While it is technically for profit, it is far easier to think of it in the same way as a charitable donation to a research non-profit: it goes to fund a specific line of research, that is the primary goal, and anything more than that is pleasant but not expected. One shouldn't put money into startups that one cannot afford to lose. An structure like the Methuselah Fund will eventually be diversified across a number of companies, however, and therefore grow less risky over time. As an initiative that invests in startups, excellent track record of the Methuselah Foundation notwithstanding, its for-profit component still bears considerably more risk than the sort of diversified investments a good portfolio manager will tell you adopt - but no-one lives forever. Yet. If this interests you, by all means ask the Methuselah Foundation folk for a prospectus; when reading it, pay close attention to the way in which this is structured, and how that differs from the usual sort of venture fund. Contact information can be found in the interview below.