Longevity Fund 2

Longevity Fund 2, established in 2017, is a venture capital fund managed by The Longevity Fund, a San Francisco-based firm founded in 2011. The fund focuses on investing in the healthcare sector, with a specific interest in life sciences, digital health, and oncology. It aims to make 8 to 10 investments, targeting seed and series A stage companies.

Laura Deming

Founder and Partner

22 past transactions

Loyal

Series A in 2021
Loyal is a biotechnology company focused on developing veterinary pharmaceuticals aimed at extending the health span and lifespan of dogs. The company creates medicines designed to delay the onset of age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and metabolic disorders. By quantifying and regulating the aging process, Loyal seeks to mitigate the effects of aging, thereby promoting healthier and longer lives for dogs. Through its innovative approach, the company aspires to improve the quality of life for pets and enhance their longevity.

Edocate

Seed Round in 2021
Edocate is a developer of a medical simulation platform focused on chronic disease management and medical education. Its platform allows customers to create unique virtual patient cases across various therapeutic areas to engage healthcare professionals. By providing self-based learning tools for ongoing training and assessment, Edocate enables medical education providers to develop and distribute their own content efficiently. The platform also offers valuable insights into healthcare professional decision-making, clinical gaps, prescription patterns, guideline compliance, and patient outcomes, thereby enhancing the overall quality of healthcare training and education.

Circumvent

Seed Round in 2020
Circumvent Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2017. The company focuses on researching and developing innovative drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, specifically targeting heritable forms of these conditions. Circumvent aims to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients suffering from both rare and common neurodegenerative disorders, including Batten disease and its variants. By leveraging funding from organizations such as NIH/NINDS and various investment groups, Circumvent is committed to advancing drug discovery and development within the field of precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases.

Rubedo Life Sciences

Seed Round in 2020
Rubedo Life Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company based in Sunnyvale, California, focused on developing innovative therapies that target senescent cells implicated in age-related diseases. Established in 2018, the company utilizes its proprietary ALEMBIC drug discovery platform to create a pipeline of therapeutic candidates. These candidates are designed to selectively address senescent cells, as well as pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cell populations that contribute to various chronic conditions, including pulmonary, dermatological, oncological, neurodegenerative, and fibrotic diseases. Rubedo's leadership team comprises industry experts with significant experience in drug development and commercialization across both large pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms.

Elevian

Venture Round in 2020
Elevian, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Menlo Park, California, founded in 2017. The company specializes in developing regenerative medicines aimed at preventing and treating age-related diseases. Elevian focuses on therapeutics that regulate circulating factors, particularly Growth Differentiation Factor 11 (GDF11), which are known to stimulate the regeneration of various tissues, including those in the brain, heart, pancreas, and muscle. By targeting the underlying mechanisms of aging, Elevian aims to halt and potentially reverse the molecular damage associated with aging. Its research and development efforts are directed toward conditions such as stroke recovery, Alzheimer’s disease, coronary artery disease, and Type 2 diabetes.

Wellth

Series A in 2020
Wellth is a digital health company based in New York that operates a mobile application aimed at improving treatment adherence among individuals with chronic conditions. The platform leverages principles from behavioral economics to address the unique challenges faced by these patients in establishing healthy habits and managing their diseases. By offering targeted incentive plans, reminders, and valuable information, Wellth encourages consumers to take proactive steps toward their health, thus reducing overall healthcare costs. The application's design fosters motivation and behavior change, as it is supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrating its effectiveness. Wellth's approach has been validated by health plans and providers, resulting in improved medication adherence, reduced hospital readmissions, and better health outcomes for users.

Celevity

Seed Round in 2020
Celevity is a seed-stage company that develops drugs to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. It sees aging as a disease that is able to be slowed and improved with medicines. It was spun out of Laura Deming’s The Longevity Fund. Celevity is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Loyal

Seed Round in 2020
Loyal is a biotechnology company focused on developing veterinary pharmaceuticals aimed at extending the health span and lifespan of dogs. The company creates medicines designed to delay the onset of age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and metabolic disorders. By quantifying and regulating the aging process, Loyal seeks to mitigate the effects of aging, thereby promoting healthier and longer lives for dogs. Through its innovative approach, the company aspires to improve the quality of life for pets and enhance their longevity.

Epirium Bio

Series A in 2019
Epirium Bio, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, focused on developing therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and disorders characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction. Founded in 2008, the company leverages unique insights into mitochondrial biology and tissue regeneration to create a small molecule platform aimed at improving muscle strength and facilitating tissue regeneration. Epirium Bio's innovative approach addresses significant clinical needs in treating neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, and mitochondrial disorders, enabling healthcare providers to better support patients suffering from conditions such as muscular dystrophy.

Exo

Series B in 2019
Exo is a medical device startup focused on revolutionizing ultrasound technology for imaging and therapeutic applications. The company has developed a handheld ultrasound platform that integrates advanced nano-materials, innovative sensor technologies, and sophisticated signal processing with the cost advantages of semiconductor manufacturing. This approach allows Exo to provide high-quality, affordable, and user-friendly medical imaging solutions. By enabling healthcare professionals to make critical, real-time decisions, Exo aims to enhance patient outcomes significantly. The company's commitment to accessibility and ease of use in medical imaging represents a significant advancement in the field, making effective diagnostic tools available at an unprecedented price point.

Deciduous Therapeutics

Venture Round in 2019
Deciduous Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative immune-modulatory therapies aimed at addressing age-related diseases. The company specializes in creating novel molecules that activate the body's natural immune surveillance mechanisms to selectively eliminate senescent cells, which are associated with various age-related conditions. Led by Anil Bhushan, a professor at UCSF, and Robin Mansukhani, an experienced biotech entrepreneur, Deciduous Therapeutics is dedicated to promoting a healthier lifespan through its pioneering approach to therapeutics in the aging sector.

Fauna Bio

Seed Round in 2019
Fauna Bio Incorporated is a biotechnology company based in San Francisco, California, that focuses on developing a cross-mammal drug discovery platform aimed at treating human diseases. Established in 2018 by a team of scientists with expertise in non-model organisms, the company investigates the biological mechanisms found in hibernating and deep-diving animals to uncover potential therapeutic applications for conditions such as heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders. By leveraging data from a diverse range of species, Fauna Bio aims to identify novel drug targets and facilitate pre-clinical and early clinical testing for new therapeutics, ultimately helping humans recover from serious medical emergencies like trauma, heart attacks, and strokes.

Spring Discovery

Series A in 2018
Spring Discovery, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Palo Alto, California, that specializes in the development of a machine learning-based drug discovery platform. This platform is designed to expedite the identification of therapies targeting the biological processes of aging and related diseases. By focusing on the underlying mechanisms of aging, Spring Discovery aims to uncover new treatments for various age-related conditions, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The company's innovative approach seeks to enhance healthy lifespans and improve the quality of life for the aging population.

Gordian Biotechnology

Seed Round in 2018
Gordian Biotechnology is a therapeutics company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2018. It specializes in developing a unique screening platform aimed at enhancing the efficiency of gene therapy development for complex age-related diseases. The company's platform focuses on researching and creating therapeutic drugs that target premature aging in humans, with the goal of curing age-related conditions and improving skin health.

System1 Biosciences

Series A in 2018
System1 Biosciences, Inc. is a San Francisco-based neurotherapeutics company established in 2017, specializing in drug discovery for complex neurological and psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia. The company employs phenotypic screening, integrating cerebral organoid science, systems neuroscience, robotic automation, and advanced data analytics to uncover novel characterizations of diseases. This innovative approach allows System1 to identify "deep phenotypes," which are utilized to discover new therapeutic targets and drug treatments, addressing gaps in traditional discovery techniques that have struggled with these challenging conditions.

Decibel Therapeutics

Series C in 2018
Decibel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies aimed at protecting, repairing, and restoring hearing. The company addresses various hearing disorders, including those related to pediatric cancers, cystic fibrosis, noise exposure, age-related and genetic hearing loss, as well as conditions characterized by persistent tinnitus. Decibel Therapeutics employs a multifaceted approach that includes drug delivery to the inner ear, advanced imaging techniques, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling. The company leverages its expertise in inner ear biology, single-cell genomics, and bioinformatics to develop effective treatments for hearing loss and related disorders. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Decibel Therapeutics was originally known as Hearing, Inc. before rebranding in 2014.

Precision BioSciences

Series B in 2018
Precision BioSciences, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on genome editing, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. The company utilizes its proprietary ARCUS technology to develop therapeutic products aimed at treating human diseases and improving food and agricultural solutions. Precision BioSciences operates through two segments: Therapeutic and Food. The Therapeutic segment is particularly dedicated to advancing allogeneic CAR T immunotherapies for cancer treatment, including candidates like PBCAR0191 and PBCAR20A, which target specific tumor antigens. The company is also involved in in vivo gene correction and is exploring treatments for conditions such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Additionally, the Food segment develops innovative nutrition products. Precision BioSciences has formed strategic collaborations, including agreements with Shire Plc and Gilead Sciences, to enhance its research and development capabilities. Founded in 2006, the company aims to harness its next-generation gene editing technology to address pressing health challenges.

Unity Biotechnology

Series C in 2018
Unity Biotechnology, Inc. is a biotechnology company dedicated to the research and development of therapeutics aimed at extending human health span by addressing age-related diseases. The company specializes in clearing senescent cells through the creation of senolytic medicines, which specifically target vulnerabilities unique to these cells while sparing healthy ones. Its lead drug candidates include UBX0101, currently in Phase II clinical trials for musculoskeletal conditions like osteoarthritis, and UBX1325, which is in Phase I trials for diabetic macular edema. Additionally, Unity is developing treatments for various conditions related to aging, including pulmonary and neurological disorders, as well as kidney and liver diseases. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in South San Francisco, California, Unity Biotechnology was previously known as Forge, Inc. before changing its name in 2015.

Spring Discovery

Seed Round in 2018
Spring Discovery, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Palo Alto, California, that specializes in the development of a machine learning-based drug discovery platform. This platform is designed to expedite the identification of therapies targeting the biological processes of aging and related diseases. By focusing on the underlying mechanisms of aging, Spring Discovery aims to uncover new treatments for various age-related conditions, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The company's innovative approach seeks to enhance healthy lifespans and improve the quality of life for the aging population.

Precision BioSciences

Series A in 2015
Precision BioSciences, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on genome editing, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. The company utilizes its proprietary ARCUS technology to develop therapeutic products aimed at treating human diseases and improving food and agricultural solutions. Precision BioSciences operates through two segments: Therapeutic and Food. The Therapeutic segment is particularly dedicated to advancing allogeneic CAR T immunotherapies for cancer treatment, including candidates like PBCAR0191 and PBCAR20A, which target specific tumor antigens. The company is also involved in in vivo gene correction and is exploring treatments for conditions such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Additionally, the Food segment develops innovative nutrition products. Precision BioSciences has formed strategic collaborations, including agreements with Shire Plc and Gilead Sciences, to enhance its research and development capabilities. Founded in 2006, the company aims to harness its next-generation gene editing technology to address pressing health challenges.

ALX Oncology

Series A in 2015
ALX Oncology is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company based in Burlingame, California, established in 2015. The company specializes in developing innovative therapies aimed at treating various forms of cancer, with a particular focus on its lead product candidate, ALX148. This therapeutic agent is designed to block the CD47 protein, which cancer cells exploit to evade the immune system. ALX148 is currently being investigated for its efficacy in treating myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, and several solid tumor types, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and certain gastric cancers. The company leverages advanced protein engineering technologies to enhance the affinity of its CD47 blockers, aiming to minimize hematologic toxicities often associated with existing treatments. ALX Oncology's commitment to improving cancer therapies is rooted in pioneering research conducted by its founders at Stanford University.

Navitor Pharmaceuticals

Series A in 2014
Navitor Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on developing small molecule drugs that target specific nutrient-sensing proteins to modulate mTORC1 activity. This master regulator of cell growth and metabolism plays a crucial role in various age-related diseases. The company's proprietary platform allows for both selective inhibition and activation of mTORC1, offering potential treatments for conditions such as chronic kidney disease, depression, and other metabolic, neurodegenerative, autoimmune, and musculoskeletal diseases. Notable compounds include NV-5138, which activates mTORC1 and modulates sestrin, a natural activator of mTORC1, and the NValog program, which targets chronic kidney disease through selective mTORC1 inhibition. Founded in 2009, Navitor Pharmaceuticals aims to unlock the therapeutic potential of the mTOR pathway for a wide range of diseases.
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