Great founders often don’t think of themselves as such at the start. Many incredibly impressive biotech founders take 6 months to 1 year of exploration to settle on their final idea and founding team.

Many great founders have unexpected backgrounds — profiles of founders we’ve backed include engineering managers at tech companies, grad students studying an entirely different area of biology, and even investment bankers.

We believe too many great founders self-select out of starting something they’re completely capable of building because they don’t think their backgrounds are a perfect fit.

You don’t need to come from a specific field or have pioneered the innovation that the company centers around to start a company in that area. Indeed, the probability that you happened to study the exact protein, pathway, or technology that turned out to be the most impactful longevity drug is minimal at best.

While we, of course, see founders who are experts in their respective science, we have also backed amazing founders who holistically explored longevity science until picking a specific area (and then partnered with the experts).

If you’re interested in starting a longevity company and want to hear about promising areas in the field — come talk to us!

Some areas where we’ll help:

• Pointing to categories in longevity science we think are especially ripe targets for building meaningful companies
• Iterating on the plan and eventual pitch
• Connections to other bio & longevity founders for feedback, support, and mentorship
• Introductions to investors and talent

If you’re in the process of deciding what to work on next but think you might lack the background or don’t have the right idea yet, come talk to us- careers@longevity.vc

The Longevity Fund is hiring a Principal!

About Us

The Longevity Fund is a San Francisco-based biotechnology venture capital fund. We invest in and build companies that have the potential to extend the healthy human lifespan. After the close of Fund I in 2013, the Longevity Fund closed Fund II in 2017 and launched AGE1, a biotechnology accelerator, in 2018.

We started The Longevity Fund to invest in science to prevent or reverse aging. To date, we have raised $37 million and we’ve been involved in bringing new science to the market. With our first IPO, Unity Biotechnologies, our portfolio companies are worth in aggregate an excess of $1 billion. Five of the six companies in our first fund have drugs in patients or healthy volunteers, which will read out in clinical efficacy within the next two years. These represent the first candidate drugs with the explicit possibility of extending healthy lifespan.

About The Role

As a principal at The Longevity Fund, you’ll help us discover, conduct due diligence and make investment decisions in early-stage biotech companies at the cusp of longevity science.

You will be responsible for identifying promising and potentially transformational science and devising strategies to quickly and effectively determine its translational viability. You will develop a broad understanding of the landscape, with deep dives into the biology around select targets and strategies. You will consider opportunities and risks from the basic biology, to the competitive landscape and clinical trial design.

What You’ll Achieve

• You’ll source new investments by building strong relationships with entrepreneurs and the scientific community.
• You’ll conduct scientific due diligence and make investment recommendations on the basis of detailed research.
• You’ll support companies combating diseases of aging including cancer, Alzheimer's, and osteoarthritis.

About You

• You are technically excellent in at least one scientific field. Diverse backgrounds (bioengineering, physics, math etc) encouraged.
• You are mission-oriented and passionate about extending healthy human lifespan.
• You are excited to work with interdisciplinary scientists and engineers from machine learning, biology, chemistry and physics and ready to bridge the communication barriers between disciplines.
• You’re deeply familiar with the biotech and venture capital communities.

Other Preferred Qualifications

• You have achieved at least one difficult and technically impressive thing to date (this could be embodied in a Ph.D. thesis, but we’re more interested in the quality and execution of the project than in the letters behind your name).
• Evidence of high output, for example, published papers, contributions to an open-source project, insightful blogs or something similar.
• You’ve worked on an early-stage biotech company and understand the dynamics of getting drugs to market.

Details

• This is a full-time position based in our San Francisco offices (in SoMa), though we imagine lots of time will be spent out of the office.
• You’ll report directly to the managing partner of the fund.
• You’ll receive a competitive salary and benefits.
• This role may require up to 10% travel.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to chat — apply here or drop us a line at careers@longevity.vc

Who we are

The Longevity Fund is a San Francisco-based biotechnology venture capital fund. We invest in and build companies which have the potential to extend the healthy human lifespan. The Longevity Fund closed Fund II in 2017 and launched AGE1, a biotechnology accelerator, in 2018.

We started The Longevity Fund to invest in science to prevent or reverse aging. Our Longevity Fellows program seeks to identify young scientists capable of generating aging’s Apollo or Atari moment: singular accomplishments that made some of humanity’s oldest dreams seem approachable and achievable.

To date, we have raised $37 million and have been involved in bringing the new science to the market. With our first IPO Unity Biotechnologies, our companies are worth in aggregate of $1.5 billion, with over $500 million raised across them. Four of the five companies in our first portfolio have drugs in patients or healthy volunteers, which will read out in clinical efficacy within the next two years. These represent the first candidate drugs with the explicit possibility of extending healthy lifespan.

Summer internship opportunity

As a summer intern, you will work directly with our chief of staff, Celine, to help validate hypotheses around new therapeutic candidates, design key go/no go experiments, and help build the foundation of and ramp up an internal company in development at the Fund. Projects may include: researching the various methods of conducting a small molecule and antibody screen, assaying the benefits and drawbacks of each method, and helping ensure they are executed excellently; designing and conducting an indication selection matrix; finding and recruiting potential scientific advisory board members; and identifying potential new assets to in-license.

About you

• You are technically excellent in at least one scientific field. Preference to those with a background in drugging protein targets, receptor-membrane interactions, small molecule screens, biologics, and classical aging pathways.
• Capable of world-class translational work. You are excited to ensure that science breakthroughs actually touch real patients.
• A demonstrated interest in drug translation, whether by direct experience or self-teaching.
• You are excited to work with interdisciplinary scientists and engineers from machine learning, biology, chemistry and physics and ready to bridge the communication barriers between disciplines.

Preferred qualifications

• You have achieved at least one difficult and technically impressive thing to date (this could be embodied in a PhD thesis, but we’re more interested in the quality and execution of the project than in the letters behind your name)
• Evidence of high output, for example by contributions to an open-source project, publications, insightful blogs or similar
• Leadership, in or outside of your studies

Internship technical details

• Full or part-time (>20 hours/week)
• Paid $5,000 a month/pro-rata if part-time. No benefits (but let us know if you are without health insurance, etc!)
• Based in our San Francisco offices (SoMa). Remote potentially available for an excellent, highly reliable candidate.
• Preferred immediate start, end date flexible (~August)
• Potential to convert into a long-term position if mutually good fit

If this sounds like you, we’d love to chat: email Celine at careers@longevity.vc with your CV, a few key publications from your previous work, and your short- and long-term goals.

We are excited to welcome Austin Diamond to the Longevity Fund team. Austin is joining as our Vice President of Operations.

Austin previously held multiple leadership roles at Omni, a peer-to-peer rental marketplace startup that has raised over $40M to date. He led their B2B business unit and later Product & Growth within their peer-to-peer unit. Before Omni, Austin was at Partnered, which helped companies manage sponsorships and commercial relationships. While at Partnered, Austin worked with hundreds of early to late-stage technology ventures and Fortune 500s, including Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, and Nestle. Before Omni and Partnered, Austin worked in investment banking at a multi-hundred million equity index fund — before graduating high school.

Austin brings to Longevity Fund his organizational savvy, resourcefulness, and reliable excellence that will undoubtedly benefit both our founders and investors. Please feel free to say hello at austin@longevity.vc.

Welcome, Austin!

Longevity Fund

We’re Launching the Summer Fellows Program at The Longevity Fund

Venture Fellow | June — August 2019 | San Francisco

Apply here!

Who we are

The Longevity Fund is a San Francisco-based biotechnology venture capital fund. We invest in and build companies which have the potential to extend the healthy human lifespan. The Longevity Fund closed Fund II in 2017 and launched AGE1, a biotechnology accelerator, in 2018.

We started The Longevity Fund to invest in science to prevent or reverse aging. Our Longevity Fellows program seeks to identify young scientists capable of generating aging’s Apollo or Atari moment: singular accomplishments that made some of humanity’s oldest dreams seem approachable and achievable.

To date, we have raised $37 million, we have been involved in bringing the new science to the market. With our first IPO Unity Biotechnologies, our companies are worth in aggregate of $1.5 billion, with over $500 million raised across them. Four of the five companies in our first portfolio have drugs in patients or healthy volunteers, which will read out in clinical efficacy within the next two years. These represent the first candidate drugs with the explicit possibility of extending healthy lifespan.

Venture Fellows program

As a Venture Fellow at The Longevity Fund, you will conceptualize, build, and launch biotech companies at the cusp of longevity science. You will work in a team of 2–3 peers, collaboratively panning the relevant literature to propose and support your thesis.

You will be responsible for identifying promising and potentially transformational science and devising a strategy to quickly and, cheaply, and effectively determine its translational viability. You will develop a broad understanding of the landscape, with deep dives into the biology around a few select targets and strategies. You will consider opportunities and risks from the basic biology to the competitive landscape and clinical trial design. This role reports directly to the Managing Partner of the Fund.

This is not a full-time investing role and best suited for someone who is looking to take their technical knowledge and skills from their PhD into biotechnology company development.

What you’ll achieve

• Investment thesis around a new asset, pathway, or technology
• Design key experiments to validate your thesis
• Build the story and strategy around the thesis in the context of the larger biopharma space

About you

• You are technically excellent in at least one scientific field. Diverse backgrounds (bioengineering, physics, math etc) encouraged.
• Capable of world-class translational work. You are excited to ensure that science breakthroughs actually touch real patients.
• You are excited to work with interdisciplinary scientists and engineers from machine learning, biology, chemistry and physics and ready to bridge the communication barriers between disciplines.

Preferred qualifications

• You have achieved at least one difficult and technically impressive thing to date (this could be embodied in a PhD thesis, but we’re more interested in the quality and execution of the project than in the letters behind your name)
• Evidence of high output, for example by contributions to an open-source project, publications, insightful blogs or similar
• Leadership, in or outside of your studies

Skills

• Independently motivated, self-accountable, passionate about self-growth, and unparalleled intellectual rigour and honesty
• Some preference to an understanding of the biotechnology space and drug development strategy. In lieu of this, commitment to learn
• Some preference to previous interest in longevity science
• Strong record of personal and professional achievement and work ethic, commiserate with your previous experience
• Entrepreneurial and excited by the opportunities available in a young company; the right fit will thrive in an amorphous, opportunistic, high-freedom environment
• Confident and compelling communicator
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple tracks simultaneously

If this sounds like you, we’d love to chat — apply here or drop us a line at fellows@longevity.vc