The Future of Healthcare With Sergey Young, Founder of Longevity Vision Fund – Thrive Global
Posted: November 5, 2019 at 11:50 pm
Treat longevity as a national issue. Once again, the UK (lets not forget that their healthcare costs are less than half of those in the US!) offer a great example here. Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, announced a plan called HLE+5 (HLE is an abbreviation for healthy life expectancy), aiming to extend healthy lifespans of their citizens by 5 years by 2035. It would be great to see a similar initiative in the US.
Asa part of my interview series with leaders in healthcare, I had the pleasure to interview Sergey Young. Sergey Young is Founder ofLongevity Vision Fund, one of the worlds top three investment funds specializing in life extension. Sergey is also on the Innovation Board of the XPRIZE Foundation (which is most known for its Ansari XPRIZE and Google Lunar XPRIZE competitions). Sergey Young is also the Development Sponsor of Longevity XPRIZE, a global initiative to cure aging, and a member of the Financial Advisory Board of the Parliamentary Group on Longevity in the UK, helping to devise the national strategy on longevity. Based between the UK & US, Sergey Youngs mission is to extend healthy lifespans of one billion people around the world on both sides of the Atlantic through impactful socially responsible investments and by setting a personal example after all, his own goal is to live to 200.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Sure! My personal story can appear quite mundane at first, but it is one that affects95 millionAmericans. It all started with a routine visit to a doctor, where my blood tests which I neglected for 7 years, thinking I was in perfect health showed that my cholesterol was very high, which put me at risk of heart disease.
The only treatment offered by my doctor at the time was to take statins (cholesterol-reducing drugs), which I would have to take for the rest of my life. I definitely did not want to live on a pill forever, so I kept pushing my doctor for alternatives. Eventually, the doctor suggested I try a Mediterranean-style diet (lots of healthy fats, no sugar, etc.), which worked in bringing my cholesterol down to a normal range without any medication. Since then, I developed an interest in health and longevity, and decided to use my investment experience (I had been managing a $2 billion private equity fund for 20 years by that point) to accelerate longevity breakthroughs and to make them more affordable and accessible in general. This is howLongevity Vision Fundwas launched and the company mission was shaped.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I went to a regenerative medicine conference in Vatican City last year, just at the outset of launchingLongevity Vision Fund. Apart from meeting the Pope and seeing Katy Perry in person there, what astonished me the most was when Peter Diamandis my mentor, friend and the Founder of XPRIZE, was telling the audience about how technology will change over the next couple of decades, allowing us to extend our lives to at least 150. Then he paused, his face lit up with excitement, and asked who in this audience wants to live to 150. Obviously, I immediately raised my hand, but saw Peters expression change to shock and surprise only a very small percentage of people in the room had raised their hands. I was one of the few.
Id assumed most people would jump at the chance to live longer, if it was offered. But clearly thats not the case. In fact, in a recent Pew Research report on radical life extension,56% of American adults said they would not want to live to 120. The opportunity to extend our lives is within reach, and people might
turn it down. So Ive set out to dispel misinformation, fear and disbelief that this topic commonly incites. Not only through my work atLongevity Vision Fund, but also by sharing information in a book called Growing Young, which I hope to release in Q3 2020. I want people to get educated on longevity rather than get scared of it times have changed and the breakthroughs in medical science and technology now make it entirely realistic to live to 100 and beyond all within our lifetime!
What makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Probably that the company is driven by someone who plans on living to 200! On a more serious note, Longevity Vision Fund has a focus specifically on affordable and accessible technology. Our goal is to democratize longevity, so we look for scalability and breakthrough potential in the companies we invest in.
A great example of how we make longevity more accessible and affordable is our investment in EXO Imaging, which develops portable ultrasound imaging devices at a very low price point. In fact, it makes ultrasound imaging so affordable that it actually becomes accessible to every healthcare provider in the world. Imagine being able to get your ultrasound scan done at your family physician, without having to be referred to a hospital (with the associated waiting time and costs this can bring!). Or using the portable device anywhere it might be required at emergencies by ambulance paramedics, or even the patient themselves (after a short training). And since EXO Imaging uses AI to process the scan, it has the potential to maintain, and even exceed, the accuracy of ultrasound scans that rely on interpretations of doctors without the support of this technology. This means that ultrasound scans can become as common and mundane as checking your blood pressure at your doctors office. Imagine the relief, affordability and improved access that cancer, thyroid and many other patients can enjoy!
Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to and/or see in the healthcare industry? How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo? Which pain point is this trying to address?
I use3 Horizons of Innovationto map the longevity & healthcare innovation space:
At Longevity Vision Fund we focus mostly on horizons 1 and 2. The main pain point we are trying to address is making sure that longevity is accessible and affordable to everyone in the world. We do this by supporting scalable technologies with breakthrough potential that can democratize longevity. For example, our portfolio company Insilico, an AI in drug discovery company, has demonstrated its ability to identify design, synthesize and validate a novel drug candidatein just 46 days, compared to the typical 23 years required for a standard approach used by the majority of pharma.
What are your 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Lets jump to the main focus of our interview. According tothis studycited by Newsweek, the US healthcare system is ranked as the worst among high income nations. This seems shocking. Can you share with us 35 reasons why you think the US is ranked so poorly?
You are a healthcare insider. Can you share 5 changes that need to be made to improve the overall US healthcare system? Please share a story or example for each.
Thank you! Its great to suggest changes, but what specific steps would need to be taken to implement your ideas? What can individuals, corporations, communities and leaders do to help?
Everybody can implement these steps in their lives as of today! If you are interested in learning more, you can read Blue Zones by Dan Buettner or go to my websitesergeyyoung.comwhere I put out information on longevity (absolutely for free) as part of my mission to extend lifespans of one billion people. And if you are reading this that includes you!
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better healthcare leader? Can you explain why you like them?
Here are my three favorite books:
Another great resource is Abundance 360 by my friend and XPRIZE Founder Peter Diamandis. It offers some great guidance on understanding how to navigate exponential technology and use it to achieve Moonshots.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Follow me onLinkedin(Sergey Young), Facebook and Twitter (@sergeyyoung200)
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Original post:
The Future of Healthcare With Sergey Young, Founder of Longevity Vision Fund - Thrive Global
- #SpaceWatchGL Column: Reflections on the 2019 APSCC Conference - Putting on a Show in the Land of Smiles - SpaceWatch.Global - December 2nd, 2019
- Beloved Derbyshire nursery nurse took her own life over incurable brain tumour - Derbyshire Live - December 2nd, 2019
- S-adenosylmethionine Market 2019 Trends, Size, Share, Growth Insight, Competitive Analysis, Segments Overview, Regional, And Global Industry Forecast... - December 2nd, 2019
- Longevity Linked to Proteins That Calm Overexcited Neurons - Quanta Magazine - November 30th, 2019
- Shelf Life Extension Ingredients market evenly poised to reach a market value of ~US$ by 2017 2025 - Space Market Research - November 30th, 2019
- Antimicrobial packaging can extend shelf life and prevent food waste - but more analysis is needed - The Grocer - November 30th, 2019
- Global E&P - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine - November 30th, 2019
- Penguin Computing to Deliver Magma Supercomputer to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - HPCwire - November 20th, 2019
- Pfenex to Present at the Evercore ISI HealthCONx Conference 2019 - Yahoo Finance - November 20th, 2019
- Global Cryonics Technology Market 2019 by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 - Industry News Time 24 - November 20th, 2019
- Penguin Computing to deliver Magma Supercomputer, one of the First Intel Xeon Platinum 9200 Series Processor-based Servers for AI and HPC -... - November 18th, 2019
- Savannah wins third Mutamba mining concession in Mozambique - Mining Technology - November 18th, 2019
- Global Soy Extracts Market Research: Key Companies Profile with Sales, Revenue, Price and Competitive Situation Analysis - Industry Ping - November 18th, 2019
- Navy Beginning Tech Study to Extend Trident Nuclear Missile Into the 2080s - USNI News - November 17th, 2019
- Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What might the 2020 dietary guidelines for the first 1,000 days include? - FoodNavigator-USA.com - November 17th, 2019
- Boeing Focused on Maxs Safe Return to Service - Aviation International News - November 17th, 2019
- Bruce Power, ITM and Partners Finalize Agreement Paving Way for New Medical Isotope Delivery System Expected in 2022 - Business Wire - November 17th, 2019
- Future analysis and scope of Soy Isoflavones Market by 2019 to 2025 | leading Companies- NOW Foods, InVite Health, ADM, DHC, GNC and Life Extension -... - November 17th, 2019
- Raju Foundation Essay Contest Winner On the Ethics of Genetic Engineering - The Philadelphia Citizen - November 17th, 2019
- The Drilldown: Floating barges on the horizon for Rockies LNG Partners - iPolitics.ca - November 17th, 2019
- Natur International Corp. and China-based Share International Sign Definitive Agreement for a Share Exchange - GlobeNewswire - November 17th, 2019
- The Integratron Has a History as Interesting as It Looks - LA Magazine - November 5th, 2019
- BNP Paribas and 3stepIT commence tech leasing joint venture - Finextra - November 5th, 2019
- ChitChat | It's a little wild in Texas | Lifestyles - Kilgore News Herald - November 5th, 2019
- Economic Forecast Up Thanks to Oil, But All Other Areas Struggling - VOCM - November 5th, 2019
- Edited Transcript of LUC.TO earnings conference call or presentation 5-Nov-19 2:00pm GMT - Yahoo Finance - November 5th, 2019
- Religious and spiritual online forums consist of chaotic, impactful ideas - Lamron - November 1st, 2019
- All hail the weather ball | Chanhassen News - SW News Media - November 1st, 2019
- Avecta teams with ADC Therapeutics on conjugates - Bioprocess Insider - BioProcess Insider - November 1st, 2019
- What will the future of superyacht ownership look like? - Superyacht News - The Superyacht Report - November 1st, 2019
- OPINIONISTA: Mantashe's Integrated Resource Plan could have been so much better - Daily Maverick - November 1st, 2019
- Bill seeks to cut nuclear weapons budget - Homeland Preparedness News - October 31st, 2019
- Perseus Mining has target price raised by Canaccord Genuity - Proactive Investors Australia - October 31st, 2019
- Sealed Air Corp (NYSE:SEE) Given Average Recommendation of Hold by Brokerages - Mitchell Messenger - October 31st, 2019
- Extending the life of hi-vis garments - Laundry and Cleaning News - October 30th, 2019
- MISTRAS Group Announces Conference Call to Discuss Third Quarter 2019 Results on November 5, 2019 - GlobeNewswire - October 30th, 2019
- Sealed Air (SEE) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday - Riverton Roll - October 30th, 2019
- Conference to focus on the subsea umbilical industry - Engineer Live - October 25th, 2019
- Conference to examine opportunities in the subsea umbilical industry - WorldOil - October 22nd, 2019
- Global Corrosion Monitoring Instrument Market 2019 - Industry Key Trends, Growth Prospects and Forecasts to 2025 - Statsflash - October 22nd, 2019
- LyGenesis Closes $4 Million Convertible Debt Financing to Begin Clinical Development of its Liver Regeneration Technology - PRNewswire - October 21st, 2019
- Power Analytics Expands Global Patent Portfolio and the new release of software version 6.2 for DesignBase - Yahoo Finance - October 21st, 2019
- Antioxidant Supplement Market Comprehensive Insights and Forecast 2019 to 2025 - Galus Australis - October 21st, 2019
- The team that is transforming Army fires leads the service's priorities - ArmyTimes.com - October 20th, 2019
- Everyone's AirPods will die. We've got the trick to replacing them. - Roanoke Times - October 20th, 2019
- One Injured in Fire on Tern Alpha Platform - The Maritime Executive - October 20th, 2019
- Global Flexographic Printing Machine Market Comprehensive Insights and Growth Potential In The Future - Materials Post - October 20th, 2019
- Life Extension and Reader's Digest Unveil the First-Ever "Community Health Heroes" Honorees - PRNewswire - October 13th, 2019
- Will The Navy's 6th Generation Fighter Jet Be The End Of the U.S. F-35 and F-22? - The National Interest Online - October 13th, 2019
- No spin here: Wind turbine going through refurbishment - SW News Media - October 13th, 2019
- Everyones AirPods will die. Weve got the trick to replacing them. - The Seattle Times - October 13th, 2019
- Insilico Medicine Becomes the Face of AI Drug Discovery - Nanalyze - October 13th, 2019
- Everyone's AirPods will eventually die. We've got the trick to replacing them - cleveland.com - October 13th, 2019
- From phones to Tesla cars, lithium-ion batteries come of age - Economic Times - October 13th, 2019
- The Aesthetic Medicine Congress to bring trends in plastic surgery to Dubrovnik - The Dubrovnik Times - October 13th, 2019
- Black Cumin Seed Oil Market Benefits, Forthcoming Developments, Business Opportunities and Future Investments to 2026 | Henry Lamotte OILS GmbH,... - October 4th, 2019
- Google Extends the Life of Some Chromebooks by 3 Years - PCMag - September 30th, 2019
- McMurdo Station Expansion Relies on Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker - USNI News - USNI News - September 30th, 2019
- Petasites Japonicus Extract Market boosting the growth Worldwide: Market dynamics and trends, efficiencies Forecast 2022 - Space Market Research - September 30th, 2019
- Sealed Air Corp (NYSE:SEE) Shares Acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia - TechNewsObserver - September 30th, 2019
- Inside the lab where frozen bodies wait for a second lease on life - 9News - September 29th, 2019
- Path Shifts for Advanced Nuclear Legislation in the House - Morning Consult - September 29th, 2019
- Shelf Life Extension Ingredients Market To Grow in the Coming Years, New Research explores Factors Responsible - NewsStoner - September 29th, 2019
- 13 Books by LGBTQ Writers to Read This Fall - Rewire.News - September 29th, 2019
- From the archives: Regional workhorse: Bombardier Dash 8 in Australia - Australian Aviation - September 29th, 2019
- Disease Prevention & Treatment 5th Edition: Life Extension ... - April 27th, 2019
- 70% Off Life Extension Promo Codes | Top 2019 Coupons @PromoCodeWatch - April 27th, 2019
- Life Extension Mix, 360 capsules | Life Extension - March 7th, 2019
- Life Extension | SNC-Lavalin - March 6th, 2019
- Generate Fresh Mitochondria with PQQ - Life Extension - February 11th, 2019
- Federal Shelf Life Extension Program Fact Sheet | State ... - February 11th, 2019
- London Underground train life extension Rail Engineer - September 29th, 2018
- The Ethics of Life Extension | TalkDeath - September 29th, 2018
- Life Extension | Superpower Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia - July 28th, 2018
- Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach: Durk ... - June 29th, 2018
- life extension | eBay - April 21st, 2018
- Life Extension Reviews - Is it a Scam or Legit? - November 30th, 2017
- Melatonin - Impressive Health Benefits | Life Extension ... - October 3rd, 2017
- Relief of Overactive Bladder - page 1 | Life Extension ... - September 25th, 2017
- Kariba project 92pc complete - The Herald - September 7th, 2017