Last Week in Longevity #7 - $1B (!!) raised + Whoop: blood tests need context
Your weekly business digest of everything that happened in longevity.
👋 Hi, I am Fabian, and welcome to my newsletter Last Week in Longevity. Every week, I track where the money, talent, and ideas are moving in the longevity business.
💸 Closed funding rounds
US$ 1,002M raised across 6 deals (↗️ +221% vs. US$ 312M across 6 deals last week)
Oura Health – US$ 875M (Series E) | Oulu, Finland
What they do: Maker of the Oura Ring, a consumer health wearable that tracks sleep, activity, and recovery with advanced biometrics.
Why it matters: The $11B valuation cements Oura as one of the most valuable health hardware companies, proving consumer demand for continuous health tracking, a key longevity enabler.
Investors: (undisclosed)
Valuation: ~US$ 11B
Ensoma – US$ 53M (Series B extension) | Boston, USA
What they do: Develops non-viral gene therapies, including EN-374 for hemophilia.
Why it matters: Non-viral delivery systems enhance the safety and scalability of gene therapies, with potential applications in age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Investors: Gilead, the Gates Foundation, Hanwha Impact Partners, Mirae Asset Financial Group, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), RTW, and more
Valuation: (unknown)
AllRock Bio – US$ 50M (Series A) | Shanghai, China
What they do: Developing novel therapies for pulmonary hypertension (PH) using a pan-ROCK inhibitor approach.
Why it matters: ROCK activity tends to be upregulated with aging, contributing to vascular stiffening, chronic inflammation, and tissue fibrosis. Pan-ROCK inhibitors could therefore be interesting as anti-fibrotic and vascular-protective longevity drugs.
Investors: Versant Ventures and Westlake BioPartners
Valuation: (unknown)
Nutrium – US$ 12M (Series A) | Braga, Portugal
What they do: combining a software platform that helps dietitians manage their workstreams, with a corporate wellness program that brings personalised nutrition to workplaces and their employees.
Why it matters: Nutrium makes personalized dietary care scalable.
Investors: Vesalius Biocapital, MAZE, Lince Capital, Indico Capital Partners, and Beta Capital
Valuation: (unknown)
Bio-Protocol – US$ 6.9M (Seed) | Global
What they do: decentralised science (DeSci) platform enabling researchers and patients to launch BioAgents - autonomous AI co-scientists that generate hypotheses, fund experiments, and monetise biotech discoveries.
Why it matters: Combines AI and blockchain to democratize access to drug discovery resources, including aging research. The first agent, Aubrai, launched in August in partnership with VitaDAO and renowned longevity researcher Aubrey de Grey.
Investors: Animoca Brands, Maelstrom, and more
Valuation: (unknown)
Links: Company | Article | Last Week in Longevity #3
Nutromics – US$ 5M (Bridge round) | Melbourne, Australia
What they do: Developing “lab-on-a-patch” continuous biomarker monitoring technology beyond glucose, including lactate and Vancomycin.
Why it matters: Could enable real-time tracking of aging-relevant biomarkers like inflammation proteins, metabolic markers, and cardiac stress signals, shifting diagnostics from episodic blood draws to real-time monitoring.
Investors: (unknown)
Valuation: (unknown)
📰 Top longevity business news
Whoop brings health and performance context to blood tests
What happened: Whoop is partnering with Quest Diagnostics to launch Whoop Advanced Labs, allowing members to order and track clinical blood tests directly in the app. The service will cover biomarkers for metabolism, hormones, inflammation, cardiovascular health, and nutrient status. Read more here.
Why it matters: Standalone blood panel startups are in a tough position: Prices are falling, blood draws are standardised, and the underlying lab work is a commodity. In this environment, differentiation doesn’t come from the test itself but from the ecosystem built around it. That is why Whoop’s move is so interesting. With years of individualised health and performance data, it has the raw material to turn simple blood panels into a far richer, more personalised health experience. The real question is execution: Can Whoop connect daily sensor data with episodic blood tests in a way that produces insights people will actually act on?
Ultrahuman turns profitable, revenue soars 5x in FY25
What happened: India-based wearable startup Ultrahuman reported USD 58M in operating revenue in FY25 (5.4x growth YoY) and its first profit of USD 8M. Read more here.
Why it matters: Smart Ring War, Oura’s massive funding round and now Ultrahuman turning a profit - the smart ring/wearable category is on fire! Ultrahuman sets a benchmark for other wearable/health-monitoring startups and could shift investor expectations: product + service mix, margin structure, and path to meaningful revenue are no longer theoretical but demonstrable.
Next Ventures closes $60M Fund II investing in longevity
What happened: Next Ventures announced the close of its second fund at $60 million. The firm is investing in “whole-person health” startups that empower individuals to take ownership of their well-being, extend their longevity, and define the future of health. Read more here.
Why it matters: This reframes longevity from a narrow focus on biotech to a broader consumer health movement, where diagnostics, fitness, nutrition, and AI all intersect. Next Ventures is betting that the future of longevity will be built on consumer-facing, scalable businesses that embed healthspan into everyday culture, not just experimental science.
🗓 Events & meetups (Europe-only)
(UK) Healf Experience (Oct 3-5, 2025)
(CH) Biostasis 2025 (Oct 10-12, 2025)
(LU) Longevity & Biohacking Retreat (Oct-Nov 24-04, 2025)
(CH) Global Longevity Summit (Oct 28-30, 2025)
(ES) 4th Longevity World Forum (Feb 18-20, 2026)
(CH) SIP Longevity Retreat (Apr 20-24, 2026)
(PT) 4th Global Longevity Med Summit (May 6-7, 2026)
(DE) LIFE Summit (May 29-30, 2026)
(IE) Longevity Summit Dublin (Jun 24-26, 2026)
(NL) HLTH Europe (Jun 15-18, 2026)
(CZ) 8th World Aging & Rejuvenation Conference (Jun 18-19, 2026)
(AT) 2nd World Congress on Future of Aging & Rejuvenation Science (Jul 20-21, 2026)
(DE) POLLY Longevity Festival (Aug 21-23, 2026)
💼 Longevity jobs (Europe-only)
Germany:
(Berlin) Expansion Manager @ Circle Health
(Berlin) Automation Associate @ Circle Health
(Berlin) Co-Founder / CXO @ Life Summit
(Berlin) Product Development Manager Longevity @ Sunday Naturals
(Berlin) Founder Associate @ Kalia Lab
(Berlin) Working Student Data Science @ YEARS
(Köln) Postdoctoral Research Fellow @ Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging
(München) Medical Director @ Circle Health
(München) Creative Designer- Video & Performance Design @ MoleQlar
(München) Heilpraktiker @ Longevity Mitosphere Spa
(Düsseldorf) Ernährungscoach @ Intumind
(Karlsruhe) Medizinische Fachangestellte für Longevity-Medizin @ belleaesthetics
Rest of Europe:
(London/remote) Paid Social Lead @ Healf
(London/remote) Founder’s Associate @ Healf
(London) Product Manager @ Juniper UK
Keep building the future of longevity - one week at a time.
Fabian
P.S. Want your open positions or events to be featured? Just send them my way by replying to this email.