UK-Based Longevity Science Firms Could Look to EquitiesFirst for Financing

The average human life span grew by more than 25 years over the past century. With exponential improvements in health care and technology, some believe the next frontier in health care is about both adding years to life and life to years. This is the promise of longevity science, a burgeoning field that seeks to extend not just one’s life span, but their health span, the period of life free from chronic disease and disability.

Extending life spans and health spans has captured the imagination of some of the world’s wealthiest tech entrepreneurs. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and PayPal’s Peter Thiel are a few of the billionaires who have poured substantial capital into longevity research and startups.

This influx of capital has primarily benefited U.S.-based longevity companies, particularly those clustered in California’s biotech hubs. But across the Atlantic Ocean, the United Kingdom is emerging as another potential epicenter of longevity science. The country boasts world-class research institutions and a growing ecosystem of innovative biotech startups. However, British firms face a significant hurdle in accessing the level of funding enjoyed by their American counterparts.

As the global race to develop breakthrough longevity therapies intensifies, U.K. companies may need to explore creative financing options to compete. One potential avenue is the equities-based financing offered by firms like EquitiesFirst. This approach could provide up-and-coming public U.K. longevity startups with much-needed capital while allowing shareholders to retain long-term upside potential.

The UK’s Position in the Longevity Landscape

While much of the headline-grabbing investment in longevity science centers on Silicon Valley, the U.K. has quietly positioned itself as a formidable player in this field. 

Several U.K.-based firms are leading the way. GlycanAge, founded in 2020, uses a proprietary blood test to measure biological age. Senisca, a University of Exeter spinout, is developing cellular approaches to rejuvenate aged cells. Genflow Biosciences, listed on the London Stock Exchange, is working on gene therapies targeting the aging process. And Shift Bioscience has pioneered a biomarker for use in artificial intelligence-based cell simulations to develop drugs for cellular reprogramming.

The top 50 longevity-focused companies had raised over $1 billion in venture funding by 2020. But despite the U.K.’s scientific prowess, there’s a stark funding divide between British longevity companies and their U.S. counterparts. While the Bezos-backed Altos Labs has raised $3 billion and Retro Biosciences has secured $180 million, the best-funded U.K. startups in the field have raised considerably less. Senisca, for instance, has raised $9.1 million, while GlycanAge has secured $4.7 million. 

This funding gap threatens to hamper the U.K.’s ability to translate its state-of-the-art research into marketable therapies. As the global longevity market, valued at $27 billion in 2023, races toward a projected $45 billion by 2031, U.K. firms risk being left behind.

EquitiesFirst as an Alternative Financing Solution

In this context, alternative financing options like those offered by EquitiesFirst could prove crucial. Founded in 2002 by Alexander Christy Jr., EquitiesFirst provides an alternative form of equity-based financing that could be particularly suited to the needs of biotech firms and their founders.

EquitiesFirst enables shareholders in public companies to obtain capital financed against their equity holdings. This financing mechanism could prove especially valuable for those with shares in relatively newly listed biotechnology and longevity firms. Such companies typically possess significant intellectual assets and conduct promising studies, yet can struggle to immediately generate the consistent cash flows that traditional financial institutions prefer when extending credit.

The potential impact of such financing options on the U.K.’s longevity sector could be significant. 

Immediate access to capital can help biotech companies build out infrastructure to support the long-term process of bringing therapies to market. These companies can also invest more heavily in research and development to potentially accelerate development of breakthrough therapies. And they can attract and retain top scientific talent, keeping them competitive with well-funded American companies. 

A 100-Year Life Span?

A recent Deloitte report paints a tantalizing picture of the longevity sector’s goal: a future where humans could routinely live more than 100 years, with the period of health decline delayed until near the end of life. Realizing this vision will require scientific breakthroughs and innovative approaches to funding and development.

The report also notes that advances in treatment for cancer and cardiovascular disease patients have led to improvements in life span. On the other hand, chronic diseases, poor diets, and aging populations have contributed to less-than-expected gains in life span and health span. While significant gains have been made in extending human life span in the past century, those gains have slowed in the past 30 years. 

The need to address this issue has driven a shift from focusing solely on disease treatment to addressing the underlying mechanisms of aging. This includes areas like cellular senescence, mitochondrial function, and epigenetic alterations, which offer potential pathways to treat and potentially reverse aspects of aging.

The emergence of a longevity industry, driven by research and investment into understanding aging, promises a new approach to health care. It’s marked by a growing number of startups and significant capital investments aiming to turn scientific insights into practical health solutions.

As the global population continues to age, the demand for therapies that extend health spans is likely to grow. The U.K., with its strong scientific foundation and emerging startup ecosystem, is well positioned to play a leading role in this field. However, realizing this potential may require embracing innovative financing solutions to compete with well-funded U.S. competitors.

For U.K.-based longevity science firms, options like EquitiesFirst’s equity-based financing might just be the key to unlocking their full potential.