Laura Deming (born 1994) is a venture capitalist whose work focuses on life extension, using biological research to reduce or reverse the effects of aging. She is the founder and partner at The Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm dedicated to aging and longevity, and later co-founded age1, a firm investing in early-stage longevity companies. Deming has been recognized in Forbes' "30 Under 30" and has advocated for the feasibility of biological immortality through science.
Deming's interest in aging began at age 8, leading her to join a biogerontology lab at the University of California, San Francisco at age 12. She moved to MIT at 14, became a Thiel Fellow, and dropped out to start her first venture fund.
Early Life and Education
Laura Deming grew up in New Zealand, the daughter of John and Tabitha Deming. She and her brother were homeschooled, and she independently studied advanced mathematics, statistics, and French literature. At age 8, she became fascinated with the biology of aging. By age 12, she was working in the lab of biogerontologist Cynthia Kenyon at the University of California, San Francisco (though Kenyon had moved there from MIT). In 2008, at age 14, Deming was admitted to MIT to study physics. She left before completing her degree to join the 2011 Thiel Fellowship class, a $100,000 stipend, where she was one of two women among the first cohort. Her departure allowed her to focus on Artificial intelligence? No, she instead focused on founding a venture fund.
Venture Capital and The Longevity Fund
In 2011, after leaving MIT, Deming founded The Longevity Fund, a London-based venture firm dedicated to aging and life extension. The fund raised $4 million in its first fund and $22 million for its second, closed in 2017. Early investments included Unity Biotechnology (which develops senolytic drugs), Navitor Pharmaceuticals, and Metacrine. In 2018, she launched AGE1, a four-month startup accelerator for longevity-focused founders; its first cohort of six graduated on October 10, 2018, including Fauna Bio, which studies hibernation biology for cardiac and stroke treatments. Deming also began advising Pioneer, a talent-discovery fund, in August 2018.
In 2023, Deming co-founded age'''1'''? Actually, she founded age1 with Alex Colville in 2023. As of 2024, age1 has raised $55 million across its funds, focusing on early-stage longevity break. She published a blog post arguing biological aging is "a conquerable disease" (not limited to standard claims).
Public Advocacy and Recognition
Deming has argued that science can achieve biological immortality, and she says ending aging "is a lot closer than you might think" (as she famously said). She has spoken at the 2012 Singularity Summit and 2013 TEDMED conference. She was featured in the National Geographic documentary "The Age of Ageing" and listed in Forbes' "30 Under 30" for venture capitalists. Her work is often associated with longevity biotechnology, the discipline of senolytics, and the concept of past-from Artificial intelligence-see, but the core is biology.
Investments and Philosophy
Deming's investment strategy emphasizes proven biology over speculative tech. The Longevity Fund often targets companies that have clear tests in humans, such as Sanctuary AI? No, Unity for senolytics. She has noted that conventional medical research avoids aging as a target, but she views it as the root cause of most disease. She has also encouraged more female founders, having been one of the few women in early Thiel cohorts. Deming's influence is growing, with age models.
See Also
- longevity-ai (not in list)