Investing in the Future of Human Longevity

11/14/18 • 35 min

Sonia Arrison – Author and Founder of 100 Plus Capital

Most of us watch reality TV shows to escape our responsibilities and indulge in something less than wholesome. Today's guest found something interesting nestled in her indulgence. While watching the Fox reality TV show The Swan, famed author and investor Sonia Arrison detected the pending human longevity revolution that was just around the corner. She began investigating the effects that increased human longevity would have on society, culminating in her book 100 Plus: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything, From Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith.

While we at L200 are still wondering what it looks like to live to 200, Sonia literally wrote the book on what it means to live past 100. Sonia's interest in human longevity started long before her encounter with The Swan. As a young girl, she noticed that while her grandparents were aging quite well, others did not fare so well. This sparked her curiosity and set her on a lifelong journey in longevity science.

Today, Sonia and her team at 100 Plus Capital invest in some of the most innovative companies positively impacting human longevity. As an active investor, Board Member at the Thiel Foundation, and a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, Sonia’s research and intuition delivers a unique perspective that proved highly-engaging in our conversation. During this podcast, we explore Sonia's investment focus, her diverse background, and her view on a number of interesting topics, including:

What has changed since Sonia wrote her book
Why longevity is good for economic growth
What are the hot longevity topics at Silicon Valley cocktail parties
What investment categories are interesting for Sonia
Where she sees the most innovation
How 911 changed her perspective on human health
What Sonia thinks of the latest trends/fads (e.g. Keto, fasting)

This was an incredible episode that left our team feeling optimistic and energized. Be sure to catch the (new) lightning round at the end of the episode for Sonia’s take on the latest and greatest trends in healthy living!

About Sonia

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Sonia Arrison – Author and Founder of 100 Plus Capital

What has changed since Sonia wrote her book
Why longevity is good for economic growth
What are the hot longevity topics at Silicon Valley cocktail parties
What investment categories are interesting for Sonia
Where she sees the most innovation
How 911 changed her perspective on human health
What Sonia thinks of the latest trends/fads (e.g. Keto, fasting)

About Sonia

Show Links

Previous Episode

Finding a Cure for our Aging Brains

Leen Kawas – CEO, M3 Biotechnology

"There's work that needs to be done and we're going to do it." - Leen Kawas

Nothing better illustrates the grit, determination, and enthusiasm of today's guest, Leen Kawas. Leen is the CEO and president of M3 Biotechnology, a Seattle-based startup tackling diseases of the brain. As a leader in her field and an award-winning entrepreneur, she knows no bounds when it comes to tackling the daunting challenge of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. As a Ph.D. student at Washington State University, Leen stumbled into an unlikely career as a startup CEO. But Leen's journey to entrepreneurship was completely unplanned.

As an immigrant from Jordan, Leen started her professional journey as a pharmacist. Not long into her career, Leen realized pharmacology didn't suit her ambitions, so she returned to academia, in pursuit of her Ph.D. at Washington State University. The opportunity to move from academia to the startup world came during her time at Washington State University. Like most great entrepreneurs, Leen saw the opportunity and felt compelled to change the status quo. Her passion, intelligence, and charisma quickly catapulted her to the role of CEO. And the rest is, as they say, history.

During our time with Leen, we explore the research behind M3 Biotechnology and find out:

What happens to our brains as we age?
What is a cognoscopy?
What data points can you use to address neurodegeneration?
What is the difference between small and large molecule treatments?

Leen's charm, wit, and ability to keep T.A. on his toes makes for an incredibly insightful and fun conversation. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Note from Leen: M3 Biotechnology is introducing a new webpage and flyer to support recruitment for our NDX-1017 Phase 1 clinical trials. Please refer to our webpage at ndx-1017.com or call 1-800-839-2095 for more information. Thank you for your interest in our program and novel therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease.

About Leen

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Next Episode

Leading the Anti-Aging Revolution

Our guest today needs no introduction. It is the one and only Aubrey de Grey, a leading biomedical gerontologist, computer scientist, author, and entrepreneur whose work in longevity research is widely known and regularly referenced by many in the industry. He is the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation and VP of New Technology Discovery at AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. In many respects, Aubrey is one of the most prominent, if not provocative figures in longevity science.

What makes Aubrey so provocative? Well, aside from his exceptionally long beard, he is the leading advocate of the controversial view that technology may one day enable humans to control the aging process and live well into our hundreds, or even thousands. As much as he believes this, he also knows that there are two main obstacles to achieving this utopia: money and time. While Aubrey’s research is funded by some of the biggest investors, he notes that the “pro-aging trance” has historically held them back. This conversation with Aubrey uncovers the theory of his pro-aging trance phenomena and many incredibly insightful details, including:

How to remove senescent cells from our body
What investments are at the top of his list
Why investor Peter Thiel gave him $6M in funding
What locations are hot spots for longevity research and innovation
Where he’s seen the biggest breakthroughs
When we can expect to benefit from his research
What is the “pro-aging trance” and why it’s holding us back

This was a really exciting episode that gave the team a chance to hear a unique perspective. We hope you enjoy the episode and share it with your friends, family, and colleagues.

About Aubrey

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