Episode #547: Perspectives on Longevity-Opportunities, Obstacles, and Gabriel Cian’s Mission

On this episode of HALO Talks, host Pete Moore sits down with Gabriel Cian, a serial entrepreneur from France with a passion for longevity and health innovation. Gabriel shares his journey from building and successfully exiting two tech startups to founding the 2060 Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing longevity through investment and policy change. The conversation dives further into the intricacies of selling a company, the booming field of longevity science, and the crucial roles of healthspan, lifespan, and mental health in extending quality of life.

Gabriel and Pete also discuss the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in this space, the global landscape of longevity policy, and how his foundation is helping drive change through investment and advocacy. Whether you’re a startup founder, investor, or simply curious about the future of human health and well-being, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration from one of the leading voices in the field.

When it comes to the aging process, Cian states, "We are trying to slow it down, stop it, or even, let's be crazy, reverse it! And this is more science fiction-like. It's more futuristic, and it's certainly riskier as a business model."

Key themes discussed

• Serial entrepreneurship and successful tech company exits.
• Structuring and achieving earn-outs during company acquisitions.
• Transition from tech to longevity and health span focus.
• The mission and activities of the 2060 Foundation.
• Importance of mental health and social connections in aging.

A few key takeaways: 

1. Career Pivot to Longevity: Gabriel built and successfully exited two tech startups (including getemail.io), primarily in AI, big data, and marketing automation. After his last exit in 2021, he shifted his focus entirely to the field of longevity, dedicating the next chapter of his life to helping people live longer, healthier lives.

2. Longevity Ecosystem: Healthspan vs. Lifespan
Gabriel outlined two "ecosystems" within longevity:

Healthspan: Practical, current interventions like physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, and proven supplements.
Lifespan: The science-driven, experimental side aiming to understand and potentially slow or even reverse aging at the biological level—an area that's more risky but with potentially greater breakthroughs.

3. The 2060 Foundation’s Unique Model: His 2060 Foundation is structured to bridge short-term and long-term solutions. In the short-term, they're building startups focused on healthspan (which investors and VCs more easily understand.) The profits and expertise from those support longer-term, riskier projects—like advocating for legal and regulatory changes and funding true lifespan-extending science.

4. Investment Club Approach: A core project of the 2060 Foundation is an investment group made up of entrepreneurs passionate about longevity. Their aim is to funnel more capital and mentor talent into both healthspan startups and true longevity biotech, without seeking profit for the foundation itself.

5. Policy, Prevention, and Advocacy
Gabriel emphasized two roadblocks to progress in longevity: Governments’ reluctance to fund true "preventative" healthcare versus reactive "sick care", and the fact that aging isn’t classified as a disease on a global medical level, which limits research funding.

Resources: 

• Gabriel Cian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-cian-807b39156/?originalSubdomain=fr 
• Ikare.ai: https://www.ikare.ai
• 2060 Life Foundation: https://2060.life 
• Prospect Wizard: http://www.theprospectwizard.com
• Promotion Vault: http://www.promotionvault.com
• HigherDose: http://www.higherdose.com