NewLimit, founded by Coinbase’s CEO, raises $130M for age-reversing drugs
Biotech startup NewLimit, which is focused on extending healthy human lifespan through cellular reprogramming, has raised a $130 million Series B round led by Kleiner Perkins. The round also included new investors Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, and Khosla Ventures, along with returning backers like Founders Fund, Dimension Capital, Elad Gil, Garry Tan, and Patrick Collison. This new funding comes just two years after NewLimit’s $40 million Series A.
Founded by Visionaries in Tech and Science
NewLimit was co-founded over four years ago by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, biotech investor and former GV partner Blake Byers, and stem cell scientist Jacob Kimmel. The company is pursuing a radical approach to cellular rejuvenation, aiming to restore the functionality of aged human cells by manipulating their epigenetic programming.
Early Results Show Youthful Restoration in Liver Cells
According to Byers, NewLimit has discovered three prototype medicines that can reprogram liver cells in lab settings. These treated cells regain their youthful abilities—such as more efficient fat and alcohol processing—suggesting a reversal of age-related cellular decline. The company tracks progress by comparing how cells from young and old individuals respond to treatment.
AI-Driven Drug Discovery in a “Lab in a Loop”
NewLimit is using an AI-driven drug discovery process to accelerate development. The model simulates thousands of experiments to identify the most promising compounds, which are then tested in real-world lab experiments. The data from those tests is fed back into the AI system, creating a self-improving loop dubbed “lab in a loop.”
Human Trials Still a Few Years Away
Despite promising preclinical results, human trials are still several years off. In the meantime, NewLimit is focused on expanding its platform and developing additional medicines targeting aging at the cellular level.
A Growing Field of Longevity Startups
NewLimit is part of a growing wave of ambitious longevity biotech companies. Competitors include Retro Biosciences, which received $180 million from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Altos Labs, which launched in 2022 with $3 billion in backing from figures like Jeff Bezos.
As the longevity space heats up, NewLimit’s blend of deep science, AI innovation, and top-tier backing puts it at the forefront of efforts to redefine aging at the cellular level.
