Our investment in GlycanAge

QUICK TAKE

• Traditional methods of determining biological age are often time-consuming and imprecise, leaving a gap in personalized wellness and aging management.
• GlycanAge is leading wellness testing with its glycan-based assays that measure chronic inflammation in the body and biological age. This innovative approach is setting new standards in the industry and paving the way for personalized health insights at scale.
• Founded by a serial entrepreneur with 10 years of experience leading companies and notable scientists with over 30+ years of research experience.

You’re not as old as you think.

We measure aging by our chronological age, which falls short of providing a precise reflection of our body on a cellular level. It’s one of the reasons why some people in their late-80s can climb mountains whilst others find it challenging to go on a short walk.

The truth is that real aging begins before birth and is a continuous process that happens throughout our life. It begins at a molecular level and as a result gradually gives rise to functional changes, such as shifts in skin texture, hair color, physical strength, and risk of developing diseases. The speed at which our body changes is not influenced directly by our chronological age but by our habits, diet, genetic predispositions, and many other factors. Scientists refer to this molecular transformation as our biological age.

The amazing news is that, unlike your chronological age, you have the power to change your biological age by making better choices about your lifestyle, diet, exercise, and medication. You may ask — what should I do to optimize my health? In reality, it’s a huge challenge to determine the extent of positive change each of these health interventions is making to our bodies. After all, our bodies are unique, change is subjective, and time is limited, so it is challenging to find a perfect blueprint for anti-aging. However, this might all change soon.

In the quest to better understand and reverse the aging process, the team behind GlycanAge has developed a unique approach, offering a test that accurately measures your biological age, thus providing insights into your current health and recommendation around how to positively influence it. The test achieves this by measuring chronic inflammation of the carbohydrates attached to your protein cells, also known as glycans. Your glycans’ structure is impacted by a lot of external factors including your genetics, epigenetics, metabolism, biological sex and your lifestyle (weight, diet, stress, medication, etc.). By employing different health interventions their structure transforms during the span of only a few months. This not only allows you to quickly see changes but also empowers you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle and medications.

Glycans also hold secrets we’re just beginning to uncover. This complex area of biology offers a glimpse into aging and disease prediction years in advance. GlycanAge is leading this exploration, backed by two decades of in-depth research, already showing promise in predicting cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Their work not only advances our understanding of aging but also opens up new possibilities for early disease prognosis and diagnosis.

The big news!

We’re proud to announce that LAUNCHub Ventures, together with Kadmos Capital, is leading a $4.2m Seed round in GlycanAge, joined by Exceptional Ventures and SQ Capital.

Our investment in GlycanAge is driven by the convergence of significant trends in wellness and healthcare that highlight the growing importance of understanding biological aging. This interest is mirrored in the surge of social media discussions around longevity and the pharmaceutical industry’s increasing focus on this area. We believe GlycanAge’s research-backed technology offers a distinct advantage by providing precise and practical assessments of biological age, addressing the limitations of traditional methods and meeting the critical need for reliable aging management solutions.

Guiding GlycanAge’s innovative journey are Nikolina Lauc, a serial entrepreneur with a history of successful ventures, and Gordan Lauc, a pioneer in glycan research. Their synergy of business acumen and scientific expertise lays a formidable groundwork for breakthroughs in biological age assessment. We’re confident in the teams’ capability to redefine industry standards.

With this new funding, GlycanAge is setting its sights beyond the longevity market to encompass the broader diagnostics field. The goal is to create tests that not only speak to aging but can also detect diseases early on. This investment will underpin efforts to build a robust regulatory framework and develop tangible, impactful products, marking a significant step towards broader health diagnostics.

By Mario Stoev

PS: If you’re building a HealthTech startups in CEE/SEE, feel free to reach out to me at mario@launchub.com