"Even 100 Isn't Enough": 900 Billion Won Invested as the Rich Eye Longevity [VC Now]

Top Five Longevity Companies' Combined Valuation Estimated at KRW 20 Trillion to KRW 28 Trillion
Neko Health Raises $700 Million, NewLimit $400 Million in Series C Funding
"Longevity Market Seen Reaching KRW 89 Trillion by 2035"}

Longevity companies focused on preventive healthcare and reversing aging are attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, drawing interest from the global venture capital (VC) market. The field has also attracted attention because global entrepreneurs, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have invested in it.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. Yonhap News Agency

According to global market research firm NewMarketPitch on November 5, the combined valuations of the five most valuable companies in the longevity sector are estimated at approximately $16.9 billion to $20.8 billion, equivalent to about 22.73 trillion to 27.98 trillion won. The longevity industry is divided into preventive healthcare companies and companies focused on research into reversing aging and drug development. Preventive healthcare companies use services that collect health data through imaging diagnostics and blood tests to detect and prevent diseases early. Companies focused on reversing aging develop drugs that target the biological processes of aging.

Neko Health currently has the highest valuation in the longevity sector, estimated at $7 billion to $8.2 billion (9.4 trillion to 11 trillion won). The company was founded by Daniel Ek, who founded Spotify, and Hjalmar Nilsonne. In July 2026, it completed a $700 million (941.5 billion won) Series C funding round co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and OG Venture Partners.

Neko Health's core service is the Neko Health Scan, which collects millions of health data points through noninvasive, radiation-free health assessments using sensors developed in-house. It can assess risk factors including skin health, biomarkers associated with prediabetes, blood abnormalities and metabolic syndrome. The number of scans surged from approximately 10,000 last year to 100,000 in July 2026.

NewLimit, which is developing treatments to combat aging, raised $435 million (583.2 billion won) in a Series C funding round led by Founders Fund in June 2026. Announcing the funding, NewLimit said, "Our liver function reactivation therapy will support faster liver recovery, prevent damage caused by certain diets, and improve recovery after alcohol consumption." It added, "Clinical trials in 2027 will reveal how the therapy works in the human body." NewLimit was founded by Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong, Blake Byers and Jacob Kimmel, among others. With a valuation of $3.1 billion, NewLimit ranked third among the companies by valuation.

Altos Labs, a cellular reprogramming research company backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, ranked second, with an estimated valuation of $2.5 billion to $5 billion. Retro Biosciences, an aging research company backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, ranked fifth, with an estimated valuation of $1.8 billion to $2 billion. Function Health, a disease prevention and diagnostics company ranked fourth, is expected to have a valuation of $2.5 billion.

According to market research firm Market Research Future, the longevity market is expected to grow from $34.57 billion (46.348 trillion won) this year at a compound annual growth rate of 7.52%, reaching $66.4 billion (89.0225 trillion won) by 2035. Market Research Future said, "This trend reflects a fundamental shift in how the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries view aging: it is no longer seen as an inevitable decline, but as a process that can be addressed through therapeutic intervention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.