Retro Bio, the longevity biotech startup heavily backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is pursuing a staggering $5 billion valuation in what could rank among the drug industry’s largest funding rounds. Despite lacking any clinical trial data, the San Francisco-based company is showcasing aggressive fundraising materials that position it as a future titan in the anti-aging space. The effort highlights Silicon Valley’s intensifying push into biotechnology, fueled by tech billionaires betting big on extending human lifespan.
Tech Meets Aging: Retro Bio’s Grand Vision
Retro Bio targets adding a decade of healthy life through innovative approaches like epigenetic editing, cell replacement therapies, and AI-enhanced methods to rejuvenate aging tissues. CEO Joe Betts-Lacroix has emphasized rapid development, including collaborations with OpenAI to convert regular cells into stem cells and plans for trials targeting diseases like Alzheimer’s. Fundraising decks boldly claim “Longevity will be the greatest pharma market of all time,” with projections of Retro Bio’s value eclipsing giants like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, rivaling tech behemoths such as Alphabet and Microsoft.
Billionaire Backing Fuels the Fire
Altman kickstarted Retro Bio with a $180 million seed investment in 2023 and reportedly joined a subsequent $1 billion Series A round earlier this year. This aligns with a broader trend where ultra-wealthy investors like Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, and Eric Schmidt have poured over $5 billion into longevity ventures over the past 25 years. Retro Bio’s pre-clinical ambitions reflect the high-risk, high-reward ethos of Silicon Valley, where AI and biotech convergence promises to redefine human healthspan.
