Business model: sports as marketing for enhancement products

Can performance-enhancing drugs push the limits of human potential? The creators of the Enhanced Games say yes — and they’re building a new sporting event to prove it.  

Backed by Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, the Enhanced Games aims to disrupt the Olympics with a competition that allows athletes to dope. Launching in Las Vegas in May 2026, the games promise $1 million bounties for breaking world records and lean on a business model reminiscent of Red Bull’s, using the spectacle as marketing for future enhancement products. 

Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan spoke with Aron D'Souza, co-founder and President of the Enhanced Games, about the business of enhancement, what it means to build in the longevity space, and who gets to do it. 

Listen to the full episode to hear: 

• How the venture has raised "double-digit millions" and signed Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley, whom D'Souza believes will break Usain Bolt's 100m record at age 31. 

• Why D'Souza believes Olympic drug testing has stunted performance enhancement research, and how allowing enhancements in sports could drive longevity breakthroughs. 

• Enhanced's plan to build a telehealth platform selling testosterone and weight-loss drugs (which have yet to be developed). 

• The societal, economic, and ethical implications of extending human longevity. 

Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. 

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