The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 $25M Fund, 20 Companies, Zero Failures: A Biotech Investing Secret | Sergey Jakimov (3/4)
Nov 17, 2025
35:33
"If you die, all your crypto doesn't make sense. All your sustainability doesn't make sense. You have not solved the major existential issue or the major existential threat that you have."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee continues his conversation with Sergey Jakimov, Managing Partner at LongeVC, as he reveals launching a $25 million longevity fund. Leveraging relationships with top universities and a scientific advisory board featuring Nobel Prize winners, Sergey built a fund with an unconventional thesis: tackle age-related diseases one at a time, investing solely based on patient outcomes. The results—20 companies, zero write-offs in 3.5 years, with portfolio companies approaching unicorn status.
The conversation turns personal when Sergey shares his experience as a rare disease patient. At 28, a rare autoimmune neurodegenerative condition left him partially paralyzed, forcing him through a healthcare system offering only outdated treatments. This experience fundamentally reshaped his investment philosophy and cemented his belief that biotech is the most important industry. Sergey also discusses expanding his platform with Ani.vc and the Longevity Science Foundation, while reflecting on why health span and "joy span" matter more than simply extending lifespan.
Key topics covered:
- From Angel to Institution: Launching a $25M longevity fund with deal access, KOL relationships, and a science-first thesis
- Disease-by-Disease vs. Curing Aging: Why pragmatic, disease-focused investments outperform holistic longevity approaches
- A Founder's Health Crisis: How becoming a rare disease patient at 28 transformed Sergey's investment philosophy
- Exceptional Fund Performance: Achieving zero write-offs across 20 companies, with portfolio highlights in ADCs and cancer diagnostics
- Expanding the Platform: Building Ani.vc for animal health and the Longevity Science Foundation for fundamental research grants
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Sergey Jakimov, at these links:
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in Cancer Treatment: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/antibody-drug-conjugates​​
Longevity Investing and Healthy Aging Economics: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/the-economic-benefits-of-investing-in-healthy-aging​​
Rare Autoimmune Neurological Disorders: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/autoimmune-disease​​
Blood-Based Cancer Diagnostics and Early Detection: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/screening/research/blood-tests
Health Span vs. Lifespan: Quality of Life in Longevity Research: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-aging/what-do-we-know-about-healthy-aging​
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/​
Harvard University: https://www.harvard.edu/​
Stanford University: https://www.stanford.edu/​
Insilico Medicine: https://insilico.com/​​
AOA Diagnostics (AOA Dx): https://aoadx.com/​​
Longevity Science Foundation (LSF): https://longevity.foundation/
Garri Zmudze https://www.linkedin.com/in/garri-zmudze-982a48138/
Alex Zhavoronkov https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhavoronkov/
Alex Zhavoronkov https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhavoronkov/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:54 Transition from Founder to Investor
07:46 Health Span vs. Lifespan: A Philosophical Approach
10:35 Why Biotech Matters Most
14:50 Personal Health Crisis and Patient Perspective
23:39 Building a Science-First Investment Fund
25:09 Fund One: Portfolio and Strategy
28:07 Antibody-Drug Conjugates and Early-Stage Diagnostics
30:46 Fund Two and Animal Health Ventures
34:09 Longevity Science Foundation: Supporting Fundamental Research
34:14 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.