In recent years, there has been a growing trend of billionaires investing in longevity research. This is because they believe that by doing so, they can not only extend their own lives but also make a significant impact on the world. Hoping to follow the paths of some of the most admired scientific minds of all time, here are some of the billionaires who have invested in longevity research:

Bill Gates

In 1998, Gates and his then-wife founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is said to be the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world.

As of May 16, 2013, its trustees included Gates himself, his wife Melinda, and Warren Buffett. Other notable trustees include Sylvia Mathews Burwell (president of Walmart), Lt. Gen. Colin L. Powell (ret.), and Shirley Ann Jackson.

Gates has also invested personally in a number of medical research and health companies., hoping to find treatments for some of the world’s deadliest diseases such as cancer, malaria and AIDS.

In 2015 it was revealed that he had invested $50 million in Beijing-based Biomark Capital, which invests primarily in start-ups developing drugs or medical devices.

Some have argue that by investing in such companies, Gates is essentially trying to achieve immortality – or at least extend his life significantly.

In March 2016, it was announced that Bill Gates had invested $100 million into Kymera Therapeutics, a biotech company that is working on developing new treatments for age-related diseases. Gates has said that he believes Kymera has the potential to “significantly improve human health and lengthen people’s healthy lifespan.”

There is no denying that Bill Gates is one of the most influential people on the planet today. He is a man who has made an incredible impact on both the business world and philanthropy.

Now it seems he may also be interested in immortality. Only time will tell if his investment into medical research pays off but one thing is for sure – Bill Gates is certainly a man worth watching.

Jeff Bezos

The founder of Amazon is reportedly funding an anti-aging research lab that could make humans immortal. The new lab, called Unity Biotechnology, will have locations in California, England, and Japan.

The company is working on “cellular rejuvenation programming,” which would repair damaged cells and prevent them from aging or dying. This would theoretically allow people to live for centuries without age-related diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.

Bezos isn’t the only billionaire interested in immortality. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is also reportedly backing the company. And PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has invested in several companies working on anti-aging therapies.

It’s not clear how close Unity Biotechnology is to achieving its goals. But if it does succeed in making humans immortal, it would obviously have a huge impact on society – and on Jeff Bezos’ fortune.

Peter Thiel

In 2014, it was revealed that PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel had donated $3.5 million to the Methuselah Foundation, an organization dedicated to researching Regenerative Medicine therapies with the goal of extending human lifespan. Thiel has said that he believes achieving immortality is “possible and desirable.”

In Peter Thiel’s view, the investment potential in immortality is considerable. He believes that medical advances will eventually make it possible for human beings to achieve a much longer life span, if not literal immortality. He has made significant investments in companies working on biomedical technologies with the goal of extending human life.

Thiel is far from alone in his interest in longevity research. A number of billionaires are pursuing this same goal, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. They are all motivated by a desire to see humanity fulfill its potential by overcoming the limits imposed by death.

There are many different approaches being pursued in the quest for longevity. Some involve developing new therapies to treat age-related diseases. Others focus on enhancing repair and maintenance mechanisms within the body so that it can better withstand the ravages of time. And still others aim to produce radical life extension by entirely transforming our biology through methods such as gene editing or artificial intelligence.

The scientific obstacles to achieving significant lifespan extension are considerable, but not insurmountable. With sufficient funding and political will, it seems likely that we will eventually make great progress in this area. And when that happens, those who have invested early stands to reap enormous rewards financially as well as in terms of their own personal health and longevity.

So far, most of the major investors in longevity research have been content to leave the scientific heavy lifting to others. But Thiel is different. He has a long history of making contrarian bets that pay off handsomely, and he seems to relish taking on big challenges. If anyone can turn the promise of immortality into reality, it just might be him.

Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison has long been interested in the idea of immortality, and now he is investing in companies that are pursuing this goal. He has invested in a company that is trying to extend life by slowing down the aging process, and another that is working on artificial intelligence that could eventually lead to humans merge with machines.

Ellison isn’t just investing his money in these companies, he is also advising them. He believes that technology can help us achieve immortality, either by directly extending our life span or by creating devices that we can use to upload our consciousness into after we die.

There are many different approaches to achieving immortality, and Ellison’s investments reflect this diversity. Some scientists believe that we will be able to prevent age-related diseases by manipulating the genes that control aging. Others are working on artificial intelligence that could eventually surpass human intelligence, leading to a future where humans merge with machines.

No matter what approach ultimately proves successful, it seems likely that Larry Ellison will be one of the people at the forefront of this quest for eternal life.

In 2010, Oracle founder Larry Ellison donated $430 million to aged care research at Stanford University. Ellison has stated that his interest in longevity research stems from his desire to “Cheat death.”

Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, is reported to have invested in a company that is researching immortality. The company in question is called Calico, and its goal is to “extend human life” by developing technologies to fight age-related diseases.

In 2013, it was revealed that Google co-founder Sergey Brin had invested $50 million into Calico, a company that is focused on developing technologies to combat age-related diseases. At the time of the investment, Brin said that he hoped Calico would help him “live long enough to see my great-great grandchildren.”

This news may come as a surprise to some, as Sergey Brin is only 49 years old, as of writing. However, it seems that he is taking a long-term view on his investment – after all, even if the average lifespan could be extended by just a few years, that would still have a profound impact on humanity as a whole. And given his vast wealth (estimated at $30 billion), it’s unsurprising that he is able to make such high-risk investments.

Of course, many people will be skeptical of Calico’s claims – after all, defeating death has been the holy grail of science for centuries without success.

Even if the company does manage to extend life expectancy modestly, there are ethical concerns about whether or not this should be done; after all, overpopulation could become an even bigger problem if people start living much longer lives.

Still, it’s hard to deny the potential impact of Calico’s work, and it will be interesting to see what comes of Sergey Brin’s investment. Only time will tell if they are able to achieve their lofty goals, but regardless of the outcome, it seems likely that this company will have a major impact on the world in the years to come.

Paul Fuchs

Investing in immortality is not a new concept. The ancient Egyptians did it through their tombs and pyramids, the Greeks through their temples, and more recently people have been doing it by cryonics and transhumanism.

Paul Fuchs is an entrepreneur who is investing in immortality. He has founded a company called Life Extension Ventures which aims to commercialise technologies that can extend human life span and potentially enable human immortalisation.

In 2015, hedge fund manager Paul Fuchs announced that he had donated $1 million to the SENS Research Foundation, an organization working on developing therapies to prevent and reverse age-related damage. Fuchs has said his motivation for investing in longevity research is to “give back” and help people live healthier lives for longer.

Fuchs believes that the key to immortality is preventing senescence, the biological process of cell deterioration that leads to aging. Through his company, he is funding research into methods of countering senescence such as telomere lengthening therapies and gene therapy approaches targeting wrinkles, gray hair, and age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Fuchs acknowledges that there are numerous risks associated with his investment strategy but believes that the potential rewards are worth the risks. His long-term goal is to achieve “longevity escape velocity” whereby medical advances enable humans to live indefinitely without suffering from age-related diseases or frailty.

Whether or not Paul Fuch’s investment strategy will pay off remains to be seen but his boldness in tackling one of humanity’s greatest challenges is admirable. His efforts may one day help us all cheat death and achieve immortality.

Should You Pay Attention?

These are just a few examples of the many billionaires who have invested in longevity research in recent years.

While some may do so for purely altruistic reasons, others may be accused of doing it for narcissistic reasons,  there is no doubt see the potential financial benefits of investing in an industry that could one day extend human lifespan significantly.

Either way, these investments are helping to support cutting-edge research that could eventually lead to major breakthroughs in our understanding of aging and age-related diseases.

Most people probably think that billionaires are investing in longevity because they want to live longer themselves. However, there are other motivations behind this trend. Here are four reasons why billionaires are interested in longevity research:

To help others

Yes, some billionaires may want to extend their own lives but many also want to use their wealth to improve the lives of others.

They may see investing in longevity research as a way to make a real difference in the world and help people lead longer, healthier lives. After all, what’s the point of having all that money if you can’t use it to do some good?

To make more money

Billionaires are some of the most businessmen and entrepreneurs. They know that one of the keys to success is to spot trends early and invest in them. So, it comes as no surprise that they would want to invest in something with the potential to change the world – like longevity research.

To combat ageism

Ageism is discrimination against older people – and it’s a big problem! By extension, this means that there is also discrimination against anything associated with old age, including wrinkles, grey hair and poor health.

This can lead to a lack of investment in research into conditions that mainly affect older people, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. But if wealthy people invest in this kind of research, it can help to combat ageism and make sure that these important issues are given the attention they deserve.

To prepare for an aging world

We’re living longer than ever before – and this is set to continue. By 2050, there will be more over-60s than children under 15 for the first time in history! This “silver tsunami” presents both opportunities and challenges.

Businesses that cater to older people (such as healthcare companies) are likely to do well but we also need to make sure that our societies are prepared for the influx of retirees. This means investing in things like pensions and longevity research so that we can all enjoy a long and happy retirement.

So, there you have it – four reasons why billionaires are investing in longevity research. What do you think?

Are they on the right track or is this a waste of money? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!