How longevity startups can access the hidden investment potential of the world’s wealthiest individuals and families.
This week, the latest in the Family Office Forum global event series took place at the stunning Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. The events bring together family offices and speakers from around the world, and longevity science is increasingly on the agenda. Once considered a niche topic of discussion at such events, longevity has become a serious area of investment, spanning potential opportunities from biotech and preventive medicine to health tech and wellness.
Over the years, family offices have evolved into a powerful and influential group of investors, often involved at the earliest stages of companies at forefront of innovation. Their flexibility allows them to make direct investments, take long-term positions and support ventures aligned with their values. As such, they are increasingly drawn to sectors that combine financial potential with personal and societal relevance – and longevity sits firmly at that intersection.
Longevity.Technology: A mystery to many, family offices are essentially private advisory firms established by wealthy individuals or families to manage their financial, investment and personal affairs. By centralizing decision-making and expertise, they enable families to take a long-term, strategic view of their wealth – balancing financial performance with legacy, governance and wellbeing. But which areas of longevity are they most interested in, and how can founders access this potential source of critical funding? To find out more, we sat down with the people behind the Family Office Forum series – Tobias Prestel and Katja Mülheim of Prestel & Partner.
When an individual or family generates more than $100 million in wealth, they may decide to manage their wealth privately rather than through a bank. The purpose of a family office is not only to preserve and grow capital but also to maintain privacy, continuity and family cohesion across generations.
“That’s where longevity comes in,” says Prestel. “Family offices are relevant both as investors and as consumers in this space. They’re interested in longevity not only as a business opportunity but also because they personally want to live healthier, longer lives.”
Longevity’s dual appeal
Unlike traditional wealth managers or private banks, family offices provide a holistic approach that spans asset management, tax and estate planning, philanthropy, and even lifestyle and education support. For family offices, the appeal of investing in longevity is both personal and practical: offering the opportunity to capitalize on a growing industry while also supporting advances that may directly enhance their own health and quality of life.
“Our audience – typically families with $120 million or more in assets – often reach a point where they’ve achieved great wealth but realize their health has suffered,” says Mülheim. “I remember one founder of a major internet platform who sold his company for hundreds of millions in his 30s. He later said: “I worked all my life, ate pizza and drank cola – and now that I have everything, my health is gone.” Now, he invests exclusively in health and longevity.”
This convergence of personal motivation and financial opportunity has made longevity one of the most talked-about themes in family office circles. It reflects a broader shift in how wealth holders define value – moving beyond traditional asset classes toward impact-driven and human-centric investments.
“Over the past 14 years of running our conferences, we’ve seen health, wellbeing and longevity become increasingly important,” says Mülheim. “When we started, the word ‘longevity’ wasn’t even used much.”
Prestel concurs. “Life sciences has always been a strong area of interest for family offices, but about two years ago, health and wellness clinics really surged as a trend,” he says. “Now, the focus is shifting to longevity science, and new technologies that enhance quality of life.”
Multiple investment motivations
As the science and technology around healthy aging advance, family offices are emerging as influential backers of innovation in the field, helping to shape the future of how society approaches health, vitality and lifespan.
“Our audience is motivated by two things: maintaining their own and their family’s health and investing in new technologies that support that goal,” says Mülheim. “For a start, they can afford cutting-edge treatments – for them, it’s about quality and innovation, not price. And as they become personally engaged, they sometimes want to start investing in these areas – often connecting directly with experts and advisory boards.”
Prestel says some of the family offices attending the firm’s events include the likes of Christian Boehringer of Boehringer Ingelheim and Dr Thomas Dobmeyer, who sold a life sciences company for hundreds of millions and now focuses on improving healthcare and education access around the world.
“Some invest for financial returns, others for personal or even philanthropic reasons – but all share an interest in longevity as both a business and human endeavor,” he says. “Many see it as part of giving back. For instance, Thomas Dobmeyer is financing healthcare and education projects in Madagascar. It’s about improving quality of life, not just extending it.”
Broad areas of interest
In terms of the specific areas within longevity that family offices are interested in investing in, Mülheim says it depends on the family and their background.
“Health and longevity are deeply personal topics,” she says. “Unlike real estate or private equity, this is something people feel – that’s why there’s so much passion around it. Tech-minded investors gravitate toward biotech and data-driven health tech. But lately, there’s growing excitement around biohacking, peptides, stem cell therapy and even emerging fields like quantum biology. Some are exploring light, sound and frequency-based healing – areas that are still early but showing intriguing research potential.”
The same level of individuality can be observed when it comes to family offices’ approach to investing.
“Unlike institutional investors, family offices face no strict regulations on how or where they invest,” explains Prestel. “About half invest directly; the rest use funds or structured vehicles. They might back a startup with just a pitch deck, or they might buy and build their own clinic. The flexibility is immense – they can do whatever feels right.”
Tapping into family offices
So how, then, can startups put themselves in front of this powerful audience?
“It can be hard for longevity providers to reach family offices, and that’s precisely where Katja and I come in,” says Prestel. “Through our events, we bring together private single-family offices with relevant experts and opportunities, including longevity.”
“You can’t just find these families online and send a pitch – they value their privacy,” agrees Mülheim. “Our conferences provide rare access to them – but it’s about trust and shared interests, not transactions.”
In addition to Zurich, Prestel & Partner puts on Family Office Forum events all over the world, spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East and beyond.
“It’s growing fast – especially in regions like the Middle East, which is becoming a real hub for longevity innovation,” says Mülheim. “Our upcoming conferences in Dubai and Riyadh reflect that trend.”
However, while many investor-focused events typically put startups into “pitch mode,” Prestel says the approach isn’t one that typically resonates with a family office audience.
“Our events offer a safe space – family offices attend because they know they won’t be pitched aggressively,” he explains. “So, for startups, the key is to be respectful and build relationships – not to ‘sell.’ Be gentle, be authentic and people will listen.”
“That’s why networking is so important,” adds Mülheim. “Many come to our events to connect with other family offices investing in similar areas, to share experiences and due diligence insights.”
“Trust and community matter – especially in a field as complex as longevity. That’s why we feature not just investors but also doctors and scientists who explain how these innovations work. At our events, investors meet those experts and often discover longevity as a new area of interest.”
