Inside NewLimit: A $1.6B Biotech Startup Solving Aging

In today’s episode, we sit down with Jacob, co-founder & CEO of NewLimit, a company that has raised $247M to push the frontier of aging science  from epigenetic reprogramming to AI-driven drug discovery.We dive deep into how NewLimit plans to restore youthful function in human cells, what’s actually possible with aging reversal, how AI accelerates drug discovery, why GLP-1s changed the game, and whether there’s a real chance that none of this works.If you're curious about biology, longevity, AI in drug discovery, or what it takes to build a $1.5B+ biotech startup from scratch this episode is a must-watch.Timestamps00:00 – 00:58 How epigenetic reprogramming works & why aging might be reversible00:58 – 01:03 How big AI models changed biotech01:03 – 02:21 NewLimit’s origin story — Jacob, Brian Armstrong & Blake Byers02:22 – 05:20 Early breakthroughs, skeptical experiments & why results surprised them05:20 – 08:25 Choosing the first targets: liver, immunity & where aging hits hardest08:25 – 11:35 AI in drug discovery — protein language models, predicting experiments, and cutting years of R&D11:35 – 14:10 What medicines could actually make us “feel” younger?14:10 – 16:15 Diseases of aging vs. problems that hit everyone after 2516:15 – 19:10 How biotech actually works — discovery → development → commercialization19:10 – 21:00 Why Eli Lilly invested & how a drug goes to market21:00 – 23:30 How close NewLimit is to human trials23:30 – 25:50 What needs to happen before a drug ever touches a human25:50 – 27:45 Phase 1, 2, 3 trials explained simply27:45 – 29:20 Building the team: from 5 scientists to a world-class 40-person biotech29:20 – 31:20 Why staying small is a superpower in biotech31:20 – 33:10 Fundraising: why aging reversal needs $200M+ instead of $5M33:10 – 35:10 Is there a chance they discover nothing? Startup-like risk in drug discovery35:10 – 38:02 What Jacob is most excited about: GLP-1s, diagnostics, AI & the future of health38:02 – 38:30 How to get in touch + final thoughtsRho Website - https://www.rho.co/PublicWebsite - https://public.com/Jacob Kimmelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-kimmel/Nichole wischoffhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/