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.
Timestamps
00:00 –
00:58 How epigenetic reprogramming works & why aging might be reversible
00:58 –
01:03 How big AI models changed biotech
01:03 –
02:21 NewLimit’s origin story — Jacob, Brian Armstrong & Blake Byers
02:22 –
05:20 Early breakthroughs, skeptical experiments & why results surprised them
05:20 –
08:25 Choosing the first targets: liver, immunity & where aging hits hardest
08:25 –
11:35 AI in drug discovery — protein language models, predicting experiments, and cutting years of R&D
11:35 –
14:10 What medicines could actually make us “feel” younger?
14:10 –
16:15 Diseases of aging vs. problems that hit everyone after 25
16:15 –
19:10 How biotech actually works — discovery → development → commercialization
19:10 –
21:00 Why Eli Lilly invested & how a drug goes to market
21:00 –
23:30 How close NewLimit is to human trials
23:30 –
25:50 What needs to happen before a drug ever touches a human
25:50 –
27:45 Phase 1, 2, 3 trials explained simply
27:45 –
29:20 Building the team: from 5 scientists to a world-class 40-person biotech
29:20 –
31:20 Why staying small is a superpower in biotech
31:20 –
33:10 Fundraising: why aging reversal needs $200M+ instead of $5M
33:10 –
35:10 Is there a chance they discover nothing? Startup-like risk in drug discovery
35:10 –
38:02 What Jacob is most excited about: GLP-1s, diagnostics, AI & the future of health
38:02 –
38:30 How to get in touch + final thoughts
Rho
Website - https://www.rho.co/
Public
Website - https://public.com/
Jacob Kimmel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-kimmel/
Nichole wischoff
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholewischoff/