December conference in DC a success

The 2025 What's Next Longevity Innovation Summit last month in Washington, DC was well attended and covered multiple topics of relevance to the longevity economy. Thought leaders, including investors, entrepreneurs, nonprofit and government leaders, shared information about navigating the regulatory environment, the impact of tariffs, AI and the transformation of care, state leaders innovating in the government sector, investing in the longevity space, innovations and strategic partnerships, emerging technologies, aging policy trends, and more. Click here to view the recording of one of the sessions at the conference, Caregiving in America: Trends, Challenges, and Innovations Shaping the Future.

Mark your calendar: June 16-18

The 23rd annual What's Next Longevity Venture Summit will take place at Convene in San Francisco, California, June 16-18, 2026. The theme of the conference is Tracking the Customer Journey: Spotlight on Mobility, Memory, Music, Money, Marketing and AI. In addition to these topics, presenters will address go-to-market strategies, how to have a successful exit, investing in the longevity space, innovative age-tech solutions, and more. The conference will also feature 1:1 meeting opportunities, networking events and the $10,000 Business Plan Competition.

Register today for early bird pricing!

What's Next Longevity Deal Talk

Episode 43 - Following December’s Longevity Innovation Summit and the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, Mary and Fred are joined by Amelia Hay, VP for Startup Programming and Investments at the Agetech Collaborative from AARP; Steve Ewell, Executive Director of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation; and Ed Brzytwa, VP of International Trade at CTA. 



See the full list of What's Next Longevity Deal Talk episodes.

Funding News

• Lin Health, a behavioral health platform for chronic pain patients, secured $11 million in a Series A financing round led by Proofpoint Capital.
• Biobeat Technologies, a blood pressure monitoring start-up, raised $50 million in Series B equity financing led by Ally Bridge Group, OrbiMed Advisors, and Elevage Medical Technologies. 
• GravityLabs, an AI-powered healthcare start-up, raised $17 million in Series A funding from BVA, Goodwater Capital, Atinum Investment, NAVER, DSC Investment, and Bass Ventures. 
• Punto Health, a dementia care company, raised €2.3 million in a Seed funding round led by Shilling VC and Plus Partners. 
• Wearlinq, a wearable health monitoring and diagnostic solutions provider, raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by AIX Ventures. 
• Radial, developer of mental health treatments covered by Medicare, secured $50 million in Series A funding led by General Catalyst.

AARP Delivers Prescription Drug Savings

For years, Americans have been forced to make the difficult decision between filling a prescription or paying for everyday essentials like groceries and gas. But this reality is beginning to change, thanks in large part, to advocacy by AARP. Learn more about how AARP’s advocacy is delivering real savings for Americans in a new blog by AARP’s Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer, Nancy LeaMond. 

TeleHCN and SolidHealth.AI Announce Partnership

TeleHCN and SolidHealth.AI announced a strategic technology partnership to deliver care in line with the CMS ACCESS Model (a new initiative for value-based care) starting in 2026. TeleHCN will license the technology and bring it to skilled nursing facilities across their network. SolidHealth.AI plans to onboard 23 facilities via TeleHCN by the end of 2026.

The Smarter Service Partners with Human Good to Improve Health Span

The Smarter Service is exploring a new resident learning initiative in partnership with HumanGood, aligned with their focus on improving resident health span. The goal is to support older adults as they navigate changing needs related to hearing, vision, and accessibility, and to build confidence -- using technology that can help along the way.

Hugh & Grace Ranks on Growth and Impact

Hugh & Grace is a longevity-driven healthspan platform built around simple, repeatable daily routines that improve hormone health, reduce everyday chemical exposure, and drive long-term adherence. The company ranked #114 on the Inc. 5000 and was named a BeautyMatter FUTURE50 brand, reflecting rapid growth and a differentiated platform at the intersection of consumer health, behavior change, and longevity.

BrainHQ CEO Presents at Seminal Conference

Dr. Henry Mahncke (BrainHQ CEO) is addressing the 13^th Annual Brain Health Summit (held in connection with the Super Bowl) about cognitive resilience (just shown in large military study), brain injury recovery (across multiple studies), longevity (across 100+ studies) and building peak cognitive performance.

GetSetUp Scaling Healthcare Services

In 2026, GetSetUp is expanding its services deeper into the healthcare ecosystem to help older adults confidently onboard and understand their healthcare coverage options. By supporting older adults as active digital members through teaching them how to use portals, telehealth, and plan resources, GetSetUp helps reduce confusion, improve engagement, and lower avoidable costs.

The SCAN Foundation Invests in Impact

The SCAN Foundation’s Impact Investing team deploys capital to enable older adults from historically marginalized groups to age well in home and community. It supports innovative solutions through affording, enabling, and improving care for older Americans. The portfolio consists of fund and direct investments across private asset classes, including: Town Hall Ventures, whose portfolio company, Suvida Healthcare, is scaling culturally competent primary care for Latino older adults; and Pear Suite, a community health worker-enablement platform serving 100,000+ people.

CABHI Introduces AgeTech Insights Fellows

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), powered by Baycrest, is excited to introduce its inaugural AgeTech Insights Fellows—a panel of industry-leading experts under its AgeTech Insights initiative. Fellows will serve as strategic advisors and global thought leaders, helping turn evidence into action. Additionally, CABHI's latest Impact Report is now available. Explore the stories, successes, and projects that are shaping the future of aging.

Neursantys Saves Health System Over $65k Per Person

An analysis by the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) and a review in Today’s Geriatric Medicine highlight the significant patient-centered and system-level benefits being unlocked by Neursantys innovations in balance restoration for older adults. The IHE study places a lifetime value of up to $65,000–$85,000 per person on the Neursantys treatment, placing Neursantys treatments well within the willingness-to-pay thresholds used by healthcare providers and insurers to support reimbursement.

USAging's New Brief, Conference, and Partnership

USAging has three exciting updates. First, it released the first brief in a new series focused on home and community-based care and the Area Agencies in Aging (AAAs’) value and role in the broader health care system. Second, you can now register for USAging’s Annual Conference, Answers on Aging – the country’s largest gathering of local leaders in aging well at home, attracting more than 1,400 attendees. It will be held in San Diego, California from July 18-21, 2026. Third, USAging is partnering with Duett to offer its provider-matching and care coordination platform to USAging’s national network—offering agencies a modern, efficient workflow that helps social workers quickly match clients to home and community-based services.

VitalPath Advisory Launches

Ken Roos has launched VitalPath Advisory, a consulting firm focused on helping healthcare, longevity, and life science companies professionalize their go-to-market and revenue strategies as they scale. VitalPath partners with founders, investors, and leadership teams to bring structure, focus, and repeatable execution to commercial growth. Ken remains an active supporter of and advisor within the Mary Furlong & Associates community and looks forward to continuing to contribute to MFA’s mission of advancing innovation and impact across the longevity economy.

Books, News, Reports, and Events

• The National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded UC Santa Barbara a $3.8 million grant to study how virtual reality can help older adults aging at home strengthen social connections. 
• Read Laurie Orlov's new report on AI and older adults.
• CMS launched a $100 million lifestyle medicine pilot, MAHA ELEVATE, to fund up to 30 organizations (including senior living communities) to test interventions to reduce chronic disease and hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries. 
• Read the NY Times bestseller, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.
• The FDA launched TEMPO, a voluntary pilot program to improve outcomes for patients with chronic diseases by expanding safe access to digital health devices for cardio-kidney-metabolic, musculoskeletal, and behavioral health conditions.
• A new AARP report found that more older adults are embracing technology and AI. 
• A large JAMA Network Open study found that long-term exposure to specific air pollutants is associated with a higher risk of depression among older adults.
• A recent The Lancet Healthy Longevity study found menopause hormone therapy does not impact risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. 

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