Primetime in Q1: The International Lens

In a moment of time where nation states, or at least our economic policies, seem to be at odds, it has been reassuring to work on the global opportunity of the longevity economy. The demographic shift towards older societies is a bond shared by most countries. By 2080 there will be more people over the age of 65 than children under the age of 18, and in the US this population inversion becomes a reality by 2040. The necessity for innovation in healthspan and wealthspan is a united, common cause around the globe.

This past quarter the Primetime team was “on the ground” in Japan, the Middle East and Latin America, spending time with startups, corporations and investors all focused on the longevity economy. The momentum is palpable: from consumers (the search term “longevity” is up 22% year over year); to innovators (Primetime’s deal flow increased 15% comparing Q1 2025 to Q1 2024); to a global leadership focus on aging (the World Economic Forum released its call to action report: “Future-Proofing the Longevity Economy”).

With 55% of government spending in developed nations now directed toward age-related costs and the global wellness market—driven largely by consumer spending—reaching $1.8 trillion, both public and private sectors are increasing their commitments in different ways. Governments are allocating more resources to healthcare infrastructure, longevity research and policy reforms, while consumers are also driving demand for personalized wellness, preventative medicine and longevity-focused innovations.

During our travels, four of Primetime’s investment theses resonated across a range of markets:

• The Care Challenge. The World Health Organization estimates a shortfall of 10 million health care workers by 2030. This shortfall is the most commonly cited use case for technology applied to aging - from AI agents to automate administrative tasks and thereby free up nurse time for care, to homecare marketplaces to robots to combat social isolation and everything in between. Novel solutions to the care challenge are the most universal and advanced area of venture investing across most countries.

• Dementia is becoming a global pandemic. The global cost of dementia care has already surpassed $1.3 trillion and is forecasted to reach $2.8 trillion by 2030. As populations age, the economic and social burden of neurodegenerative diseases continues to rise, driving investment in early diagnostics, prevention and treatment solutions. Delaying, reducing and ameliorating the impact of dementia is a priority for all stakeholders in aging economies.

• Precision medicine is just at its beginning. The concierge medicine market is valued at $17.4 billion and is projected to grow to $44.3 billion by 2034, with Asia Pacific expected to be the fastest-growing region. This expansion reflects increasing demand for personalized healthcare and tailored treatment plans. At the same time, the high growth in specialty pharmaceuticals is creating new avenues for health tech, data solutions and specialty distribution. By 2028, 43% of global pharmaceutical spending is expected to be on specialty medicines, up from just 13% in 2010, underscoring the shift toward more advanced, targeted treatments.

• The global Retirement Savings Gap is creating pressure for workplace innovation to support older adults working longer and generating opportunities for financial services firms to design and launch a new longevity financial products like long-term care and annuities. While half of older adults have substantial spending power, the other half is aging into poverty, on a global scale.

Longevity Efforts in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Latin America

Japan is at the forefront of innovation in aging, as 29.3% of its citizens are aged 65 and older. During Abby’s visit to Tokyo in March, she met with almost a dozen executives to discuss lessons learned from the traction of US healthtech and fintech startups. A key theme was the desire of Japanese companies to “import” innovation by becoming the local distributor of new technology businesses. Our portfolio companies Butlr, Empathy and Kintsugi have seen traction in the Japanese market. In visiting an eldercare home in Japan, it is clear that Japan is proactively experimenting with AI-driven diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and robotics to support healthy aging.

In Saudi Arabia, longevity and precision medicine are highlighted in the country’s Vision 2030 strategy, building on its existing investments in healthcare innovation. Abby visited Riyadh in February to speak at The Global Healthspan Summit, organized by Hevolution Foundation. The Summit convened over 3,000 attendees from around the globe, and showcased many of Saudi Arabia’s investments, including expanded genomic research initiatives and AI-powered healthcare platforms to shift from reactive to preventive care ahead of their delayed demographic shift. Saudi Arabia’s biotech hub development and global precision health partnerships also align with the Kingdom’s broader push to diversify its economy and cement its position as a leader in next-generation healthcare.

Latin America is also deepening its commitment to longevity and precision medicine, particularly in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, where aging populations and chronic diseases require innovative approaches. 25% of Latin America and the Caribbean will be over the age of 60 by 2050. In January, Alan addressed LATAM leaders at the Silver Economy Conference organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (held in Barcelona). Governments and private sector players are increasingly expanding access to personalized therapies, and AI-driven diagnostics to improve health outcomes. In Argentina and Colombia, the silver economy accounts for 40% of GDP - and this audience needs better healthcare, financial services and consumer offerings, some of which will come from local companies and some from international partners. The consensus from the conference was an imperative to increase provocateur sector investment, as well as intervene 

Also this quarter, Primetime was pleased to join the advisory team supporting the World Economic Forum’s second Longevity Innovation Challenge. This year’s Challenge is ‘Innovating for Asia’s Demographic Future Challenge’. Applications for startups that address aging in Asia are due April 28th - apply Here.

Portfolio Fundraises in Q1

As an asset class, 2025 is off to a strong start for venture funding, and our portfolio is no exception. We had four portfolio companies raise capital in the first quarter, and another three have signed term sheets for fundraises to be disclosed that will close in the second quarter. 

Butlr: AI Insight into Human Movement completed a strategic investment round from Ricoh, Wistron, and Taiwan Global Angels for a total of $75M in funding to date. Read Here.

Earth Funeral: Eco-friendly Funeralcare raised a $25M Series B led by American Family Ventures to meet impressive demand and expand geographically within the U.S. Primetime participated in the round.

NourishedRx: Digital health and food-as-medicine platform raised a Series A, which will be announced shortly once a final close is held. The funding will support execution of NourishedRx’s high impact ‘food as healthcare‘ programs across 19 health plans. Led by founder and CEO Lauren Driscoll, the company is tripling its revenue year over year.

OpenLoop Health: Powering Superior Telehealth from End-to-End completed its Series C funding round of over $70M to fuel large customer expansion, product development and M&A. Under the leadership of founder Jon Lensing, OpenLoop has continued to bolt on value-add capabilities to complete itis virtual care platform such as pharmacy, lab services and ancillary services. With 20,000+ clinicians in network across 30+ specialties, OpenLoop covers 250M patient lives across the US.

We congratulate these teams on their significant growth and impact. 

Select Portfolio in the News

Carewell: E-Commerce Concierge for At-Home Caregiving launched Carewell Community, a new online forum where caregivers can connect, learn, and share with peers. Members can also receive guidance from Carewell’s Care Team to further support their care needs. Explore Here

DUOS: Reimagining Aging with Innovative Digital Health Solutions was featured in Humana’s 2024 Impact Report for enhancing care for U.S. veteran beneficiaries (on page 90). The program has been expanded for 2025, with total eligible membership doubling from 2024 to 2025. Read Here

Empathy: Comprehensive Support System for Loss announced its first major Canadian partnership with SunLife, as covered in the Financial Times Here, and announced four new executive hires to match its strong partnership growth. Read Here

GetSetUp: Virtual Learning Platform for Active Agers surpassed one million class attendances in New York with NYSOFA, and launched Helen, an AI assistant to help older adults navigate their benefits, check eligibilities and connect to health resources. Explore Here

Isaac Health: Platform for Specialist Brain Health and Dementia Management was named to the 2025 New York Digital Health 100, and announced partnerships with Caregiving.com, Caregiver Action Network and Carallel to provide crucial support to dementia caregivers and their loved ones through CMS Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model. Learn More Here

Kintsugi: Voice Biomarker AI Scaling Access to Care was selected for Microsoft’s Pegasus Program, as one of a few healthcare pioneers. New research confirms that Kintsugi’s voice biomarker AI can identify moderate to severe depression with 71% sensitivity - compared to 47.3% rates in primary care - Read Here. Founder Grace Chang was named to Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Female Founders list, alongside Abby. Read Here

Penelope: Digital Retirement Platform for SMBs participated in NJ FAST Accelerator Batch - sponsored by Plug & Play, Prudential and Stevenson Institute of Technology, and added three veteran advisors as the team moves upmarket to enterprise software partnerships. Read Here

RubyWell: Every Family Caregiver is a Paid Caregiver announced its partnership with Caregiver Action Network to help more family caregivers navigate their financial journey through caregiving. Read Here

TotalLife: Medicare-covered Online Therapy Improving the Well-Being of Older Adults founder Neelam Brar is a finalist presenting at the American Telemedicine Association’s Annual Innovators Challenge, and was honored to Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Female Founders list, alongside Abby. Read Here

Primetime in the News & On Stage

• Abby spoke at HealthImpact25 (NYC) and the AgeTech NYC Meet-up, and attended CES (Las Vegas). Alan spoke at the first Europe-Latin America and Caribbean Silver Economy Forum (Barcelona) and IVYFON (NYC), and was interviewed in a fireside chat at the Harvard Club of NYC. James and Ray attended ViVE (Nashville) and co-hosted a Happy Hour with Munich RE. Zoe attended the AARP Global Thought Leadership Conference.

Given the relative sophistication of the U.S. startup ecosystem and in reviewing our cumulative deal flow, we can attest that the U.S. is leading (by numbers) in venture-backed companies impacting healthspan and wealthspan. At Primetime we have met with founders based in over 40 countries and will invest across borders for game-changing business models and teams. If you are building or investing in the global longevity sector, please reach out!

To Good Health, Wealth and Work,

Abby, Alan, James, Ray and Zoe

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