What if aging isn’t inevitable — but a solvable problem?
And what if the biggest opportunity in healthcare isn’t treating disease, but preventing it entirely?

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Omri Amirav-Drory, General Partner at NFX, to explore one of the most ambitious frontiers in venture capital: longevity, biotech, and the intersection of biology and technology.

Omri leads pre-seed and seed investments at NFX and focuses on what he believes is the ultimate mission — ending involuntary death. We talk openly about why aging is the root cause behind most diseases, how AI is transforming biotech, and why longevity represents a $38 trillion per year opportunity in additional healthy life.

This is a deep, honest conversation about conviction, risk, optimism, and why the future of healthcare looks nothing like today’s system.

⸻

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why aging is the root cause of 9 out of 10 deadly diseases
• The real difference between lifespan and healthspan
• Why longevity could unlock $38T per year in economic value
• How NFX evaluates early-stage biotech and tech-bio startups
• The power-law logic behind seed investing
• Why most VCs miss the biggest opportunities by being pessimistic
• AI’s three major waves in biotech and drug discovery
• Why GLP-1 drugs changed healthcare economics forever
• Precision medicine, biomarkers, and the limits of simulation
• Whether humans alive today could realistically live to 160
• Replacement biology, regeneration, and the ethics of enhancement

❓ Do you believe aging will be cured in our lifetime — or is it science fiction?

___________________________________________________________________________
R136 Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based multi-stage VC firm with a focus on scaling mid and late-stage B2B and fintech startups.

Our mission is to propel creative entrepreneurs to a faster growth trajectory. We help founders scale their mid-to-late stage startups, bringing with us a distinctive fusion of expertise and past experiences that are key in unlocking their true potential.

With many of our team having previously held CEO, CTO and other c-level positions, we understand the challenges and opportunities of both startups and major corporations. Our contribution doesn't just stop at vision and strategy; we actively shape your execution and help in talent acquisition.

With a legacy of managing assets exceeding $400 million and having financially backed more than 30 innovative companies, our record speaks for itself.

🌐 Learn more: https://www.r136.vc/

Most people think disruption is about technology.

In reality, it’s about winning inside chaos, regulation, and imperfect systems — before the rules catch up.

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Lane Kasselman, President of Blockchain.com and one of the earliest executives at Uber, to unpack what it truly takes to scale category-defining companies in the most regulated environments on earth.

We talk candidly about how Uber forced regulation to follow adoption, how that mindset carried into Blockchain.com, and why the next crypto cycle will look fundamentally different from the last.

This is not a conversation about hype.

It’s a masterclass on building real companies that survive cycles, scrutiny, and scale.

⸻

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Uber’s “win or lose” culture still defines category winners

• How Blockchain.com scaled from 100 to 600 employees in under a year

• What founders misunderstand about regulation in tech and crypto

• Why emerging markets are driving real crypto adoption — not speculation

• How stablecoins are already replacing fiat in parts of the global economy

• Why the next crypto downturn won’t look like 2022

• How AI agents will quietly make crypto the backbone of global payments

• The leadership shifts required to scale from startup to global platform

• Why hiring true operators — not just insiders — changes everything

• The single most important mistake founders make in regulated industries

⸻

❓ If regulation is inevitable, should founders fight it — or design their strategy around it from day one?

Most founders believe venture capital is a game of who can raise the largest round. But the real game is different: pick the right market, build something defensible, and create a business that doesn’t burn through capital just to stay alive.

Jeff Weinstein is a partner at FJ Labs, one of the world’s most active early-stage investors. The firm has backed more than 1,000 companies with over $500 million under management. Unlike traditional venture firms that deliberate for weeks, FJ Labs moves fast, invests globally, and says no to most deals.

In our conversation, Weinstein walks through the mechanics of evaluating 200 startups each week, explains what separates fundable companies from also-rans, and discusses how artificial intelligence is reshaping both marketplace businesses and the venture industry itself.

For founders, operators, and investors, the conversation offers a window into how venture capital works when stripped of its usual inefficiencies.

Key topics:

• Why FJ Labs backs more than 100 companies annually

• How the firm narrows hundreds of pitches to a handful of investments using two calls

• What founders must demonstrate before investors commit capital

• Why marketplace businesses remain defensible despite AI advances

• How emerging fund managers compete against multibillion-dollar institutions

• Why raising less capital can lead to better outcomes than raising more

• How FJ Labs identifies winners in saturated markets

• Why capital-efficient companies command higher valuations today

• How venture firms evaluate returns, runway, funding rounds, and company valuations

What’s the #1 signal you look for when choosing a startup to bet on?

🌐 Learn more: https://www.r136.vc/