A recent survey quoted by Forbes suggested that 67% of Americans identify themselves as biohackers. Biohackers are known for putting their bodies through adverse experiments, however there is certainly a spectrum of this extremity. Examples of entry-level techniques include intermittent fasting, physical exercise, sleep tracking and cold plunges. Elite biohackers take to more radical approaches, exposing their bodies to plasma exchanges, gene therapy, and all kinds of infusions and off-label use of medications. True biohacking is an elite activity that should come with a stark red warning that reads “Don’t try this at home.”
(Image credit: Glass DNA by Gringer, Creative Commons Public Domain Licence.)
Delve even further, and research reveals that the 67% statistic is actually plausible. In fact, health consciousness has flooded the mainstream, and many of us now see health as something we can actively influence, a notion supported by Pew Research survey results in November 2025. Health is no longer dependent on fate or a doctor’s abilities. According to Pew, 78% of Americans are “actively taking steps in their daily life to improve their chances of ageing well.”
Additional evidence confirms this. Take alcohol consumption, it’s plummeted in western markets, especially amongst younger consumers. The UK, for example, is experiencing record lows in consumption, with the average UK adult consuming 10.2 alcoholic drinks a week in 2024, the lowest figure since data collection began in 1990, according to figures published in the FT from research company IWSR.
But there’s a flip side to this healthy trend. In the same Pew survey quoted above, wealthy respondents had a much higher perception that they would live longer and well (37%) compared to those who had lower incomes (26%) - a disparity that is both important and concerning.
For startups, accessibility to longevity solutions remains high on their agenda. Clinic startups like Function Health or Neko Health make comprehensive biomarker testing accessible at $500 rather than $5,000. While $500 is still a high cost for most, it shows that subsidised solutions are being considered.
But what about risks? Biohacking involves dabbling with different approaches on one’s own body, trialling techniques outside of established medical practice. The 1980s “White Hat” software hackers, for example, and the legendary “Chaos Computer Club,” worked outside of the establishment, risking a lot to improve the resilience of communications and software systems. But they happened to be an elite bunch who apparently knew what they were doing.
The overwhelming majority of those who call themselves biohackers today are probably not too experimental in their choices. Most people are probably more like me. I track my activities, my sleep and exercise regularly. My most radical intervention is harmless oil pulling for gum health.
I would never take unprescribed medications that we know very little about or use my body as a testing ground. A close, older relative tried this in the 1960s and suffered a heart attack as a result. He survived, but his life thereafter was never the same again.
This is somewhat of an opportunity for startups. They can learn from the research of elite biohackers who undergo expensive experimentation, and can transform this into developing the safest and best interventions for everyone else, using evidence-based and medically grounded processes. Entrenched, consistent and clear metrics to regulate these new technologies should also follow.
Equally, the next big challenge I expect to see is the issue of timescales. A biohacker’s goal is longevity and an improved lifespan. Therefore, we will only be able to gauge the effectiveness of these hacks on our lives in years to come, perhaps even decades. What will really work and what is bogus?
Consistency is also a challenge, too. For example, is everyone really going to cold plunge for the next twenty years? How can we persistently maintain these hacks for such long time periods? These challenges are a rallying call for large companies to select the right techniques based on science and accurate data. This will make techniques workable over longer time periods.
Indeed, the most consistent rituals can become an almost invisible part of our lives. Maybe they are something we don’t choose to do, but just do without a second thought, whether it’s as simple as getting up from your seat on the hour, every hour, as the smart watch ruthlessly instructs.
In Dan Buettner’s Netflix series “Secrets of the Blue Zones”, I noted that many of the longevity habits of superager communities were not based on choice, but on geographic constraints. Take the rugged hills of the Greek island Ikaria, which simply had to be climbed every day, or the healthy (mostly vegetarian) diets of Okinawa, which were normalised because there wasn’t much else.
Innovative startup founders carving out trends need to ask themselves, ‘How do we create healthy habits in a Western world of overconsumption and almost limitless possibilities?’
Gentle nudges and community spirit could be the answer. The VC-financed startup Hinge Health, backed by Coatue, Tiger Global and Atomico, has a platform for musculoskeletal therapy and chronic pain management based on device monitoring of daily activities. It comes with a live coach consultation to make sure the activities are actually maintained. Additionally, it provides actionable data that makes long-term trends evident daily - many trackers do this effectively, and people enjoy seeing the fruits of their labour translated into health data.
The startup Levels Health provides continuous glucose monitoring with clear, immediate feedback. Pod sleep system, Eight Sleep is a completely passive invention that requires zero daily willpower. You simply sleep on it, and it optimises your temperature, tracks recovery biomarkers, and compounds benefits nightly for years.
Other approaches will surely be pioneered by startup founders in the future. Increasing health consciousness is a huge opportunity that will pay off for startups willing to create affordable solutions.
One source of inspiration will be the techniques pioneered by elite biohackers outside of the establishment. The biggest test for these startups won’t be coming up with “out of the box,” new ideas, but whether they can solve what the Blue Zones solved through environmental constraints: ensuring healthy habits are consistent. That’s the challenge that will determine whether mainstream “biohacking” becomes a lasting transformation or just another trend with a supercool name.