Ep. 54: Laurence Ion from VitaDAO on Slaying the Dragon Tyrant of Aging, Forming a Network Union of Bioscientists and Crypto-Native Nomadic Tribes In Search for Legal Autonomy

Laurence Ion is a Steward at VitaDAO - a community-owned collective dedicated to funding and advancing longevity science.Longevity is the defining question of the century. Laurence is passionate about health & longevity due to his personal experience struggling with the disease.Laurence was one of the key organizers of Zuzalu, Vitalik Buterin's pop-up city in Montenegro, and worked with Niklas to put together new initiatives to break through the regulatory bottlenecks that hold back the science & technology of longevity.This episode encapsulates a summary of our thinking that includes what we know about the flawed ethical and regulatory paradigm in medical innovation, results from many months of exploratory conversations with governments and policymakers in Latin America, Africa and Europe, and a peek into the future we want to build.The future we want to build is one where we use a different regulatory paradigm, as safe or safer than the existing one, while faster to innovate. A safe haven for refugees of age-related diseases that want to try something different, rejuvenate and heal.Most importantly, Laurence and Niklas believe community-building is at the heart of what we do, and having seen the possibility of creating talent density like in Zuzalu inspires us to push the boundaries further, and build a bigger movement.A movement aligned in defeating the Dragon Tyrant of Aging.If you're a biotechnologist, renegade life scientist or relentless entrepreneur who wants to help radically supercharge human health and extend lifespan, join us!The key upcoming initiatives are:Longevity State Congress in Sep 2023Prospera Buildweeks 2023 starting in Oct 2023DeSci & Longevity Biotech 2023 - A Próspera Builders' Summit in Nov 2023Start a Longevity Network State in Latin America in Q1-2024