Debugging Aging: How a VR Pioneer is Revolutionizing Longevity | Michael Antonov (Part 3/4)

In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast by Excedr, host Jon Chee continues his multi-part conversation with Michael Antonov, founder and CEO of Deep Origin, tracing his transition from VR pioneer to biotech visionary. Michael reflects on scaling Oculus within Facebook, navigating corporate complexity, and how that experience humbled him as a leader. While still at Facebook, he developed a fascination with the biology of aging—attending lectures, studying biochemistry at Berkeley, and immersing himself in the longevity community. This curiosity led him to launch Formic Ventures, a mission-driven VC fund focused on longevity, computational biology, and scientific tools that accelerate discovery. He discusses his early biotech investments in companies like Insilico Medicine and Schrödinger, the challenges of evaluating scientific risk, and how his engineering mindset and passion for impact shaped his approach to investing and, eventually, founding Deep Origin.