Interview with Zelar.city: Building Longevity Hubs

The pop-up city in Berlin brought hundreds of people together over 6 weeks to seed a community and explore ways in which we can cure aging in our lifetime. Zelar.city isn’t just about biohacking and wellness, though these are key aspects. The primary focus on advancing longevity science has materialized through weekly summits and workshops, where participants explored transformative ideas and breakthroughs shaping the future of aging.

Structure and Daily Life

The six-week gathering created a concentrated time for a vibrant and ever-evolving community. This dynamic allowed for fresh ideas and energy to flow throughout, fostering collaboration and meaningful connections.

"The weekday atmosphere was intentionally informal," explains Schlie. "It functioned almost like an inclusive co-working space where participants worked on their individual longevity projects while connecting over breakfast, daily activities and longevity-focused conversations"

Weekly Summits and Community Engagement

Every weekend, Zelar.city hosted summits featuring renowned speakers like: Prof George Church, Prof Andrea Maier, Dr Aubrey de Grey, and Dr Oliver Zolman, MD. 

These events covered topics like:

• Advanced longevity biotechnology developments, Replacement & Cryonics

• Warp-speed innovation, Network States and Decentralized Science

• Personal healthspan optimization strategies

• Philosophical discussions on radical lifespan extension

• Societal implications of extended human longevity

The summits served as a bridge between the residential community and the broader Berlin ecosystem, attracting diverse participants and creating opportunities for  meaningful connections 

Impact and Initiatives

The pop-up gathering sparked several collaborative projects, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in longevity and science, including:

• Community-led Longevity Hub
  The initiative created a tight-knit community where participants now organize meet-ups, movie nights, and discussions. This space fosters collaboration, new ideas, and projects focused on advancing healthy lifespan while building lasting connections.

• Multiple startup ventures
  Members started various startups in aging, health tech, and biohacking. These ventures grew from the collaboration of diverse participants, combining skills to tackle challenges in longevity biotech.

• A CGM study with AI integration
  Participants conducted a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) study, training their own large language model (LLM) to predict glucose levels in real time. This groundbreaking project not only advanced personalized health tracking but also demonstrated the power of integrating AI into everyday health management.

• Partnerships with local entrepreneurs
  The initiative built strong ties with Berlin's entrepreneurial community, including Molecule. These collaborations focus on rethinking funding, governance, and innovation to make scientific research more open and transparent.

Lasting Community

Even after the 6-week residency, Zelar.city  continues to thrive as a community in Berlin A vibrant Telegram group keeps members connected with meet-ups, movie nights, and discussions demonstrating the initiative's success in building lasting relationships. 

The goal remains the same: to grow the community and facilitate the creation of permanent longevity hubs worldwide, where individuals can collaborate on solving the critical bottlenecks in the field. 

Future Vision

Looking ahead, the Zelar.city team is focused on ambitious goals for the future, building on the success of its first chapter. Key elements of the vision include:

• Establishing similar permanent longevity hubs worldwide
  Creating thriving, interconnected communities dedicated to advancing longevity science and fostering healthier living. These hubs will serve as spaces for collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose.

• Building towards a new city for longevity acceleration
  Developing a global network of people coming together in-person at the scale of “Los Alamos” for an even bigger scale than the Manhattan project: tocure aging. This involves creating a decentralized framework where communities work collectively, leveraging blockchain, AI and other technologies to fund research, conduct clinical trials and self-govern with shared values.

• Facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster connections to advance aging science

"Our goal goes beyond creating temporary gatherings," says Victoria. "We're building a global movement with physical hubs around the world where passionate individuals can come together to collaborate on extending human healthspan and lifespan through biotechnological advancements.”