Inside LBF7 Spain at Progevita: ideas, projects and community

First, a note about the date

This article was originally published as an announcement. LBF7 Spain has already taken place at Progevita, from 22 to 29 September 2025. This is not an open call or registration page. We have turned it into an archive explaining what happened and what we learned as hosts.

Scientists, founders, clinicians, investors and health operators lived and worked together over those days. There were presentations, but the program reserved much of its time for small groups and projects. That mix gave the gathering its distinct rhythm.

What LBF7 Spain was

LBF7 was an edition of the Longevity Biotech Fellowship community focused on biotechnology, entrepreneurship and longevity. Progevita, within Balneario de Cofrentes, provided the setting for both work and daily life. For the wider geographic context, read why Valencia is emerging as a longevity hub.

The practical aim was easy to explain and harder to deliver: move from listening to ideas to working on them. Some participants came from research; others from business, investment, clinical practice, data, regulation or design. They did not all speak the same professional language, and that was where many useful conversations began.

How the week was structured

Workshops, 22 to 26 September

The opening days covered biostasis, biomarkers, emerging therapies, biotech company building, fundraising and investor communication. The value was not only in the slides, but in asking questions of people approaching the same problem from different disciplines.

Projects, 26 to 29 September

Teams then focused on concrete proposals. Depending on their starting point, they worked on a prototype, validation plan or presentation. That does not turn every idea into a validated solution, but it forces a clearer definition of the problem, the evidence required and the next step.

A layer of movement and rest throughout the event

The health bootcamp added group training, Mediterranean-inspired meals, pool and spa access, and time outdoors. Its role within the event was to shape the day and create pauses. We did not measure a common health effect across attendees and do not present it as evidence of efficacy.

What a day at LBF7 looked like

• Morning: outdoor movement, breakfast and the first workshop or project block.
• Midday: lunch, free time and access to water or outdoor spaces.
• Afternoon: a second block of projects, workshops or conversations.
• Evening: short talks and social activities, including a poolside karaoke session.

Not everyone followed an identical clinical itinerary or needed the same activities. The shared schedule provided structure; any medical assessment or intervention still needed to be individual.

The health layer, without turning it into marketing

The program used the phrase “personal bio-hackathon” to invite each participant to choose a habit or tracking challenge. Today we would explain that more precisely: observing a data point or trying a routine may help frame a question, but it does not prove an intervention works or make the result generalisable.

Biomarkers are not a competition either. Our guide to which longevity biomarkers are worth tracking distinguishes useful measures, exploratory signals and numbers that should not change a decision. Any test or treatment needs individual indication, context and follow-up.

Who shared the gathering

The edition brought together people from startups, research, clinical practice, investment and operations. Aubrey de Grey was among the participants and speakers. Recording his presence documents the program; it does not mean Progevita endorses every idea expressed by every guest.

What interested us most as hosts was the mix. A conversation about a biological mechanism could continue through a regulatory question, product problem or funding objection. Living in the same setting gave those conversations time to continue after a room closed.

What we learned for future gatherings

• A project needs a specific question. “Building longevity” sounds good; defining the user, evidence and next experiment is what creates movement.
• The schedule needs breathing room. Breaks, walks and meals were part of the relational work, not empty time to fill.
• Health and events need clear boundaries. A shared routine can accompany the week; medicine requires privacy, indication and follow-up.

If you are designing a gathering for a scientific, professional or corporate community, explore our formats for companies and partners. We start with the purpose and the people, not a fixed list of activities.

About this archive

The page was published on 21 August 2025 as an event announcement. We substantially reviewed it on 29 August 2026, after the event, to replace future-tense promotion with a retrospective account, localise the Spanish version and remove superlatives and unmeasured health promises. Details come from Progevita's program and photographic record.