Exceptional Ventures’ Matt Cooper on why wellness must evolve from hype to evidence to truly succeed.

You can’t pick up a newspaper, scroll a feed or listen to a podcast without tripping over the words wellness, longevity, or healthspan.

Supplements, wearables and “miracle” therapies now fill our screens – each promising a better night’s sleep, lower stress, sharper focus, or even longer life. Yesterday, this conversation belonged to niche health magazines. Today, it’s on the front page of the mainstream.

The opportunity to transform human health is real. Our understanding of the body is advancing faster than at any time in history. AI, genetics and data science are enabling earlier detection, personalised care and longer, better lives. In Q1 2025, health-related startups attracted more than $4.8 billion in funding – surpassing every other sector for the first time. Health is now big business.

We believe this is a transformational moment for the health and wellness sector. When science, purpose and passion lead, true impact on people’s lives – and exceptional returns – go hand in hand. This is a good and necessary evolution, especially as we live longer than ever. By 2050, half of Europe’s population will be over 55.

But with every wave of innovation comes noise – overstated claims, unproven products and trends that risk diluting public trust in genuine progress. Consumers are being sold hope in glossy packaging, while the gap between promise and proof widens.

The result is a market that’s both thrilling and precarious: filled with extraordinary breakthroughs, but also with distractions that blur the line between science and storytelling. The challenge isn’t just building what’s new – it’s building what’s true.

At Exceptional Ventures, this is the mission we’ve chosen. We invest in founders who use evidence and empathy to help people live longer, healthier and happier lives – maximising what we have trademarked as Joyspan, the years we spend in good health, purpose and happiness.

We focus on three core areas:

1. Prevention: Staying well for as long as possible.
2. Detection: Spotting ill health at the earliest stage.
3. Better treatment and delivery of care: Harnessing technology and science to make healthcare more precise, effective and accessible.

But investment alone isn’t enough. If the wellness and longevity sectors are to mature responsibly, we need to raise the bar on rigor, transparency and collaboration. That starts with investors.

As investors, we have a responsibility to distinguish genuine science from marketing spin – applying the same diligence we would in biotech or traditional healthcare. Evidence-based innovation isn’t just ethical; it’s what will sustain the credibility and long-term value of this entire sector.

There’s a growing consensus that health systems must evolve from reactive care to proactive prevention – identifying and mitigating risks before disease takes hold. For that to succeed, consumers, clinicians, scientists and investors must pull in the same direction: towards interventions that are measurable, meaningful and accessible in the real world.

Regulators, too, have a vital role. As frameworks tighten around advertising, substantiation and data transparency, we have an opportunity to turn oversight into progress. Stricter standards can help channel capital and creativity toward what genuinely extends healthspan – translating lab discoveries into trusted, everyday practice.

This is an extraordinary moment to be alive – a once-in-human-history chance to extend not just lifespan, but healthspan and Joyspan. And while the path is complex, the reward is profound: a future where staying well is not a privilege, but a baseline expectation of modern life.

Yes, we’re investors. But we’re also advocates for science and stewardship – partnering with researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurs who share a belief that progress must serve people first.

The wellness revolution will endure only if it stays grounded in evidence and measurable benefit. The goal is not simply to live longer, but to live better – maximising Joyspan for all.

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About Matt Cooper

An experienced CEO and Chairman, Matt Cooper is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Exceptional Ventures. Over the past two decades, Matt has been a very active angel investor and has chaired and sat on the boards of numerous high-profile, high-growth UK start-ups, including co-founding and Chairing Tandem Bank, and serving as Chairman for Octopus Capital, ClearlySo Ltd and IGF Invoice Finance Ltd.

Matt was part of the founding team of Capital One Bank in the US. He was also responsible for founding and running Capital One Bank (Europe) Plc, the company’s businesses outside of America.

Now, Matt’s attention is on maximising Joyspan®, via his work with London-based VC firm Exceptional Ventures.

Originally from New Jersey, Matt graduated first in his class in Chemistry from Princeton University in 1988.