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Sam Altman-Backed Longevity Startup to Test Pill for a Younger Brain

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Josh Caplan
September 15, 2025

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Welcome back!

Here’s your must-read news this morning:

I’ve got all the details for you, so let’s dive in.

— Josh

MARKETS

💰 U.S.-China Trade Talks Resume as TikTok Deadline Looms

(Credit: U.S. Mission/Eric Bridiers)

The Scoop: U.S.-China trade negotiations in Madrid extended into a second day on Monday, grappling with tariffs, export controls, and a looming deadline for ByteDance's divestiture of TikTok, CNBC reports.

The Details:

  • The talks, the fourth round in four months following a May agreement to pause steep tariffs, are led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, facing off against Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and negotiator Li Chenggang; Day 1 focused on TikTok, tariffs, and the economy, with progress on technical details but no breakthroughs.

  • Bessent indicated closeness to a TikTok deal but stressed reluctance to compromise national security, as China demands tariff reductions and eased tech restrictions in exchange for approving any sale—Trump has extended the deadline three times this year, with a Wednesday cutoff for U.S. operations.

What’s Next: A TikTok agreement could unlock tariff rollbacks and tech export easing, potentially stabilizing trade ties and enabling a Trump-Xi meeting, but failure risks a U.S. ban, intensified chip probes, and broader economic decoupling.

Markets Roundup

🏦 Economy & Policy

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Trump urged NATO allies to cease purchasing Russian oil and endorse 50% to 100% tariffs on China to swiftly conclude the Russia-Ukraine war. (FBN)

  • China's economy showed further signs of strain in August as industrial output slowed to the weakest since August 2024, amid deepening real estate woes that saw investment contract 12.9% in the first eight months. (CNBC)

  • BlackRock's Rick Rieder has emerged as a contender to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair. (BBG)

  • The Economist conceded that the U.S. economy has outperformed pessimistic forecasts, with robust growth driven by strong consumer spending and moderating inflation. (TE)

🏢 Industry

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: China announced that Nvidia violated the country's anti-monopoly law in connection with its 2020 acquisition of Mellanox. (CNBC)

  • The boom in "better-for-you" children's snacks has saddled parents with steeper prices and dubious nutritional upgrades, as many products fall short of their health claims. (BBG)

  • Freight-forwarding startup Flexport anticipates achieving profitability in 2025. (WSJ)

  • Opendoor's new chairman, Keith Rabois, said the company is "bloated" and in need of slashing its 1,400-person workforce by up to 85% to a lean 200 employees. (BI)

🛢️ Energy & Commodities

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: The U.S. and Britain will sign a landmark agreement during Trump’s state visit this week, aimed at accelerating nuclear power development. (OP)

  • China will ease licensing rules for gold imports and exports, as the world’s largest consumer of the precious metal diversifies its reserves away from U.S. dollars. (MIN)

  • The USDA projected a record U.S. corn harvest for 2025 at 16.814 billion bushels, driven by the largest harvested acreage since 1933. (INV)

  • The EPA proposed eliminating a mandatory greenhouse gas reporting program affecting 8,000 facilities. (RTS)

🌕 Crypto

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: The IRS is significantly expanding its crypto surveillance, shifting from investigations of individual traders to broad demands for user data from exchanges. (DEC)

  • Tether is launching USAT, a dollar-backed stablecoin tailored for U.S. residents, with former Trump official Bo Hines appointed as CEO of its new U.S. entity. (CT)

  • Polymarket is planning to re-enter the U.S. market and raise funds at a $10 billion valuation. (BI)

  • Gemini saw its shares surge above $40 on Friday, propelling its valuation to a fleeting $4.75 billion. (TB)

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TECH

💻 Sam Altman-Backed Longevity Startup to Test Pill for a Younger Brain

(Credit: Anna Shvets/Pexels)

The Scoop: Retro Biosciences, a longevity startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is set to launch its first human clinical trial by the end of 2025 for RTR242, an experimental pill aimed at reversing Alzheimer’s by enhancing cellular recycling to clear brain “gunk,” Business Insider reports.

The Details:

  • Retro, founded in 2021 with $180 million from Altman, is developing RTR242 to revive autophagy, a process that removes damaged proteins in cells, often disrupted in aging and linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

  • The Phase 1 safety trial will begin in Australia, with a clinical trial site and lab vendors already selected, targeting first patient dosing by year-end 2025.

  • Retro aims to raise $1 billion in its Series A to fund larger trials, competing with heavily funded longevity startups like Jeff Bezos-backed Altos Labs.

  • Beyond Alzheimer’s, Retro is working on therapies for blood diseases (RTR890) and central nervous system disorders (RTR888), with a goal to add 10 healthy years to human lifespan.

  • The company is also exploring AI-driven cellular reprogramming with OpenAI, achieving a 50-fold improvement in stem cell reprogramming markers.

What’s Next: If RTR242’s trial proves safe and effective, Retro could attract significant investment to scale its Alzheimer’s treatment and other anti-aging therapies. Success might position Retro as a leader in longevity biotech, though its cautious approach contrasts with bolder, unproven cellular reprogramming efforts that could redefine aging if realized.

Tech Roundup

🧠 AI

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor likened the current AI investment surge to the dot-com bubble, cautioning that excessive enthusiasm will lead to substantial losses for many investors. (VER)

  • Google's Gemini app has surged to the top of the free iPhone charts in the U.S. App Store, eclipsing ChatGPT and Threads, fueled by its Nano Banana image-editing model. (9T5G)

  • The TV industry is banking on AI-driven personalization and ad innovations to claw back billions in advertising revenue from Big Tech. (WSJ)

  • Anthropic's Claude chatbot is rolling out memory updates for Team and Enterprise users, enabling the model to retain professional contexts, team processes, and project details. (TH)

🤖 Hardware & Robotics

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: OpenAI is accelerating its robotics initiatives by recruiting humanoid systems specialists and advertising roles for AI algorithms in robot control via teleoperation and simulation. (WIR)

  • Bar-Ilan University and Sheba Medical Center unveiled Health Tech Valley, a $120 million joint research institute to pioneer 3D-printed organs, AI-driven data analysis, medical robotics, and genetic engineering. (TOI)

  • GreenBeam, a robot developed by a 13-year-old Pennsylvania student, employs AI and lasers to precisely eradicate weeds without pesticides. (NA)

  • Surgeons at Chile's Clínica Las Condes performed the world's first autonomous gallbladder removal using Levita Magnetics' AI-guided MARS robotic platform. (UPI)

  • Patmos Tech deployed a K5 Autonomous Security Robot named Lance to bolster 24/7 patrols at its $500 million-plus downtown Kansas City data center. (KSC)

🚀 Defense & Space

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Chinese scientists claim to have developed an AI-powered system that uses real-time sensor data to detect submarines, threatening to make stealth tactics obsolete. (IE)

  • Australia announced an $8 billion investment to build a nuclear submarine shipyard in Western Australia. (RTS)

  • North Korea's hacking group is deploying AI-generated forgeries of South Korean military ID cards in phishing emails to ensnare journalists and activists, enabling malware installation for remote device control. (IH)

  • SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft, carrying 11,000 pounds of supplies for the ISS, with docking planned for September 17 and a stay until March 2026. (SP)

💰 Venture Capital & Deals

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: AI-biotech startup Lila Sciences raised $235 million, led by Braidwell, underscoring investor enthusiasm for its platform that leverages AI to accelerate drug discovery. (BBG)

  • Spara, an AI startup automating inbound sales through conversational voice, chat, and email agents, raised $15 million in seed funding led by Inspired Capital and Radical Ventures. (BI)

  • Micro1, a startup vying with Scale AI to supply data-labeling and training services for AI developers, has raised $35 million in a Series A round led by 01 Advisors at a $500 million valuation. (TC)

  • Altan, an AI startup pioneering self-managing software that autonomously handles updates, monitoring, and scaling to minimize human intervention, has raised $2.5 million in funding. (BI)

FREEDOM

👶 Trump Touts $1,000 “Trump Accounts” for Newborns at White House

(Credit: White House)

The Scoop: Following the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk last week at a Utah Valley University event, the conservative youth organization has seen an unprecedented surge in interest, with over 32,000 inquiries in 48 hours to launch new college chapters, Fox News reports.

The Details:

  • Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show" and TPUSA spokesman, said the organization currently operates 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, totaling 3,500, and views the influx as a catalyst to fulfill Kirk's goal of a Club America chapter in every one of America's roughly 23,000 high schools far sooner than anticipated.

  • Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, delivered an emotional speech vowing to sustain the movement—"the movement my husband built will not die"—and confirmed the continuation of TPUSA's fall campus tour and December's AmericaFest conference in Phoenix.

  • Former TPUSA activist Judah Waxelbaum said the killing has "woken up a sleeping giant," predicting significant membership growth and emphasizing Kirk's inescapable influence in youth politics nationwide.

What’s Next: Vice President JD Vance will host an edition of "The Charlie Kirk Show" Monday in tribute to the conservative leader. A public celebration of life is set for September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with President Donald Trump planning to attend.

Freedom Roundup

🏛️ Policy & Culture

  • ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Free speech is now top of Trump's agenda when he visits Starmer in Britain this week, sources told The Independent. (IND)

  • Authorities arrested 19-year-old Ryder Corral in Phoenix for vandalizing a memorial to conservative activist Charlie Kirk outside Turning Point USA's headquarters. (FOX)

  • Hollywood insiders decry woke celebrities' intimidation tactics, citing a boycott pledge by over 4,000 actors against Israeli film institutions amid the Gaza conflict. (DM)

  • The U.S. State Department condemned Finland's prosecution of lawmaker Päivi Räsänen for “hate speech,” which included 2019 Bible verse tweet. (RTN)

That's a wrap! You're officially caught up on all things tech, markets and freedom. Subscribe to CAPITAL below.

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DISCLAIMER: The CAPITAL newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The CAPITAL newsletter and its owner and operator, Josh Caplan, are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on this information. The CAPITAL newsletter is solely owned and independently operated by Josh Caplan, separate from any employer affiliations.

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