Biohacking is a philosophy that engages cutting-edge science and technology to improve health and performance. Once a fringe movement, it has since become a hallmark and passionate pastime of successful individuals.
While the concept of ‘biohacking’ originated in the late 1980s and gained momentum in the late 2000s, many popular “biohacks” have roots in ancient traditions like meditation and fasting. Some people adopt biohacking techniques to find solutions to health issues beyond traditional medicine, while others adopt them to push the limits of their bodies in an attempt to regain youth or obtain a mental edge. Many biohackers hope to slow the aging process and extend their lives.
Biohacking has grown in popularity, particularly amongst the Silicon Valley elite. Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO, practices intermittent fasting, reportedly eating just one meal per day, regularly undertakes weekend-long extended fasts, engages in ice baths, saunas and meditates twice a day. Dave Asprey, dubbed the “Father of Biohacking,” created the Bulletproof diet, which uses biohacking to improve sleep, energy, and more. More recently, Bloomberg documented ex-Braintree Founder Bryan Johnson, who now spends $2 million every year in an attempt to reverse the effects of aging whilst also building Kernel, a biohacking company focused on developing brain-computer interfaces. Johnson, 44, seeks to become “18 years old again,” with the help of a team of 30 doctors. While Johnson engages biohacking techniques designed to target longevity, many top athletes and celebrities have also famously leveraged biohacking practices to prolong their sporting careers.
At 35 years of age, tennis star Novak Djokovic can be found inside a pressurized egg to increase his blood’s oxygen levels. F1’s record holder for the most wins, Lewis Hamilton, now 38, engages in cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) and has a strict vegan diet that he says gives him a competitive advantage as he ages. And Basketball legend LeBron James, aged 38, reportedly spends $1.5 million annually to maintain his physical form and slow down the aging process. This dedication has paid off as James recently broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the all-time NBA points lead. Who knows what Kareem’s record would have looked like if the biohacking techniques available today were accessible during his career? Finally, Tom Brady, famed NFL national icon, who finally retired at 45 this year, is a public proponent of various biohacking tactics. Brady’s efforts did not only help him become the winningest quarterback of all time, but they have also enabled him to win multiple Super Bowls into his late 30s and early 40s, an achievement previously unheard of.
Understandably, the biohacking craze is rapidly growing, and experts predict the market will reach $63 billion U.S. dollars by 2028.
American entrepreneur Andrew Masanto, who Dave Asprey mentions in his book “Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life,” is another notable advocate for biohacking and its benefits. Masanto hosts marquee biohacking-themed events, dinners and parties, many of which have been attended by major industry players like Ben Greenfield, Oz Garcia, Conor Russomanna, Shaman Durek and others. In his book, Asprey states “Andrew invited me to a dinner party hosted at his hip $20 million SoHo penthouse… I had no idea that the ‘dinner with a few friends’ would turn out to be a gathering of incredibly powerful, successful, and influential people from across New York’s industries.” The main topic of the evening? Biohacking. Masanto’s interest in biohacking also led to him founding biohackinggroup.com, a group of more than 10,000 members dedicated to biohacking, longevity and non-traditional medicine. Masanto has penned several marquee articles as the leader of biohackinggroup.com, including how to biohack concussions, sleep, Covid-19, and several other topics.
Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey in London and New York, Masanto studied to become a monk with Ananda Marga in Africa. He says that this yogic experience was his first formal encounter with any sort of ‘human optimization’. “I realized that meditation could help achieve not just inner peace, but mental clarity and laser-like focus,” he says. He states that the experience was the catalyst for his interest in optimizing or biohacking himself. He also says that his experience as a monk is what keeps him grounded in the face of extreme experiences, whether that be radical biohacking, starting two tech unicorns or hosting dinners with influencers and the ultra rich.
Masanto is passionate about the improvements in health that biohacking and new medical practices can bring. As a thought leader in the space, he has been invited to share his thoughts on several podcasts, such as the popular Ben Greenfield podcast. Masanto has also been asked to advise medical offices such as Hudson Wellness clinic in New York City on new and interesting approaches. As a serial entrepreneur and artist, Masanto believes that biohacking has allowed him to stay healthy during intensive work periods, and says it has helped him become “the most effective version of myself.”
Some of Masanto’s favorite biohacks involve taking a suite of supplements such as NMN, Nano Zinc and Nano Boron, stem cell injections to aid injuries and using a device called “NuCalm” to take timed 20-minute deep sleep naps during the day. “The NuCalm biohacking tool allows me to go into deep sleep for 20 minutes in the middle of the day. When I wake up, it’s like getting an entire second day,” says Masanto.
Just as biohacking propelled LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton and Tom Brady to break records previously thought to be ‘unbreakable,’ biohacking has helped Masanto reach new entrepreneurial and artistic heights. After a short stint as a lawyer and subsequently becoming an award winning digital marketer, Masanto co-founded two of the top 100 cryptocurrencies (Hedera and Reserve), both worth over $1b in fully diluted market capitalization. Now, Masanto is the co-founder of two other innovative web3 projects – Nillion and NFT.com – as well as of the artistic movement ANONA.
How has Masanto accomplished so much in so little time? Biohacking is one part of the answer. “I make it a priority to take care of my body and mind, applying cutting edge science and technology to make sure I’m optimized and can perform,” he states.
Masanto prefers soulful, raw, and interesting pursuits and experiences. He says that he avoids “the vacuous pastimes and playgrounds of the wealthy” and instead prefers to pursue endeavors like biohacking for what he perceives it to actually be about: “the desire to continually improve oneself.”