Cookie Consent: We use cookies to give you the best online experience, for analytics, performance, and to tailor the experience towards your interests.

Skip to content
Pic of Village Global Podcast

Celine Halioua On The Science and Business of Making Dogs Live Longer

February 11, 2026
0 comments

Village Global Podcast

Description

Celine Halioua, Founder & CEO of Loyal, joins Village Global VP Sam Kirschner to discuss her journey building a biotech company developing the first FDA-approved drugs for lifespan extension – going dogs first. 

Loyal has raised over $250M and recently closed its Series C after clearing major regulatory milestones on both efficacy and safety.

In this conversation, Celine breaks down why you can't develop a human longevity drug today (and it's not because of biology – it's logistics and financial norms), why dogs are the fastest path to getting there, and how milestone-based fundraising works for deep tech companies that are years from revenue. 

She also shares hard-won lessons on understanding the incentives of the people around you, taking people as they are, and staying emotionally unattached to the how while staying committed to the what.

Loyal: https://loyal.com
Celine on X: https://x.com/celinehalioua 

Thanks for listening – if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.

Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.com or get in touch with us on X @villageglobal.

Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.com/signup