Organization and legal structure
Year founded
2020
1972
1976
2012, facility 2023
2015
Legal structure
Hybrid: German operating company plus two Swiss foundations, for storage and research and for patient funds
Non-profit 501(c)(3)
Member-owned nonprofit cooperative
Non-profit
Division of a for-profit biotech group, part-funded by an affiliated charitable foundation
Country of incorporation
Germany and Switzerland
USA, Arizona
USA, Michigan
Australia, NSW
China, Shandong
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Scottsdale, AZ
Clinton Township, MI
Sydney, NSW
Jinan, Shandong
Storage facility location
Rafz, Switzerland
Scottsdale, AZ, same as HQ
Clinton Township, MI, same as HQ
Holbrook, NSW
Jinan, Shandong, same as HQ
Governance
Three entities: operating company plus two Swiss foundations, each with an unpaid non-profit board
Self-perpetuating, no member vote
Member-elected
Board led by founder and chairman
Run internally by the parent group, no member vote
Scientists in leadership
1
0 confirmed
1
1
0 confirmed
Doctors in leadership
1
0 confirmed
0 confirmed
0 confirmed
0 confirmed
First human cryopreservation
2023
1976
1977
2024
2017
Human patients in storage
~30
~263
~280
7
~20
Pet and animal patients
~10
~100
~300
0
Members and subscribers
1,000+
~1,535
~2,040
~80
~300
Average growth per year
~44%
~3.6%
~7.3%, 2010 to 2015 data
Not computable
~16%
Staff, full time equivalent
~15
~24 headcount
Not found
~3
Not found
Enrollment or application fee
✕
✕
$200 yearly plan, or $1,250 lifetime
✕
✕
Recurring membership dues
€50 per month, means tested pricing available
Age based: age × $15 per year
$120 per year, none on lifetime
AU$350 per year
Not specified
Payment plans
Monthly, yearly, one time lifetime
Yearly, age based
Yearly or lifetime
Yearly
Not specified
Whole body price, member
€200,000
$220,000
$28,000 lifetime, $35,000 yearly
AU$200,000
~$375,000
Neuropreservation price
€75,000
$80,000
Non-member or last minute
€230,000 whole body, €115,000 neuro
$25k+ third party, $50k+ non-members
$20,000 last minute sign-up fee
AU$230,000
Funding methods
Term and whole life insurance, savings, trusts, pre-payment
Life insurance, trusts, prepayment, annuities, real estate or bequests
Life insurance, prepayment, in-trust account, annuity, loan
Life insurance, pre-payment
✕
Application and donation based
Standby only price
€80,000, on request
Whole body cryopreservation
Neuro or brain only
Brain only
Neuro
✕
✕
✕
DNA or tissue only
✕
✕
$98 per sample
✕
Default research track
Standby included in price
✕
✕
✕
Requires pre-death transfer
Pet cryopreservation
€100 fee plus weight based pricing
Weight and size based
From $1,000, cats and dogs $5,800
By weight, via quote
– Research program, no price list
Aldehyde stabilized option
For example under high ischemic conditions
✕
✕
✕
✕
Contractual guarantee once funded
✕
Subject to annual research selection
Standby, stabilization and transport
Standby only contracts
✕
✕
✕
✕
In house team
Own standby, stabilization and transport team
In house recovery team
Bases and fleet
6 owned ambulances: 4 Berlin, 1 France, 1 Switzerland, plus partner vehicles in California, Florida and New York
1 owned base plus contracted partners
0 owned, relies on partners and volunteers
0 owned, partner covers Australia
0 owned, relocation required
Cryoprotectant used
Tomorrow VM-1
M22, since 2005
CI-VM-1, in house, ~70%
VM-1, either supplier
Self developed YF series
Team composition
6 people, at least 1 doctor, certified in 5 roles
Nurses, paramedics, ex-military, contracted surgeons
Licensed funeral directors, no in house medical staff
External doctors and perfusionists via partner
In house clinical response centre
24/7 readiness
✕
Requires advance transfer
Field cryoprotection
Standard
– Varied
– Varied
– Partner, pre-transport
✕
Region served with teams
Europe and US
US, international members accepted
US, international members accepted
Australia and southern hemisphere
China
Response outside home country
Active teams in Europe and the US
✕
– Local funeral director partners
✕
Need to relocate near facility
Recommended, not mandatory
Explicitly recommended
Effectively implied
Implied outside partner coverage
Mandatory prerequisite
Perfusion approach
Field cryoprotection in the ambulance by our own medical and surgical staff, using heart lung machine equipment
Various
Various
Managed by external clinicians
Minimally invasive dual access, ECMO based
Storage temperature
Liquid nitrogen, −196°C
Liquid nitrogen, −196°C
Liquid nitrogen, −196°C
Liquid nitrogen, −196°C
Liquid nitrogen, −196°C
Storage vessel
Cryogenic dewar, 4 pods, full immersion; whole body intermediate temperature in development
Whole body dewars, full immersion, plus a neuro intermediate temperature pilot unit
Fiberglass cryostats, soft vacuum with perlite backup, full immersion
Stainless steel dewar plus separate cooldown box, full immersion
Self developed dewar plus own cooldown box, full immersion
Published quality metrics
CT with qualitative and quantitative data on all cases; electron microscopy planned with consent
CT with qualitative data, some cases
Average quality from CT
Brain perfusion close to complete
Various: partial perfusion, partial ice formation
Improvement over 5 years
Significant
– Insufficient data
Research focus
Brain
Kidney
Unclear
Suspension and storage
Unclear
In house R&D department
Medical and applied engineering
Research and engineering
✕
✕
– Unknown
Transparency and patient care funding
Case reports published
Every year, numbered, with a livestream and Q&A
Less systematic
Referenced on site
Narrative updates
✕
Separate fund for patient care
Swiss patient care foundation
Patient care trust
✕
✕
✕
Allocated per patient
€120,000 whole body, €15,000 neuro
$135,000 whole body, $25,000 neuro
≈ $20,000
~AU$100,000, informal
Not disclosed
Investment approach
Optimised for long term return and stability, 60 year horizon
Cash, securities and equities, ~2% draw
Mostly equities and index funds
Bank deposits, index funds planned
Not disclosed
Audited financial statements
Annually, Swiss oversight
Annual review, full audit every 3 years
– From 2022 onward
✕
✕
Facility engineering
Underground, concrete
Above ground, patient care bay
Above ground
Above ground
Industrial park, alarms and power failover
Storage duration guarantee
Indefinite, tied to the patient care foundation
Indefinite, tied to the patient care trust
Indefinite, perpetual
Indefinite
20 year term reported
Regulatory framework
Swiss foundation law and German company law
US anatomical gift act and Arizona nonprofit law
Michigan nonprofit law
Australian and NSW corporate and health law
Body donation regulations
Continuity if operations cease
Patients unaffected, funds sit with a separate non-profit
Trust designed to continue independently
✕
Funds not legally separated
Stability of storage country
Switzerland, 3rd of 163 on the Global Peace Index
USA, 134th of 163
USA, 134th of 163
Australia, 20th of 163
China, 118th of 163
Additional services
Lifespan extension programme
✕
DNA and tissue preservation
✕
✕
Mobile app
Emergency and monitoring app, reads Google Fit and Apple Health
✕
Timer based check in
✕
✕
Refund and cancellation
Monthly plan cancellable anytime, not refundable
Non-refundable
Non-refundable
60 days written notice, fees not refunded
Donation based
Languages
English, German, Italian, French, Spanish
English, French
English
English
Chinese, English
Education and outreach
Blog, YouTube, conferences, Discord, live Q&A
Podcast, newsletter, museum, magazine
Magazine, annual general meeting
News blog, social media
Forums, summits, academic conferences
