Andy Lenz – Built to Last: Founder Stories #2

In our series Built to Last: Founder Stories, we spotlight the people building New Zapiens from the inside out. In part two of the series, we’re featuring Andy Lenz, co-founder of New Zapiens. As co-founder of t3n Magazine with two decades of experience in media, community-building, and early-stage investing, Andy bridges the worlds of technology, entrepreneurship, and longevity — exploring how innovation and trust can add healthy decades to our lives.

You co-founded t3n Magazine and scaled it from a student side hustle to 10 million monthly readers and 100 employees. What’s the secret to building communities that actually engage vs. just consume?

High Agency! As a brand, team and founder you have to communicate with real commitment, moderate actively, and stay highly engaged. Every employee is the brand — representing it and being an active part of the community. Everyone needs to stay on their toes: hosting meetups, barcamps, parties, and community gatherings, showing up at trade fairs and conferences, producing podcasts and interviews, delivering strong customer suppor and running all important social media channels consistently. And of course, all of that only works if you also have a clear vision, a strong brand, a great product and excellent usability.

With a portfolio of 20+ early-stage investments across Europe and the US, what patterns do you see in successful health optimization and longevity startups?

Execution, product–market fit, awareness, and patience are the key.

As both an investor and operator in the longevity space, how do you balance the hype around longevity tech with real, actionable health optimization?

I keep reminding myself that fundamental habits like sleep, nutrition, exercise, and social interaction account for 95% of the outcome — not a single magic pill.

You’ve built mission-driven brands before. What’s the mission behind New Zapiens that convinced you to co-found rather than just invest?

Since I’ve personally struggled with my own health decisions - especially around prevention and longevity. I wanted my next startup or investment to be something where I could truly eat my own dogfood and benefit myself. That’s why the New Zapiens mission felt like a perfect fit:

“Building a trusted health hub that empowers everyone to make better decisions through reliable, authentic, and honest reviews.”

Your bio mentions “exploring how technology can add healthy decades to our lives.” What’s the most promising intersection of tech and longevity that New Zapiens can capitalize on?

I see the sweet spot at the intersection of information, trust, and decisions. In longevity, people are overwhelmed by options and misinformation. That’s where reviews, community, and user-generated content come in. AI and personalization on top and you can guide individuals toward better, more trustworthy health choices at scale.

You mention having “operator empathy” and “brand-building playbooks.” What’s your playbook for building trust in the health space where misinformation is rampant?

Transparency, credibility and community.

You mention being a “proud twin dad” - how has fatherhood changed your perspective on health optimization and longevity?

It changed everything. Becoming a father is what pushed me into prevention and longevity in the first place — out of the responsibility to be a healthy, present dad. In many ways, being a parent is the healthiest thing in the world, because it gives you the strongest reason to take care of yourself.

What’s one health optimization practice that surprised you with its impact on both your entrepreneurial performance and family life?

Skip alcohol.

The longevity space is getting crowded with startups and investors. What makes a longevity company stand out to you as an investor?

Delivery & fast execution.

Rapid Fire Personal Q&A

Biggest lesson from scaling t3n that applies to every business?

Alignment & consistency.

One health metric every busy founder should track?

Sleep.

One biomarker everybody should be aware of?

ApoB - because it’s the most reliable marker of cardiovascular risk, much more precise than just looking at LDL cholesterol.

What would 2005 Andy (starting t3n) think about tracking HRV and longevity biomarkers?

Nothing or something like please come back to me with that stuff in 10 years.

Most underrated city for health optimization?

I really don´t know.