The Biologic Life Insurance Policy Nobody Told You About: Dr. Drew Taylor of Acorn Biolabs

What if the most important health decision you could make right now costs less than Netflix and takes 30 minutes?

That's the bet Dr. Drew Taylor has been building toward since he co-founded Acorn Biolabs in 2017. Acorn lets people bank their own stem cells, harvested non-invasively from hair follicles, before age degrades them. Acorn now operates across more than 200 partner clinics in North America and was just named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2026.

Before any of this, Drew was a pitcher. He got drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, walked away from a medical school acceptance to play professionally, and when a shoulder injury ended his career, came back to the lab and never left.

In this conversation, we unpack what it takes to build a category from scratch, why your cells are aging faster than you think, and what Drew calls the biologic life insurance policy that most people don't know exists.

He discusses:

• What regenerative medicine actually is and how it differs from the longevity and preventative health space

• Why hair follicles turned out to be one of the most valuable and accessible sources of adult stem cells

• The "biologic life insurance policy" and what it means to bank your cells before you need them

• How he navigated leaving a venture capital salary to start a company with a newborn at home

• Why Covid nearly stalled Acorn, and what kept them going

• The NK cell research that has shown early results suppressing ovarian, cervical, and breast cancer cells in the lab

• How Acorn thinks about the long road from aesthetics to advanced therapeutics and why that sequencing is intentional

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Chapters

• 00:00:00 What is Regenerative Medicine?
• 00:03:14 Stem Cells: The Connective Tissue Powerhouse
• 00:05:22 The Future of 3D Printing Organs with Stem Cells
• 00:06:43 From Baseball to PhD: Drew's Journey
• 00:10:11 How Acorn Biolabs Was Born
• 00:11:48 Navigating the Patent Process: Lessons for Scientific Founders
• 00:15:24 The Acorn Process: Banking Your Stem Cells from Hair Follicles
• 00:20:43 Your Own Biology as an Aesthetic Treatment
• 00:24:11 The Science Behind Secretome: Growth Factors, Exosomes, and More
• 00:28:19 Secretome vs PRP
• 00:28:49 The Future of Injectables: Clinical Trials and Regulatory Approvals
• 00:29:48 Regulatory Landscape: Canada, US, and the Medical Tourism Problem
• 00:33:49 Clinic Partnerships and Business Model
• 00:37:54 Fundraising Strategy
• 00:38:13 COVID's Impact: Turning Crisis into R&D Opportunity
• 00:43:56 Balancing Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship: Drew's Approach to Family
• 00:49:52 Turning Hair Follicles into Cancer-Fighting NK Cells
• 00:54:49 Growing Acorn and Expanding Clinical Applications
• 00:55:28 How to Get Started: Banking Your Cells with Acorn

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Bank Your Stem Cells with Acorn

Acorn’s Live Cell Preservation service allows you to collect and cryogenically store stem-cell-rich hair follicles for future regenerative use.

Investment:

Standard collection ($945) + first year of storage ($190): $1,135

Exclusive Offer:

First year of banking ($190 value) for FREE with code BRUNETTES

Step-by-Step Purchase Instructions:

• Visit www.acorn.me 

• Select ‘Start Your Journey’, ‘Cell Banking + Storage’

• At checkout enter promo code: BRUNETTES

• Acorn’s team will reach out to coordinate their clinic visit

Note: While Acorn has a wide network of practices, they do not yet have full coverage across Canada/USA. You can view their locations here: https://acorn.me/find-providers/

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Dr. Drew Taylor

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Acorn Biolabs

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Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.