Expand Health, a longevity healthcare platform owned by Ilara Health, has launched a fully operational clinic in Cape Town and is preparing to expand into Asia in 2026, following a year focused on standardising protocols and stabilising operations across multiple markets.
The Cape Town facility marks Expand Health’s transition from pilot projects to live, protocol-driven clinical operations, the company said, as it seeks to build a scalable model for longevity care across borders.
“Longevity clinics only scale when the fundamentals are in place,” said Emilian Popa, Co-founder and CEO of Ilara Health, citing standardised clinical protocols, disciplined teams and viable unit economics.
From pilots to operational maturity
Expand Health said the Cape Town clinic is now operating as a stable longevity hub under a standardised operating model.
In Europe, the company launched Expand Labs Bucharest in 2025, building the clinic from the ground up with a focus on fixed pricing, cost control and workflow discipline. The company said the Bucharest operation reached profitability after completing its operational build-out.
Expand Health was also involved in bringing a large Miami-based longevity clinic to operational maturity, applying the same clinical and operational frameworks across a different regulatory and consumer market.
“Different markets, different regulations, but the same execution principles apply,” Popa said.
AI as operational infrastructure
During 2025, Expand Health invested in rebuilding its internal AI systems, deploying tools to support booking, patient intake, operational oversight and staff workflows.
The company said the technology was designed for daily clinical use rather than experimentation.
“Technology is no longer the bottleneck,” Popa said. “Trust and real-world delivery are now the limiting factors in healthcare.”
Restructuring and reset
Ilara Health confirmed it undertook restructuring during 2025 after a late-stage funding process collapsed, prompting a reassessment of growth strategy and capital deployment across its portfolio, including Expand Health.
Popa said the process reinforced the need to prioritise operational fundamentals over rapid expansion narratives.
Asia expansion in 2026
Looking ahead, Expand Health plans to enter selected Asian markets in 2026, while also exploring U.S.-based longevity clinic consolidation opportunities and partnerships embedding longevity services into hospitality and real estate developments.
Future growth will focus on scaling only business models already proven in operating clinics, Popa said.
“We are scaling what works, and being deliberate about what we don’t,” he said.