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Fifty Years
Seed fund supporting entrepreneurs solving the world's biggest problems. There’s a sea change coming in business as big as the shift from desktop to the cloud,...
Fifty Years
Seed fund supporting entrepreneurs solving the world's biggest problems. There’s a sea change coming in business as big as the shift from desktop to the cloud, or from web to mobile. Fifty Years supports the entrepreneurs heralding in the new economic renaissance. Read our view here: http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/02/impact-is-the-new-mobile/
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2016
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
San Francisco, CA, United States
Additional offices
Palo Alto, CA · London, UK
Principals
Ela Madej
Founding Partner
Seth Bannon
Founding Partner
D. Scott Phoenix
Partner
Alex Teng
Partner
Prof. Sir Tony Kouzarides
Venture Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Fifty Years?
Investment decisions sit with the partnership, led by co-founders Seth Bannon and Ela Madej alongside partners D. Scott Phoenix and Alex Teng. The firm operates a flat structure in which all partners evaluate deals, and the team's founder-heavy background—Phoenix previously founded Vicarious AI and Teng holds a Caltech PhD—shapes technical diligence.
How does Fifty Years source proprietary deal flow?
Fifty Years sources through a combination of its 46 founder-LPs, who refer scientists and engineers from their own networks, and its own initiatives like 5050 and Manifest Grants, which funnel translational research into the firm's pipeline. The firm also publishes a Substack and runs events designed to surface technical founders before they enter a formal raise process.
Does Fifty Years operate as a venture capital firm or something closer to a startup studio?
Fifty Years is a VC firm that writes pre-seed and seed checks, but it also runs company-formation programs including 5050 and Manifest Grants that resemble a studio model. The firm describes itself as builders and says they 'help start companies,' making it a hybrid that moves earlier than most traditional seed funds.
What investment stages does Fifty Years typically target?
The firm targets pre-seed and seed rounds. It strongly prefers to be the first institutional capital into a company and will often engage with founders still inside academic labs or working on translational science before incorporation.
Which sectors does Fifty Years explicitly prioritize?
Although the firm calls itself sector agnostic, its website highlights climate tech, synthetic biology, health and mental health, space tech, connectivity, food tech, and tools for accelerating scientific discovery. Hardware, software, and robotics all fall within scope—any area where a massive business and a global problem overlap.
Does Fifty Years have a geographic mandate?
Fifty Years will look at companies globally, but states a strong preference for initial go-to-market in North America or Europe. The team maintains offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, and London, reflecting where it can provide the most hands-on support.
How is Fifty Years related to the 46 billion-dollar founders it references?
Those founders are the firm’s limited partners and active mentors. They do not govern the firm. Fifty Years describes the relationship as 'backed by 46 founders of $1B+ tech companies' who provide portfolio companies with access, advice, and commercial introductions—a deliberate alternative to institutional LP capital.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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