# Fifty Years

Fifty Years is a Private Equity based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** San Francisco, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 2016
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** fiftyyears.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifty-years

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 318242
- **SEC file number:** 802-123767
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** Yes
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/318242

## About

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/

## Sectors

- ClimateTech
- Synthetic Biology
- SpaceTech
- Digital Health
- AI/ML
- FoodTech
- Connectivity

## Offices

- Palo Alto, CA
- London, UK

## People

- Ela Madej — Founding Partner
- Seth Bannon — Founding Partner
- D. Scott Phoenix — Partner
- Alex Teng — Partner
- Prof. Sir Tony Kouzarides — Venture Partner

## 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.

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- [FiftySix Investments](https://altss.com/profile/fiftysix-investments)
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Last updated: 2026-07-06T00:33:25.286Z

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