Fifty Years
Venture capitalActively deployingSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Seed · 17 people tracked
Also known as Fifty Years Deep · FIFTY YEARS INDUSTRIES, LLC
Investment thesis
Fifty Years invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in founders using breakthrough science and technology to tackle humanity's biggest challenges, including the climate crisis, disease, connectivity, and malnutrition. The firm emphasizes helping world-class scientists become world-class entrepreneurs, having backed dozens of PhD founders and CEOs. It positions itself as founder-centric, being run by founders, backing founders, and backed by 46 founders of billion-dollar technology companies who help mentor the next generation. Fifty Years also actively participates in company creation and runs initiatives such as its accelerator-style program for early-stage deep tech startups.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 17 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 86 of 153 portfolio companiesBiotech ×43AI & Machine Learning ×35Healthtech ×33Deep Tech ×28Advanced Manufacturing ×15Climate Tech ×15Medical Devices ×15Enterprise Software ×10
HQs:United States×55Canada×3Australia×1Germany×1Spain×1United Kingdom×1
Investments · 153 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company that uses molecular counting technology to develop non-invasive prenatal screening and liquid biopsy tests for early disease detection.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US
Oguzhan Atay, PhD(Co-Founder, CEO, and Board Chair)David Tsao, PhD(Co-Founder, CTO, and Board Member)Oguzhan Atay(Founder)inDavid Tsao(Founder/CTO)inSukrit Silas(Cofounder)
Health Catalyst provides data analytics, AI-powered insights, and healthcare solutions to help hospital systems and healthcare organizations improve clinical, financial, and operational outcomes.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureHealthtech
Solugen develops a biomanufacturing platform using fermentation and bioprocessing technology to produce specialty chemicals at scale.
Advanced ManufacturingBiotechCleantechClimate TechHealthtechHouston, US
Sean Hunt(Founder/CTO)inGaurab Chakrabarti(Founder)in
Board seatSeth Bannon· per SEC Form D
54Gene conducts genomics research and provides related services to increase the representation of African genetic data in medical research, which aims to advance healthcare solutions globally.
HealthtechWellness & FitnessLagos, NG
Gatumi Aliyu(Founder)inAbasi Ene-Obong(Founder)inOgochukwu Francis Osifo(Founder)in
64x develops infrastructure and manufacturing systems for next-generation medicines, focusing on genetic engineering, cell line development, and computational biology to enable scalability of advanced therapies.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US
Lexi Rovner(Co-founder & CEO)in
Aalo develops advanced nuclear reactor technology aimed at producing electricity at under 3 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Climate TechDeep TechEnergyHardware
Ansa provides an enzymatic DNA synthesis platform that directly synthesizes complex sequences up to 900 bp and delivers constructs up to 50 kb without assembly-based methods.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechEmeryville, US
Dan Lin-Arlow(Founder)inSebastian Palluk(Founder)inJason T. Gammack(Executive Officer, Director)Yanniv Dorone(Director)Daniel Lin-Arlow(Executive Officer, Director)Chenny Zhang(Director)
Sunnyvale, US
Andrew Ponec(Executive Officer)Justin Briggs(Executive Officer, Director)David Bierman(Executive Officer, Director)Christina Karapataki(Director)Clay Dumas(Director)Scott Himmelberger(Director)
Apollo Atomics develops compact nuclear power systems designed for rapid deployment.
Advanced ManufacturingClimate TechDeep TechEnergyBoston, US
Arpeggio Bio develops pharmaceutical drugs that target transcription factors using artificial intelligence and RNA-sequencing technology, with lead programs in development for melanoma treatment and rare disease applications.
BiotechHealthtechBoulder, US
Joey Azofeifa(Founder)inAmit Mehta(Director)Laura Norris(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph G. Azofeifa(Executive Officer, Director)Timothy Read(Executive Officer, Director)Eric Martin(Executive Officer)
Athelas develops software tools for private practice healthcare providers to reduce administrative burden, improve operational efficiency, and enhance patient scheduling and navigation capabilities.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Deepika Bodapati(Founder)inTanay Tandon(Founder)inHemant Taneja(Director)
Atom Computing develops large-scale quantum computers using optically-trapped neutral atoms for on-premises deployment.
Deep TechHardwareQuantum ComputingBerkeley, US
Ben Bloom(Founder & CEO)inDror Berman(Director)Ethan Batraski(Director)
Avro Life Sciences develops platform technology for novel drug delivery through passive transdermal administration.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesWaterloo, CA
BIOS develops neural digital therapy technology to deliver treatments for neurological conditions.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesCambridge, GB
Brave Care operates pediatric primary and urgent care clinics designed to treat common acute conditions in children, supplemented by remote consultations delivered by clinicians.
HealthtechPortland, US
Asa Miller(Founder)inDarius "Bubs" Monsef(Founder)inMaryam Taheri(Founder)inCorey Fish, MD(Founder)inGary Gerlacher(Executive Officer, Director)Corey Fish, M.D.(Executive Officer, Director)
Biomemory develops DNA-based data storage systems for data centers, offering an alternative storage tier optimized for long-term archival, density, and energy efficiency.
Climate TechData & InfrastructureDeep Tech
Cofactor Genomics develops predictive diagnostics for cancer immunotherapy using RNA-expression models to characterize tumor microenvironments and predict patient response.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesSt. Louis, US
Dave Messina(Founder/COO)inJarret Glasscock(Founder/CTO)inJarret Glassock(Executive Officer, Director)Matthew A. Ocko(Director)Jon Armstrong(Director)
BoardMark Siegel(Director)
Deepcell uses artificial intelligence and high-resolution imaging to analyze cell morphology for biological research and discovery.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechMedical DevicesSunnyvale, US
Mahdokht Masaeli(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Euan Ashley(Director, Promoter)Mahyar Salek(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
Earth AI uses AI to locate critical mineral deposits by analyzing geological data, supporting the supply chain for hardware and emerging technologies.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningClimate TechDeep TechNew MaterialsSan Francisco, US
Roman Teslyuk(Founder)in
BoardIan Rountree(Director)Mikhail Taver(Director)Jamie Lee(Director)Isabella Sykes(Director)Arnoud Balhuizen(Director)
eFlow extracts lithium from dilute brines in North America using direct lithium extraction technology, serving the clean energy and electric vehicle supply chain.
CleantechEnergyNew Materials
Eric McShane(CEO and co-founder)Evan Gardner(CTO and co-founder)
Faction develops a hybrid autonomous vehicle platform called DriveLink that combines autonomy with remote human assistance (TeleAssist) for driverless fleet operations.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Ain McKendrick(Founder)in
Farcast develops advanced satellite communication user terminals with flat panel phased array antennas that electronically track satellite movement for reduced size, weight, power, and cost.
Advanced ManufacturingHardwareSpace TechSan Francisco, US
Siamak Ebadi(Founder)inGuido Jouret(Director)David Byrd(Director)
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Fifty Years invest at?
- Fifty Years invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Fifty Years's typical check size?
- Fifty Years typically writes checks of $250K – $2M.
- What sectors does Fifty Years focus on?
- Fifty Years focuses on AgTech, Biotech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech.
- Where is Fifty Years located?
- Fifty Years is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does Fifty Years lead rounds?
- Fifty Years typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMr. and Mrs: Fifty Years: Sneak Peek Into The Life of Ela Madej and Seth Bannon I Slush 2021
Slush · Ela Madej
Sean Hunt (Solugen) & Seth Bannon (Fifty Years): From Academia to Entrepreneurship | Slush 2021
Slush · Seth Bannon
Impact Investing 🌟 w/ Seth Bannon - Founding Partner @ Fifty Years | BIOS
BIOS · Seth Bannon
New Type of Therapeutic Unicorns 🎉 w/ Seth Bannon - Founding Partner @ Fifty Years | BIOS
BIOS · Seth Bannon
What Will Biotech Look Like in 2050? ✨ w/ Seth Bannon - Founding Partner @ Fifty Years | BIOS
BIOS · Seth Bannon
Ela Madej, Co-Founder & Partner, FIFTY YEARS, USA
Rethink Events · Ela Madej
Co-investors · 54
Refactor is a seed-stage venture firm run as a solo capitalist by Zal, backing founders building hard tech companies that address real-world problems.
SV Angel is an investment firm that partners with and supports founders building transformative companies, providing long-term backing and close advisory relationships.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York City that invests in companies at the edge of large markets being transformed by technological and societal pressures.
Lux Capital's portfolio page showcasing select companies across science and technology sectors including AI infrastructure, aerospace, biotech, and productivity software.
Preston-Werner Ventures is a venture capital firm associated with Tom Preston-Werner, cofounder of GitHub, who has moved into venture investing.
Liquid 2 is an early- and growth-stage venture capital firm that invests in founders across all sectors of technology, providing capital along with support from a network of operators.
UpHonest Capital is a Silicon Valley-based investment firm founded in 2017 that supports cross-border entrepreneurship and investment between China and the United States, and runs media, scout, and incubation programs.
Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies, with a strong current focus on artificial intelligence.
Founders Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in companies building transformative technologies across defense, space, data analytics, and other frontier sectors.
Amplify Partners is an early-stage venture firm that has invested in technical founders — engineers, researchers, and scientists — building applications, AI models, developer tools, and infrastructure since 2012.
Avalanche is a private investment firm led by Katelyn Donnelly that invests early in technology companies at structural inflection points, pairing capital with operational experience in complex markets like government, energy, and critical infrastructure.
Susa Ventures operates two early-stage technology funds that invest in companies leveraging data, network effects, and economies of scale.
▶42 more co-investors
Lowercase CapitalArray Ventures Management LlcWinklevoss CapitalAnorak VenturesMango CapitalPlayground GlobalHelium-3 VenturesFoundamentalBlueYard CapitalPi LabsInflection.xyzCraft VenturesBain Capital VenturesKrakenOffline VenturesPioneerBuckley Ventures Management Company LlcHack VCThrive CapitalM13LightbankUncorrelated VenturesHaun VenturesDawn Capital LLPNotation CapitalHighbury HoldingsSweet CapitalStealth CapitalAmbush Capital8090 IndustriesNIVEvolve VC FundsGemini Israel VenturesAmino CollectivePTC PolymarketAir Street CapitalCloudflare, Inc.Cerulean VenturesCambridge Angels groupPalo Santo VCMystic VenturesAxial VC
Firms observed investing alongside Fifty Years, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Fifty Years's recorded portfolio.
Similar investors
DCVC (Data Collective) is a venture capital firm that backs founders building companies which apply technology to major challenges across areas such as energy, biotech, agriculture, and machine learning.
Future Positive Capital is an investment firm backing entrepreneurs building companies that address major global challenges and shape more sustainable, preferable futures.
Innovestor is a Nordic investment group operating across venture capital, life science, real estate, energy storage, and corporate venturing platforms, and is among the most active early-stage investors in the region.
SVG Ventures is a venture firm investing in capital-efficient, scalable startups reimagining sectors such as agri-food, climate, fintech, life sciences and nutrition through deep tech and proprietary IP. It runs the THRIVE platform offering value-add support beyond capital.
Snatched Ventures is a venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs pursuing bold, transformative visions, offering strategic support to help scale breakthrough innovations.