Fifty Years
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $250K – $2M
- Stage
- Pre-Seed, Seed
- AUM
- $200M
- Sectors
- Biotech, Digital Health, Deeptech
- Founded
- 2020
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
About Fifty Years
Fifty Years is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, CA founded in 2020. Fifty Years – We back the indispensable using technology to solve the world's biggest problems. The firm focuses on Pre-Seed, Seed investments across sectors including Biotech, Digital Health, Deeptech. The firm manages $200M in assets under management. Notable portfolio companies include Varda Space Industries, Pivot Bio, Twelve and Solugen. Operator-heavy team backing pre-product deep-tech moonshots in biotech, climate, and frontier technologies.
Investment Thesis
“Operator-heavy team backing pre-product deep-tech moonshots in biotech, climate, and frontier technologies.”
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
- Fifty Years was founded in San Francisco by Seth Bannon and Ela Madej and was already profiled as a new Silicon Valley firm in October 2016, investing at pre-seed and seed into companies working on civilization-scale problems in climate, health, food systems and frontier science.
- The name comes from Winston Churchill's 1931 essay 'Fifty Years Hence,' and the mandate is explicitly long-horizon: back companies whose impact compounds over decades rather than exit cycles.
- The firm's third and largest fund closed at $90 million in October 2021, when Fifty Years was six years old.
- Its limited partner base is distinctive, drawn heavily from dozens of operators who built billion-dollar companies rather than from traditional institutional allocators, which is consistent with the firm's operator-first positioning.
- Sizes for the first two funds have not been publicly disclosed.
- Capital goes almost entirely into pre-product deep tech, with portfolio positions including Solugen, Pivot Bio, Varda Space Industries and Twelve.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 1
- Latest filing
Fifty Years filed a Form D for 1 fund vehicle between Sep 30, 2024 and Sep 29, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Fifty Years Fund V, LP | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Fifty Years by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
Team (1)
Related Articles (1)
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Fifty Years invest at?
Fifty Years primarily invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages. This means they focus on companies that are at the earliest idea or prototype phase.
Where is Fifty Years located?
Fifty Years is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Fifty Years focus on?
Fifty Years focuses on investments in Biotech, Digital Health, Deeptech. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Fifty Years's typical check size?
Fifty Years's typical investment check size ranges from $250K to $2M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Fifty Years have under management?
Fifty Years manages approximately $200M in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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