# Fifty Years

> Fifty Years is a San Francisco venture capital firm backing pre-seed and seed technology companies addressing problems in climate, health, energy, manufacturing, and other scientific fields. Founded by Ela Madej and Seth Bannon in 2015, it also helps researchers become founders through the free 5050 program, the Spinout Playbook, and philanthropic Manifest Grants.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Ela Madej (Co-founder and Founding Partner), Seth Bannon (Co-founder and Founding Partner)
- **Products:** Pre-seed and seed venture investment, 5050, Spinout Playbook, Manifest Grants, Fifty Years Network
- **Notable:** Raised a $90 million third fund announced in October 2021., Portfolio includes Solugen, Astranis, BillionToOne, Opentrons, and other science and engineering companies., ARIA reported 86 UK participants, 26 new companies, and over £7.5 million in pre-seed funding over the first 15 months of its partnership.

## Products & services

- **Pre-seed and seed venture investment** — Early equity capital and operating support for founders working on science and engineering businesses.
- **5050** — Free 12-week founder program with workshops, mentorship, and cohort gatherings; no equity or fees. Operates in the US and UK.
- **Spinout Playbook** — Public guide to university commercialization, covering teams, patents, technology transfer, incorporation, licensing, and negotiations; primarily US-focused.
- **Manifest Grants** — Philanthropic translational-science grants of $25,000-$100,000, with two-page applications, decisions within 21 days, and no IP taken.
- **Fifty Years Network** — Founder-network software introduced in the firm’s 2023 product presentation.
- **Paperscraper** — LLM-powered scientific-literature tool introduced in 2023; current standalone availability is not established.
- **50Y Progress Index** — Research comparing market spending with startup investment to identify underfunded opportunities.
- **5050 AI request for startups** — Published company ideas in AI oversight, interpretability, security, structured model access, and mental-health evaluation.

## Achievements

- Raised a $90 million third fund announced in October 2021.
- Portfolio includes Solugen, Astranis, BillionToOne, Opentrons, and other science and engineering companies.
- ARIA reported 86 UK participants, 26 new companies, and over £7.5 million in pre-seed funding over the first 15 months of its partnership.
- 5050 reports 535 participants and a 96% fundraising success rate among alumni who fundraise; self-reported and conditional on attempting a raise.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Fifty Years was reported among investors in Multiply Labs’ $75 million Series B; this is portfolio-company financing.
- **2026-10** — At review, the 5050 site listed April 2027 as its next cohort start.
- **2026-02** — ARIA published early UK partnership results: 86 participants, 26 companies, and over £7.5 million raised.
- **2026-01** — Fast Company profiled the 5050 program and its role in helping launch 100 startups.

## Links

- Website: https://fiftyyears.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifty-years/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/fiftyyears
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fiftyyearsvc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/fifty-years
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27