We’re founders, we back founders, and we’re backed by world-class founders.
Fifty Years is an early stage VC firm based in San Francisco. We’re backed by 44 founders of tech companies valued between $1B and $100B who want to help the next generation of founders change the world for the better. We call them the League of Giants because 50Y founders can stand atop their shoulders.
We back world-class scientists.
Fifty Years helps founders translate breakthrough science to solve humanity’s greatest problems. Helping world-class scientists become world-class entrepreneurs is our jam. So far, we’ve backed 44 PhD founders and 22 PhD CEOs.
What’s your focus?
We partner with amazing entrepreneurs solving the world's biggest problems with technology. We focus on pre-seed and seed. We’re sector agnostic but we like deep tech. We strongly prefer companies with their initial go-to-market in North America or Europe. Our sweet spot is at the center of this Venn diagram:
What specific areas are you interested in?
We're currently very enthusiastic about deep tech: climate tech, synthetic biology, accelerating scientific discovery, and food tech, but we are a generalist firm. Hardware, software, healthcare, robotics – as long as there's a chance to build a massive business while solving a big problem in the world, we’re excited!
What’s the “Mr Burns test”?
We initially came up with the “Mr Burns test” while thinking about companies in the sustainability vertical. In the majority of cases, it’s difficult to assess whether a product or an idea the founders have in mind – no matter how clever, innovative or practical it might be – will actually be appealing to the public. So the sustainability company’s goal is to build a product that Mr Burns, aka the prototypic self-absorbed egoistic greedy capitalist from “The Simpsons”, would buy not because it’s sustainable but because it’s the best / cheapest / most convenient for HIM. It may be a sad reality of human nature but we deeply believe that passing the “Mr Burns Test” is key to achieving impact at scale.
Why "Fifty Years"?
In 1931 Winston Churchill wrote a phenomenal essay called "Fifty Years Hence", in which he predicts nuclear power, cell phones, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and even cultured meat! He also talks about the social responsibility of scientists and technologists to build the world we actually want. While we do not endorse the entire complicated legacy of Churchill, we were inspired by the predictive insight of this essay and the message that technologists have both great power and therefore great responsibility.
Why did you start Fifty Years?
As entrepreneurs ourselves, we found it nearly impossible to find savvy investors that had the knowledge, networks, and experience to help us scale our business, and who also fully supported our mission. We decided to solve our own problem, emptied our bank accounts in 2016, and we never looked back since!
What's wrong with "business as usual"?
For a while now the sole purpose of business has been to "maximize shareholder value." It's time to move past this idea. This thinking caused otherwise good people to start or work for companies that have negative societal or environmental impact (polluting or poisoning people). It also prevented a lot of entrepreneurs from fulfilling the true potential of business.
You can hear Seth talk about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muiIah22Cko
What are you looking for in founders you partner with?
We look for entrepreneurs who want to build massive businesses and move the world forward in a real – and positive! – way. We don't back founders just looking to get rich. We are looking for founders that aim to make a positive impact by building a massive business.
Successful companies take many years to build, so we look for entrepreneurs we could see ourselves working with for 5+ years. We like founders who are determined, passionate, smart, creative, and – maybe most importantly – can get right back up after getting knocked down. We look for charismatic leaders – those that can recruit and inspire thousands of incredibly talented employees, and evangelize the company to customers, press, and investors.
How do I get in touch with you?
Join one of our events or come to one of our Friday’s happy hours. You can also say "hi" at a conference or get an intro from someone in our network (LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter are your friends here). If, for whatever reason, none of the above is an option, just email us at hello AT fiftyyears.com.