Fifty Years, A Deep-Tech Investor, Has Raised $90 Million From Tens Of “Unicorn” Founders

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Firm cofounder Seth Bannon tells us the firm aimed to recruit founders of 20 so-called unicorn companies so that they would have a vested interest in — and could occasionally advise — its portfolio companies. “We’ve grown more active over time because the more a company begins to breakout, the more learnings you develop over time based on supporting that company, and the bigger your network in that space grows,” he explains. Indeed, Fifty Years — which is run by Bannon; firm cofounder Ela Madej; and six other full-time people, including a synthetic biologist — has a pretty good story to tell about itself for such a young firm. Fifty Years also has a “super nerdy” podcast called the “Translation Podcast,” wherein the lead author of a breakthrough paper in biology is asked to go through his or her background and what they aim to accomplish with their research. Not only does Fifty Years have a portfolio it can brag about now, but unlike in 2015, when “we felt very lonely,” says Bannon, it’s “no longer fringe to say you can make great returns and make an impact.