Seth Bannon is a founding partner at Fifty Years who explicitly frames venture capital as "backing founders solving the world's biggest problems with technology" and emphasizes civilization-scale outcomes rather than incremental software companies. He's known for popularizing the "Mr. Burns test" - looking for deep-tech companies building products that even a villain like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons would want because they are so clearly better for the world.

• Preference for deep technology and engineering that reshapes the physical world over purely digital consumer apps. He frequently criticizes gambling applications and low-utility AI software, urging founders to build companies that are important to the future of civilization.
• Interest in the intersection of biology, healthcare, and technology. He highlights the importance of biodefense and pandemic preparedness in the age of AI, as well as the potential for vaccines to cure major diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer.
• Support for food technology and alternative proteins, specifically cultivated meat. He promotes companies like UPSIDE Foods, noting that consumers enjoy meat but would prefer to avoid the realities of factory farming if given a viable alternative.
• A belief that the software industry is moving away from traditional SaaS models toward AI agents. He predicts that instead of one-to-many software applications, future AI agents will identify user needs and code solutions in real time.
• Advocacy for speed and a hacker mindset within hard tech sectors. He rejects the idea that deep tech must be slow or expensive, praising founders who build quickly to prove concepts, such as those developing modular nuclear reactors.
• Focus on positive, high-impact use cases for artificial intelligence. He identifies the three most promising aspects of AI as providing a tutor for everyone, a doctor for everyone, and accelerating scientific discovery.
• Commitment to diversity and ethical culture in the tech industry. He discusses his track record of backing female founders and emphasizes that the values the tech industry chooses to celebrate or condemn are significant to a company's success.