Cyan Banister

Cyan Banister is an early-stage investor in Silicon Valley, recognized for identifying technology companies with high growth potential. Banister was an early investor in Uber, Niantic, Postmates, DeepMind, Carta, Thumbtack, Flexport, Affirm, and SpaceX. Her first angel investment was in SpaceX. Banister’s career in venture capital is marked by a focus on backing companies at their earliest stages.

At age 15, Banister experienced homelessness and left high school. A self-taught engineer and entrepreneur, she held technical leadership roles, including as an early employee at IronPort, which was acquired by Cisco, where she managed support infrastructure and performance for a global customer base. Banister has spoken publicly about her early life, discussing her journey from homelessness to venture capital and attributing her success to incrementalism, capitalism, individualism, mentorship, and curiosity.

In addition to her investing career, Banister co-founded Zivity, a subscription platform for user-submitted photography, and served as its chief executive officer and editor-in-chief. She later became the first woman partner at Founders Fund, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, where she invested in companies such as Niantic and HQ Trivia and supported the queer community app Yass through the FF Angel fund. Banister and Scott Banister received the Angel of the Year Crunchie Award at the TechCrunch ceremonies.

Banister subsequently joined Long Journey Ventures, an early-stage investment and operations-focused firm, returning to her roots in early-stage investing after her tenure at the multi-strategy fund founded by Peter Thiel. Long Journey Ventures, based in San Francisco, focuses on early-stage companies across sectors including artificial intelligence and bioscience.

Banister’s investment portfolio includes companies in diverse industries, with a focus on those that create jobs, empower individuals, and offer new forms of flexibility. Her investments often center on enabling people to shape their own futures through technology, creativity, or entrepreneurship. The UCLA First Amendment Amicus Brief Clinic was renamed the Scott & Cyan Banister First Amendment Clinic in recognition of the Banisters' support for individual rights and free expression. Banister continues to contribute to the technology and venture capital sectors through speaking engagements at industry conferences and her writing on her platform, The Ugly Duckling.