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Investing Like A Mystic: How Cyan Banister Finds Outliers (Co-Founder of Long Journey Ventures)

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May 5, 2026

Guest

Cyan Banister

Cyan Banister, venture investor and co-founder of Long Journey Ventures who backs unconventional founders and calls herself a professional daydreamer. She describes running mystical thought experiments, scanning odd signals to find startups, and spotting big bets from small clues. Conversations cover brain‑computer interfaces, AI enabling polymaths, the “Biz, Tiz, and Riz” founder trifecta, and living part‑time in a retirement community.

01:13:22

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ANECDOTE

Telepathy Experiments And The Cockatoo Incident

Cyan tested telepathy experiments after listening to The Telepathy Tapes and reported multiple hits, including sending images that manifested in others' minds.
At a farm she and friends heard a cockatoo say 'help me' right after discussing telepathic birds.

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INSIGHT

The Universe As A Collective Idea Cloud

Cyan believes in a non‑local cloud of consciousness where creators 'receive' ideas rather than invent them.
She cites writers and musicians who describe sudden downloads and links this to emerging BCI signals that pick up subconscious content.

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ADVICE

Always Check Timing And Supporting Infrastructure

When evaluating startups, ask whether the timing and supporting infrastructure exist now for the idea to scale.
Cyan cites Postmates and earlier failed delivery attempts that required iPhone, provisioning, and mapping to be viable.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Never Playing the Game You Seem To

02:16 • 2min

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Cultivating Childlike Wonder Daily

04:22 • 6min

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From Atheist to Spiritual Experimenter

10:10 • 4min

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The Telepathy Tapes Experiments

13:48 • 6min

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Animal and Non‑Local Consciousness Signs

20:04 • 4min

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The Universe as a Conscious Cloud

23:52 • 3min

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Run Your Own Mystical Experiments

26:32 • 3min

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How Daydreaming Powers Investing

29:07 • 1min

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Timing, History, and Money in Futurism

30:30 • 2min

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Early Bets Come From Odd Places

32:34 • 38sec

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Spotting Travis Kalanick and Uber

33:11 • 1min

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Finding Flock Safety in a Four Seasons

34:22 • 4min

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Spotting Pokémon Go from Ingress

38:30 • 2min

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Why Geolocation Experiences Struggle

40:01 • 4min

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BCIs, AI, and the Age of the Polymath

43:36 • 4min

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AI Enables Creative Access for Everyone

47:21 • 6min

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Magical Weirdo Founders Explained

52:59 • 2min

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Biz, Tiz, Riz: The Founder Trifecta

54:37 • 3min

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Collecting Personalities Like Pokémon

57:27 • 2min

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Why She Lives Part‑Time in a Retirement Community

59:20 • 4min

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Eclectic Reading and Finding Books

01:03:50 • 5min

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A Book for Everyone: The Razor's Edge

• Mentioned in 16 episodes

The Razor's Edge

W. Somerset Maugham

Published in 1944, 'The Razor's Edge' by W. Somerset Maugham is a novel that delves into the search for the meaning of life and the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. The story centers around Larry Darrell, a former World War I aviator who returns to Chicago a changed man. Larry rejects conventional life and sets out on a spiritual journey, influenced by his harrowing war experiences and the death of a friend who saved his life. The novel is narrated by Maugham himself, who interacts with and observes the characters over a twenty-year period. The story explores themes of war, death, life, marriage, and profession, and contrasts Larry's spiritual pursuits with the more materialistic lives of characters like Isabel and her uncle Elliott Templeton. The novel is set in various locations including Chicago, Paris, and India, and it was one of the first Western novels to propose non-Western solutions to societal issues.

#21

• Mentioned in 383 episodes

Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, follows the journey of Harry Potter, an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard. The series spans seven novels, each corresponding to one year of Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, navigates the magical world, confronts various challenges, and ultimately faces off against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who murdered Harry's parents and seeks to dominate the wizarding world. The series explores themes of friendship, love, and the struggle between good and evil.

#22379

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

My life and loves

Frank Harris

This autobiography, written by Frank Harris, is a candid and graphic account of his life, including his sexual adventures and reflections on societal norms. The book, initially privately printed between 1922 and 1927, was later published by Jack Kahane's Obelisk Press in 1931. It was banned in both the United States and Britain for 40 years due to its explicit content. Harris's narrative spans his childhood in Ireland, his early sexual experiences, and his later life as a writer and editor, including his interactions with notable literary figures like Oscar Wilde and D.H. Lawrence. The book is characterized by its unfiltered examination of sex, love, and societal expectations, making it a landmark in erotic literature.

#2661

• Mentioned in 18 episodes

Impro

Improvisation and the Theatre

Keith Johnstone

In 'Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre', Keith Johnstone delves into the world of improvisational theatre, providing insights into its history, techniques, and significance. The book covers various aspects of improvisation, including status, spontaneity, and the role of the audience. Johnstone also discusses his own experiences and methods, making it a valuable resource for both practitioners and students of improvisational theatre.

Cyan Banister has built one of the most distinctive early-stage track records of the last fifteen years, with early bets on companies like Uber, SpaceX, DeepMind, Niantic, and Postmates. Today, she is co-founder and general partner at Long Journey Ventures, where she backs what she calls “magical weirdos.” Banister describes herself as a professional daydreamer, running constant thought experiments and paying close attention to signals others ignore. In this episode, she explains how that mindset translates into investing, and why many of her best opportunities have come from observation, curiosity, and a willingness to look in unlikely places.

In our conversation, we explore:

Cyan’s philosophy of treating life as a series of experiments
The strange, profound experiences that led her to question and ultimately move beyond her atheism
How scanning Wi-Fi networks in a Four Seasons café led her to Flock Safety, last valued at $8.4 billion
Long Journey Ventures’ “Biz, Tizz, and Rizz” framework for identifying exceptional founders and why the trifecta is rare
How AI will enable the age of the polymath
Why she believes brain-computer interfaces are closer than most people think
Why she says Pokémon Go was “the closest we ever came to world peace”
Why she lives part-time in a retirement community and her vision for a more connected future

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Transcript: https://www.generalist.com/p/investing-like-a-mystic-cyan-banister

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Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(03:51) Never playing the game you appear to be playing

(07:18) Practicing childlike wonder as a daily discipline