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#780: Cyan Banister — From Homeless and Broke to Top Angel Investor (Uber, SpaceX, and 100+ More)

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Nov 27, 2024

Guest

Cyan Bannister

Cyan Banister, a general partner at Long Journey Ventures and early investor in giants like Uber and SpaceX, shares her inspiring journey from homelessness to success. She discusses the importance of resilience shaped by her background on a Native American reservation. Cyan reveals unique investment insights, especially regarding Uber's challenges, and highlights serendipity in discovering opportunities. The conversation also touches on personal growth through embracing randomness and exploring spirituality, illustrating how transformative experiences can reshape one’s worldview.

02:51:52

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ANECDOTE

Early Entrepreneurial Efforts

To earn money, Cyan sold items from donation centers and made hemp jewelry.
She credits meeting Chris Collins, who introduced her to computers, as pivotal.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

The Uber Investment

Cyan developed an investment thesis around disrupting the taxi medallion system.
A livery driver and a hot tub encounter with Travis Kalanick led to her early Uber investment.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Investing in Niantic

Cyan's interest in the game Ingress led her to Niantic, the company behind Pokemon Go.
Through a connection at Hint Water, she secured an investment and her friend got hired.

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

From Homelessness to Angel Investor: A Journey of Resilience

05:45 • 2min

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From Innocence to Resilience

07:42 • 30min

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Curiosity-Driven Investment Insights: The Uber Story

37:26 • 3min

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Navigating Opportunities through Serendipity

40:45 • 19min

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Navigating Investment Pitfalls and Personal Narratives

01:00:08 • 13min

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Hereticon: A Celebration of Radical Ideas and Open Debate

01:12:47 • 3min

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From Childhood Curiosities to Creative Expressions

01:15:36 • 20min

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Embracing Randomness: The Joy of Dice Decisions

01:35:58 • 11min

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Spiritual Awakening through Esoteric Exploration

01:46:32 • 18min

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A Journey Through Stroke and Self-Discovery

02:04:42 • 4min

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Awakening Through Spontaneity and Connection

02:08:32 • 22min

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Surreal Encounters in Boston

02:30:12 • 14min

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Gratitude, Kindness, and Weekly Discoveries

02:44:18 • 2min

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Health and Sleep Innovations for a Better Lifestyle

02:46:36 • 5min

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#118

• Mentioned in 160 episodes

The 4-Hour Body

An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman

Tim Ferriss

In 'The 4-Hour Body,' Tim Ferriss shares the results of over a decade of self-experimentation and research, involving hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of personal testing. The book covers more than 50 topics, including how to lose weight quickly, gain muscle without steroids, sleep less and perform better, and improve sexual health. Ferriss emphasizes the importance of finding the smallest changes that produce the biggest results, making it accessible for readers to achieve significant improvements in their physical health and performance.

Cyan Banister (@cyantist) is a general partner at Long Journey Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on early and new investments. Cyan was an early investor in Uber, SpaceX, DeepMind, Flexport, and Affirm and has invested in more than 100 companies. Prior to that, she was at Founders Fund, a top-tier fund in San Francisco. Subscribe to Cyan's Substack at uglyduckling.substack.com.

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[06:16] Early life and education as a white minority on a Navajo reservation.

[11:18] Strained family dynamics and a cycle of neglect.

[18:20] The intervention of Officer Pratt and becoming a ward of the state at 15.

[22:46] Crusty punk survival strategies and life on the streets.

[32:02] The positive influence of Cyan's "second" mother.

[34:17] Crass, Chris Collins, and computers.

[38:03] An unorthodox path to angel investment beginning with Uber.

[48:13] Niantic/Pokemon GO.

[56:27] How stalking Garrett Langley led to a Flock Security investment.

[01:00:07] GameCrush, activist investors, and lessons learned.

[01:07:00] Sales lessons from the street.

[01:10:08] A mindful approach to questioning narratives.

[01:15:35] The pre-OnlyFans story of Zivity.

[01:24:44] Views on sex and relationships.

[01:28:47] Magic glasses, esoteric rabbit holes, and rolling the dice.

[01:44:02] How Aleister Crowley and Bill Murray paved a path to ex-atheism.

[02:02:21] Cyan's billboard.

[02:04:41] Enduring a stroke and its aftermath.

[02:08:31] Meditation, throat-singing, and philosophy.

[02:17:50] The Boston spiritual experience and duck boat baptism.

[02:40:53] A book in the works, the Ugly Duckling Substack, and parting thoughts.

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