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

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.

Sponsors:

Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save between $400 and $600 on the Pod 4 Ultra)

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.)

Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) from program banks on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account, they can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms & Conditions apply. The APY on cash deposits as of 09/26/25 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.

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.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For tra