$181,818,181 fund for ‘magically weird’ projects launched by principled partners Arielle Zuckerberg, Lee Jacobs and Cyan Banister

Long Journey Ventures is making waves in Silicon Valley—not just for its $181.8 million new fund, but for the three distinct personalities behind it. Cofounders Cyan Banister, Arielle Zuckerberg, and Lee Jacobs have come together to form one of the most unconventional and founder-focused venture capital firms in the industry.

Cyan Banister’s story reads like a movie script. A self-taught engineer who once experienced homelessness, Banister went on to become an early backer of companies like SpaceX, Uber, and DeepMind. She began investing her own money through AngelList before joining Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund as a partner.

Banister is known for her eccentric style and unwavering belief in the entrepreneurs she backs.

She even tattooed the Anduril logo on her shoulder years before the company gained major Pentagon contracts. In 2020, she stepped away from Founders Fund to return to her passion—seed investing—and co-founded Long Journey Ventures.

“Our thesis is to look for those magically weird people and to find them before it becomes consensus,” Banister said.

Arielle Zuckerberg, the youngest sibling of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is quickly stepping into the spotlight in her own right.

A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, she began her career at Google, then became a partner at Kleiner Perkins before joining Coatue Management.

Zuckerberg joined Long Journey in 2022, after connecting with Jacobs during long walks around San Francisco during the pandemic.

She brings a disciplined, data-driven approach to the firm but values its creative spirit.

“I think my role is to bring the rigor and discipline I’ve learned from my time at Coatue and Kleiner, but do it without losing our soul,” she said.

Known for backing unconventional founders, she has invested across industries from biotech to consumer wellness.

For her, this fund is both a professional milestone and a statement of identity.

Managing partner Lee Jacobs is a former AngelList investor who has long specialized in helping early-stage startups navigate uncertainty.

He’s backed companies like mental health startup Mindbloom and has a reputation for being steady and empathetic in moments of chaos.

Jacobs draws deep personal meaning from the fund’s size—$181,818,181.80—based on the Jewish numerological symbol for “life,” the number 18.

“Growing up, I was often given gifts in increments of 18; it was a blessing for life,” he wrote in the fund’s announcement.

“This fund, with its repetition of 18s, embodies my commitment to supporting life and creation.”

Following the October 7 attacks in Israel, Jacobs says that commitment took on new urgency.

The firm has since declined funding from institutions it viewed as unsupportive of Jewish students during campus protests.

Together, the trio runs Long Journey Ventures out of a colorful, five-bedroom Victorian home in San Francisco’s Mission District—just down the street from OpenAI’s old headquarters.

The office is filled with quirky touches: tropical wallpaper, a rainbow spin wheel, a lending library with items like bedazzled cowboy Crocs, and a baby grand piano-shaped conference table where shoes are optional.

The firm’s mission is clear: to back “magically weird” founders—those with independently derived insights, bold ideas, and the grit to pursue them before the rest of the world catches on.

Long Journey has quietly raised $450 million to date and invested in around 130 companies across industries like artificial intelligence and bioscience. It focuses on startups at their earliest, riskiest stages—often before the founding team is even complete.

Investors like Rockefeller University’s Paula Volent have taken notice. “It’s a signal to the market when they invest,” she said. “They have credibility.”

The firm’s hands-on support has already helped companies through high-stakes moments. Crusoe Energy Systems, now a $3 billion AI infrastructure company, faced a crisis in 2020 when a major Bitcoin mining deal collapsed.

CEO Chase Lochmiller recalled how Jacobs stayed calm and encouraging and how Long Journey partner Jonathan Bruck even joined the company full-time to help it pivot.

Today, Crusoe is set to play a role in the $500 billion Stargate data center project backed by SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle.

Another standout portfolio company is Together AI, now valued at $3.3 billion. Its founder, Vipul Ved Prakash, credits Long Journey’s openness and discipline during early idea-stage discussions.

“They have a willingness to go along with the thought experiment,” he said.

As venture capital continues to evolve amid a degree of economic uncertainty, Long Journey stands out for its values, vision, and culture. The firm embraces founders who defy convention—and a workplace that feels more like a creative commune than a financial institution.

“We get to stand one foot in love and the other in realism,” said Jacobs.

Or, as Banister put it, “There’s always a pocket of dreamers and weirdos. You just have to know where to look.”