Long Journey Ventures

Quick read

Long Journey Ventures is a seed and pre-seed VC firm founded in 2019 (formerly Edelweiss), headquartered in San Francisco, CA. The firm describes itself as the 'second believers' in unconventional founders, writing $500K–$2M checks into companies at the napkin stage. In March 2025 it closed Fund IV at $181.8M, doubling its AUM.

Key facts

Founded

2019

Founders

Cyan Banister

Employees

11-50

Sectors

generalist

Website

www.longjourney.vc

Investment thesis

Long Journey backs 'magically weird' founders at seed and pre-seed, writing $500K–$2M checks into companies — often before others see the idea as credible. The firm targets outliers across generalist sectors including AI, deep tech, robotics, and biotech, with a stated 6–7 year outlook to exit.

Recent activity

• Mar 2026investment
  Atlys closed a $36M Series C, the most recent tracked deal in Long Journey's portfolio. startupintros.com
• 2026investment
  Andrenam raised an $18M Series A led by Upfront Ventures and Valor Equity Partners, with Long Journey participating as an existing investor. linkedin.com
• 2026investment
  Long Journey backed Forage's Series B round, with the exact amount undisclosed per Tracxn. tracxn.com
• Mar 2025fundraise
  Long Journey announced Fund IV at $181.8M, its largest fund to date, continuing its "second believers" strategy focused on early-stage unconventional founders. x.com
• 2025investment
  Rainmaker raised a $25M Series A led by Lowercarbon Capital, with Long Journey participating alongside Naval Ravikant and others. The firm had previously led Rainmaker's $6.3M seed round. x.com
• Mar 2025product
  Long Journey launched a sponsored residency program at Edge Esmeralda in Healdsburg, CA — 13 spots for founders building ideas considered too early or unconventional for mainstream investors. Applications closed March 31. linkedin.com
• 2025investment
  The Normal Brand announced a $7M raise with Long Journey participating alongside Ridge Ventures, FirstMark, Flex Capital, Seguin Ventures, and Adverb Ventures. linkedin.com
• Ongoingpress
  Long Journey is recruiting a young builders cohort (25 and under) for a fully sponsored popup village in Patagonia this fall, part of its community-building program. x.com
• Mar 2025fundraise
  Long Journey closed its fourth fund, Long Journey IV, at $181.8 million. The fund backs what the firm calls "magically weird" founders across AI, bioscience, and other sectors at pre-seed to Series A. bloomberg.com
• Mar 2025press
  Bloomberg TV featured Cyan Banister and Lee Jacobs discussing Long Journey's "second believer" investment philosophy alongside the Long Journey IV announcement. x.com
• 2024investment
  Long Journey participated in a $7M raise for The Normal Brand alongside Ridge Ventures, FirstMark, Flex Capital, Seguin Ventures, and Adverb Ventures. linkedin.com
• 2024investment
  Rainmaker raised a $6.3M seed round from Long Journey, 1517 Fund, Starship VC, and Tamarack Global before its Series A. x.com

Notable investments

• AtlysSeries C ($36M)Mar 2026startupintros.com
• AndrenamSeries A ($18M)2026linkedin.com
• ForageSeries B (undisclosed)2026tracxn.com
• RainmakerSeries A ($25M)2025x.com
• The Normal BrandSeries Unknown ($7M)2025linkedin.com
• RainmakerSeed ($6.3M)2024x.com
• AtlysSeries C2026tracxn.com
• RainmakerSeries A2025x.com
• The Normal BrandUndisclosed2024linkedin.com
• RainmakerSeed2024x.com
• UnusualSeedJan 2026cbinsights.com
• Myriad AISeed2025app.dealroom.co

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

• Cyan Banister · General Partner & Founder
• Lee Jacobs · Partner
  LinkedIn
• Arielle Zuckerberg · Partner
• Brian Balfour · Partner
• Jonathan Bruck · Partner
• Pascal Levy-Garboua · Partner
• Elaine Wherry · Partner
• Scott Banister · Venture Partner

Sources

• Long Journey Ventures — Homepage
• Long Journey: Coming of Age — Fund IV Announcement
• Team — Long Journey Ventures
• News — Long Journey Ventures
• Long Journey Ventures — CB Insights
• Long Journey Ventures — Tracxn
• Long Journey Ventures — Crunchbase
• Long Journey Ventures — X (Twitter)
• Long Journey Ventures — Dealroom
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/longjourney
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-03-19/cyan-banister-arielle-zuckerberg-raise-181-million-to-back-magical-weirdos
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-jacobs
• https://startupintros.com/orgs/long-journey-ventures
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/mines-venture-fund
• https://tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/long-journey-ventures/__3ci8jkwGn7fhtAohltp8tGb-bjViZ_-ltxBxhdC3oWs

Other VCs in United States

• Sequoia Capital · Generalist VC, Menlo Park·
• Andreessen Horowitz · Generalist VC, Menlo Park·
• Benchmark Capital · Early-stage VC, San Francisco·
• Founders Fund · Contrarian VC, San Francisco·
• Khosla Ventures · Multi-stage VC, Menlo Park·
• Greylock Partners · Early-stage VC, Menlo Park

Explore VCs by sector

• Generalist in United States

Globally

• Generalist worldwide

Frequently asked