The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: Cyan Banister on Her Relationship To Money, Risk, Her Investment Decision-Making Process, Why We Will See A Reckoning in the Early Stage Market, Her Biggest Takeaways from HQ Trivia & The Future of Silicon Valley

Oct 19, 2020

Cyan Banister, a powerhouse early-stage investor with a portfolio featuring SpaceX and Uber, shares her unique insights on money and risk. She explores her journey from operator to investor and discusses her invaluable lessons from HQ Trivia. Cyan reveals her unconventional investment approach, including why she never Googles founders before meeting them. She warns of an impending reckoning in the early-stage market and advocates for diverse backing in startups.

52:41

Creator website

Episode guests

Cyan Bannister

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Conviction in Investing

01:30

The Oncpataker System - What's Going to Happen?

01:49

What's Your Favorite Book?

01:23

Intro

3min

Journey Through Startups and Investment

19min

Navigating Constructive Criticism

5min

Navigating Social Discourse in the Digital Age

8min

Navigating Homelessness and Urban Change in San Francisco

6min

Insights on Parenting and Investment

6min

Inspiring Immigrant Stories and Innovative Investment

3min

Enthusiastic Reflections and Valuable Financial Solutions

3min

Cyan Banister is one of the most successful and renowned early-stage investors of the last decade. Her portfolio includes the likes of SpaceX, Uber, Affirm, Opendoor Postmates, Niantic and Thumbtack to name a few. Today Cyan is a Partner @ Long Journey Ventures, joining the team there following a 4-year stint @ Founders Fund where she led deals in both Niantic and HQ Trivia. Prior to Founders Fund, Cyan was a super successful operator and angel, co-founding Zivity and before that being an early employee at Ironport, leading to their acquisition by Oracle.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Cyan made her way into the world of startups? How SpaceX came to be her 1st angel investment? How that led to her joining the world of VC?

2.) How does Cyan think about and assess her relationship to money? Why does someone believe she had a fear or loathing of money? What made Cyan the capitalist she is today? How does Cyan analyse her relationship to risk? Has Cyan always trusted her own convictions?

3.) How does Cyan think about her own investment decision-making process? What were Cyan's biggest lessons from her experience with HQ Trivia? How did she change how she interacts with founders pre-investment? Why does Cyan never Google someone before meeting?

4.) How does Cyan think about price sensitivity today? Why does she believe there will be a reckoning? How will this shake out in terms of who succeeds and who fails? Why is Cyan in favour of party rounds? How does she think about VCs with sharp elbows?

5.) Why does Cyan believe SF is eating itself? What can be done to reinvigorate the city positively? What can be done to solve much of the homelessness problem? Why does Chesa Boudin never convict anyone? Why does Cyan believe her "BLM tweet is not spicy"? Why is Cyan fundamentally sad and worried for the current state of the world?

Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:

Cyan’s Fave Book: Snow Crash

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