💸 Cyan Banister's Long Journey Ventures Launches $181.8M Fund IV
FemWealth Issue #202
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded and co-led by legendary investor Cyan Banister, Long Journey Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, raised $181.8 million for its fourth fund focused on early-stage companies across various sectors, including artificial intelligence and bioscience.
“Our thesis is to look for those magically weird people and to find them before it becomes consensus. There’s always a pocket of dreamers and weirdos. You just have to know where to look.” - Cyan Banister, Managing Partner at Long Journey Ventures (via Bloomberg)
Arielle Zuckerberg, previously a Kleiner Perkins and Coatue Management investor, is a General Partner at the firm.
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doinstruct raises €16.5 million to transform frontline operations with AI compliance software - Co-founded by Charlotte Rothert and Mona Feder, Doinstruct is an AI-powered compliance platform for frontline worker training. The Berlin-based startup raised €16.5 million in Series A funding led by HV Capital and joined by Creandum, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and D11Z.
SEAentia reels in €16 million for sustainable Corvina aquaculture - Co-founded by Sónia Rito, SEAentia specialises in Corvina (meagre) aquaculture using Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS). The Portugal-based startup raised €16 million from Indico Capital Partners’ Blue Fund and the Mar2030 Programme.
Crypto wallet infrastructure company Privy raises $15 million in round led by Ribbit Capital - Co-founded by Asta Li, Privy provides crypto wallet infrastructure. The New York startup raised $15 million, led by Ribbit Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, and Coinbase.
Arsenale Bioyards lands $10 M seed funding for biomanufacturing innovation - Co-founded by Gordana M. Djordjevic, PhD, PMP, Arsenale Bioyards focuses on creating sustainable, biobased solutions and innovative approaches in the biomanufacturing industry. The Milan, Italy-based startup raised $10 million in a Seed round co-led by Planet A and byFounders, with participation from CDP Ventures, Acequia Capital, Plug N Play, and Grey Silo Ventures, along with several family offices.
AidKit Secures $8.5 Million in Series A Funding to Expand Aid Administration Platform - Co-founded by Katrina Van Gasse and led by CEO Brittany Christenson, AidKit helps government agencies and nonprofits administer aid programs efficiently and transparently. The Denver startup raised an $8.5 million Series A round led by Blueprint Equity.
QT Sense raises €6 million to understand diseases at a single-cell level with quantum sensing - Co-founded by Prof Dr Romana Schirhagl, QTSense aims to advance disease diagnostics through breakthroughs in quantum sensing at a single-cell level. The Groningen, Netherlands-based startup raised €6 million from quantum-focused VC fund QDNL Participations, angel investors, and grant funding from Interreg Europe.
Silicon Data raises $4.7M for AI-driven GPU market insights - Led by Carmen Li, Silicon Data provides market intelligence and performance benchmarking for graphics processing units used in AI compute. The New York City-based startup raised $4.7 million in Seed funding co-led by DRW and Jump Trading Group. Woodside AI, Wintermute Ventures, Sancus Ventures, and SoGal Ventures also contributed.
Hunted Labs lands $3M to find suspicious open source contributors - Co-founded by Amanda Aguayo, Hunted Labs is a US-based open-source software supply chain security company that helps developers identify and remediate threats. It raised a $3 million Seed round led by Red Cell Partners.
LipoCheck Secures €2.5M to Expand Digital Health Platform for Lipedema Patients - Co-founded by Helena Rapprich and Anina Langhans, LipoCheck provides digital health solutions for women with lipedema, a painful fat distribution disorder. The Germany-based company raised €2.55 million in a round led by TGFS – Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, with participation from GIMIC Ventures, Gateway Ventures, and strategic partner Prange Gruppe.
DIATF-certified Vouchsafe raises £1m to address identity poverty with biometrics - Led by Chloe Coleman, Vouchsafe is a biometric identity verification platform. The London-based startup raised £1 million in Pre-Seed funding led by Bethnal Green Ventures and joined by Biometric Ventures, Fuel Ventures, Seed X Liechtenstein, and Andrew Chevis.
Sprout Family Secures $1.7M CAD Pre-Seed to Expand Fertility Benefits Access in Canada - Founded by Jackie Hanson and Suzanne Mason, Sprout Family enables employers to incorporate comprehensive fertility, surrogacy, and adoption benefits into their existing health plans. The Toronto-based startup raised $1.7 million CAD in Pre-Seed funding led by StandUp Ventures with participation from Blue Collective, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, The51, Boon Fund, and angel investors.
Pelva Health Raises $500K Pre-Seed Round to Develop Solutions for Intimacy Pain - Co-founded and led by Kelley Satoski, Pelva Health addresses vulvovaginal pain during intimacy. The US startup secured $500,000 in Pre-Seed funding led by Groove Capital with participation from DLH Investments and angel investors.
VC: Inside Pillar VC’s $175 million fourth venture fund focused on the Boston tech ecosystem - Co-led by Sarah Hodges, Pillar VC, a Boston venture firm investing in early-stage deep tech and biotech startups, raised $175 million for its fourth fund.
OpenOcean secures €100M for fourth venture fund, eyes €130M final close in 2025 - Co-led by Ekaterina Almasque, Pan-European-based OpenOcean announced a €100 million first close for its fourth VC fund, targeting €130 million.
Tech veterans launch VC fund Qbeat, targeting $100M to fuel Israel's quantum computing ecosystem - Co-founded by Dr. Dorit Dor and Maya Racine Netser, Israel-based Qbeat, a quantum tech VC firm, announced a $100 million fund to invest in early-stage quantum startups in Israel and abroad.
Bread & Butter Ventures: $40 Million Fund IV Announced For Investing In Seed-Stage Startups - Co-led by Managing Partner Mary Grove, Bread & Butter Ventures, a Minnesota, US-based early-stage venture firm, closed its fourth fund with $40 million in capital commitments. It aims to back Seed-stage tech companies across North America focused on the future of food technology, digital health, and enterprise SaaS.
Crypto VC giant Haun Ventures raising $1 billion for two new funds amid Trump-driven blockchain boom - Founded and led by Katie Haun, Haun Ventures, a Menlo Park VC firm is targeting $1 billion across two new crypto-focused funds.
Sports Leadership: Kirsty Coventry Will Lead Olympics as I.O.C.’s First Female President (NYT $) - Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion and formerly Zimbabwe’s sports minister, was elected on Thursday as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee. She is the first woman and the first African to hold the most powerful role in sports.
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth