CASE STUDYHow right-sized finance support grew into a true extension of the team
THE CHALLENGE
Long Journey Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture firm backing unconventional founders at the earliest stages. In the summer of 2024, the firm was deep in the raise for its next fund. A successful close would mean a wave of new LPs, a new slate of portfolio companies, and multiple sets of financials every quarter, all layered on top of an already full plate.
Chief Financial Officer Dani Tustin, whose role spans finance, legal, investor relations, compliance, and operations, was running at max speed with no room left to be strategic. She wasn’t looking for an outsourced CFO. She needed an organized, operations-minded team member who could learn her systems, take real work off her plate, and grow with the firm at a cost-effective price point. So she turned to Strut, a longstanding relationship built through the VIA network.
Every quarter, Strut is finding ways to improve the existing systems. That proactiveness is really not something you see very often from somebody acting in a fractional capacity. I feel very taken care of.
Dani Tustin,
Chief Financial Officer
How We Helped
Took ownership of day-to-day finance operations, including 95% of expense reports, accounts payable, and the working relationship with the management company’s finance team.
Ran the quarterly reporting process end-to-end, rolling forward the schedule of investments each quarter and keeping the firm’s close calendar on track.
Continuously improved existing systems, including rebuilding a manual quarterly tracking document into a user-friendly web tool and proactively surfacing new opportunities to automate.
Provided end-to-end parental leave coverage in late 2025, layering in outsourced CFO support through a Q4 close and audit season. Strut’s senior finance team stepped in to release wires, review legal documents, oversee valuations, and serve as the trusted point of contact for LPs, GPs, auditors, and service providers, then contracting back to the status quo once Tustin returned.
Quarterbacked the investment process from start to finish during leave, including nine investments totaling $16M out the door the week before Thanksgiving!
Helped put next-fund infrastructure in place, overseeing operations as Long Journey prepared to launch its newest vehicle.
Tightened deadlines across service providers, moving the firm to a more rigorous reporting schedule and shoring up areas of the financial system that needed attention.
Long Journey’s finance operations ran without interruption through a Q4 close, an audit season, and an important internal team milestone. Because Strut was already deeply integrated into the firm’s systems, the expanded coverage fit like a glove: one less thing to stress about heading out on leave, and a seamless transition back afterward.
And the support has compounded: with the day-to-day fully covered, Tustin was promoted to CFO this year and now owns check sizing, portfolio construction, and compensation strategy for the firm.
Instead of chasing expense reports and quarterly checklists, Tustin spends her time where she adds the most value: partnering with the investment team, shaping fund strategy, and helping the GPs make smarter decisions. The engagement that started as junior operational support now functions as a true extension of Long Journey’s internal finance team.
The result is a flexible, durable partnership that has scaled naturally alongside the firm, proof that the right support at the right level can grow into something much bigger.
The leave coverage was such a relief and a game changer. I’m hoping to have more kids in the future, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with Strut more in that capacity again.
— Dani Tustin,
Chief Financial Officer