argonauts

Argonauts are people who undertake bold or adventurous journeys, especially in pursuit of something valuable.

The word draws on the Greek myth of Jason and his crew who sailed on the Argo seeking the Golden Fleece.

Historically, the forty-niners who rushed to California for gold were called argonauts.

An argonaut is also a type of octopus whose females secrete a papery shell resembling a boat.

The tech argonauts of Silicon Valley sought their own golden fleece. (Capitalized Argonauts refers specifically to Jason's mythical crew.)