Business Blog: A startup story for kids

Explaining venture capital to kids with Lux Capital's Deena Shakir

September 30, 2024

One of my favorite questions to ask VCs and founders is: “What do your kids think you actually do for a living?”

Usually, I work my way up to that. But talking to Lux Capital general partner Deena Shakir, I asked her almost immediately because it was (for the first time) undeniably relevant: Shakir's children’s book about startups, Leena Mo, CEO, was just published by Simon & Schuster.

Explaining venture capital to, say, a small child isn't as clear-cut as "I'm a doctor" or "I'm a firefighter." Shakir has found her ways to do it with her own kids. For one preschool career day, she brought a chia pet that, when water was added, became a unicorn. But the book represented a turning point.

"My older kids now understand that I help people who are starting businesses, and the book really helped explain it to them," said Shakir. "Before that it depended. They'd see me on Bloomberg, and thought I was a TV personality. They know I taught a class at Stanford, and they used to think I was a teacher."

Shakir—who's invested in unicorn fintech Ramp and women's and family health startup Maven—had a rather founder-like experience in writing Leena Mo, CEO. It was a process that began back in 2020 and, much like a startup, the likelihood of failure was high.

“This book almost didn’t exist so many times," she said. "It was against every force of nature that this is coming out—so many rejections, such a slow process. I could have given up a million times. I can't believe it's actually going to be out there in the world."

And, as of last week, Leena Mo, CEO is on bookshelves. Complete with Nez Riaz's textured, vibrant art that's all whimsical lines and cartoon charm, the story follows Leena—she has green overalls and spunk, but doesn't like shoveling snow. So, she builds a robot named Helmy, which in Arabic translates to "my dream." Helmy is wide-eyed, blue-green, and has a snow-guzzling nose, catching the attention of Miss Irma, Leena's neighbor. Miss Irma invests, so Leena can make more Helmies.

"I think Helmy can be something big," Miss Irma says. "I think the world needs to know about your robot!"

It's the origin story of a founder, and VC Miss Irma helps grow Leena's robot startup. The book avoids industry jargon like ARR, multiples, or valuations. Leena Mo, CEO also doesn't directly mention venture capital once. Stripping away jargon and telling a story to kids can remind us of what something is in its purest form. It's helpful for them (as Shakir points out: "You can't be it if you can't see it") and it's helpful for us, the adults.

It reminds us of what we do in the first place, and why we do it. And how someone explains their profession to kids also reveals how they feel about what they do. Do they see themselves as an advocate, a believer, an explorer? For Shakir, it's clear that VC is about backing creativity, making something for yourself—and for the world.

Elsewhere…Yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed controversial AI bill SB 1047. Read more here.

See you tomorrow,

Allie Garfinkle
Twitter: @agarfinks
Email: alexandra.garfinkle@fortune.com
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Nina Ajemian curated the deals section of today's newsletter.

VENTURE DEALS

- Mirai Bio, a Cambridge, Mass.-based developer for the biotech industry, raised $50 million in funding from Flagship Pioneering.

- VELA, a Bordeaux, France-based builder of wind-powered maritime transport, raised €40 million ($44.7 million) in funding. Crédit Mutuel Impact, 11th Hour Racing, and Bpifrance led the round and were joined by others.

- Wispr, a San Francisco-based voice-first productivity tool developer, raised $12 million in funding. Matt Kraning led the round and was joined by existing investors NEA, 8VC, Tim Junio, and Alumni Ventures.

- Podeo, a Dubai-based podcast distribution platform, raised $5.4 million in Series A funding. Oraseya Capital led the round and was joined by Ibtikar Fund, Cedar Mundi Ventures, Samarium, iSME, and existing investor Razor Capital.

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PRIVATE EQUITY

- AMBOSS, backed by Prettybrook Partners, acquired Novaheal, a Bochum, Germany-based nursing education platform developer. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- TPG Growth acquired a minority stake in Homrich Berg, an Atlanta-based registered investment adviser. Financial terms were not disclosed.

EXITS

- Graco agreed to acquire Corob, a San Felice sul Panaro, Italy-based automated dosing and dispensing systems solutions provider for the paint, coatings, and ink industries, from Ardian for €230 million ($256.6 million), according to PE Hub.

OTHER

- LVMH acquired a 10% stake in Double R, the Milan-based investment vehicle of Moncler CEO's Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding.

-Wacoal Europe acquired Bravissimo, a Leamington Spa, England-based sizes D cup and above lingerie retailer. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- 9count acquired Lex, a New York City-based LGBTQ+ community social app. Financial terms were not disclosed.

IPOS

- StandardAero, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based aerospace engine aftermarket services provider, plans to raise $1.4 billion in an offering of 60 million shares priced between $20 to $23 on the NYSE. The company posted $4.8 billion in revenue for the year ending June 30, 2024. Carlyle backs the company.

FUNDS + FUNDS OF FUNDS

- StepStone Group, a New York City-based private markets investment firm, raised $7.4 billion for its fifth fund focused on the secondaries market. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PEOPLE

- CoinFund, a New York City-based cryptonative investment firm, hired Bobby Beniers as a principal investor and George Christopher as a senior associate. Previously, Beniers was at Polychain Capital and Christopher was at Battery Ventures.