Writing
Introducing
Leena Mo, CEO
When a young girl builds a robot to help her with snow shoveling, she piques the interest of her neighbors and gets inspired to start her own business in this go-getter picture book.
There’s nothing Leena Mo dreads more than shoveling snow. Her time would be much better spent dreaming up new ideas and inventions. What if she invented something to take the chore off her plate? After tinkering and testing, Leena creates the robot Helmy, whose shoveling prowess sweeps her neighbors off their feet.
As demand for the robot helper grows, Leena fills orders, accepts investments, and hires more help—before she knows it, her snow day idea has turned into a booming business! What’s next for Leena Mo, CEO?
4 Predictions From Top VCs For Women’s Health In 2022
Deena Shakir
December 16, 2021
The need for more investment in women’s and family health has never been more urgent. The pandemic drove millions of women out of the workforce due to family and health obligations, a trend that disproportionately affects communities of color.
Forbes: Operators Are The New ‘It’ Investors: 10 Lessons On Making The Transition
Deena Shakir
November 9, 2021
As the venture capital industry is rapidly evolving through its own hyper growth curve, the oft-caricatured profile of a venture capitalist is also changing.
Second Opinion: Why We're Betting Big On Women's Health
Deena Shakir with Christina Farr, Lily Shaw, and Leslie Schrock
June 1, 2021
As we will argue in this newsletter, we need to start embracing a much broader definition of women’s health – not as some niche market relegated to the personal care aisle at the grocery store or characterized by pink bows, but as human health.
Photo: Brandon Mowinkel/Unsplash
Fast Company: 4 Reasons Why These Underdog Founders Are The Future of Our Economy
Deena Shakir
February 22, 2021
I have spent the better part of my adult life seeking an avenue for impact. I have tried my hand at affecting social, economic, and humanitarian change through a number of different platforms—from journalism to diplomacy to big tech.
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Forbes: From Microaggressions To Mansplaining: Busting Biases In Venture Capital
Deena Shakir
January 13, 2021
Although the phenomenon has made its way into headlines and Twitter trends in recent weeks after the controversial WSJ op-ed, the deep-rooted history of “mandozing” over women’s achievements and expertise reflects the endemic consequences of unconscious bias against women in business, science and academia…
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Forbes: Turning Science Fiction Into Fact: 3 Reasons Why VC & DC Work Better Together
Deena Shakir
March 11, 2021
We need scientific entrepreneurs and investors who have lived in and understand how government works, and we need civil servants to bring their technical expertise to governance.
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Forbes: Motherhood As A Startup Superpower: A Playbook Inspired By The Legacy Of RBG
Deena Shakir
September 21, 2020
When I delivered a term sheet on behalf of Lux Capital last fall to Jasmin Hume, Founder and CEO of Shiru, she was just a few weeks shy of her own important delivery: a baby girl.
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Forbes: Once Upon A Term Sheet: 5 Fairytale VC Tactics As Taught By Toddlers
Deena Shakir
August 9, 2020
The last few months have presented a slew of challenges to working parents, particularly those with young children. Those fortunate enough to be working from home have often experienced the bizarre and yet now familiar daily juxtaposition of, say, closing a deal between a mid-day tantrum and afternoon fairy tale re-enactment…
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Forbes: Unlocking A Post-Covid Startup ‘She-Covery’
Deena Shakir
October 29, 2020
As the end of a momentous 2020 draws near, the full societal and economic metastasis of the pandemic is only beginning to manifest. Among a plethora of other consequences, it is exacerbating endemic gender equity issues—threatening to roll back decades of progress and thrusting the economy into a veritable “she-cession,” as women and under-represented minorities (URM) bear the outsized brunt of the crisis…
Investment Theses
Marking The Way To Better Health: Announcing Our Investment In Waymark
Deena Shakir
January 4, 2021
We are delighted to announce Lux’s investment in Waymark, a groundbreaking public-benefit corporation founded by Drs. Rajaie Batniji and Sanjay Basu, which aims to deploy technology-enabled services for and with communities who need it most — the 1 in 4 Americans covered by Medicaid.
Our Investment in Maven Clinic: A Milestone for Maternal and Family Health
Deena Shakir
August 17, 2021
Today we announce our investment in Maven Clinic, whose Series D financing Lux is honored to co-lead along with Dragoneer, with participation from BOND and Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT, and Icon Ventures. With this funding, Maven becomes the first unicorn in women’s and family health — and ideally not the last.
Investing in Alife Health: AI Takes on the Fertility Crisis
Deena Shakir
May 3, 2021
Infertility is a growing global challenge, with 1 in 8 families now struggling to conceive. Sperm count has dropped almost 60% since 1973, and 1 in 10 women are diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and/or endometriosis during their childbearing years.
Our Investment In SteadyMD: Powering The Next Generation of Digital Health
Deena Shakir
March 30, 2021
I could not be more excited to share that Lux Capital is leading SteadyMD’s $25M Series B to power the next generation of digital health improving individual and population health.
Announcing Our Investment in H1: Creating a Healthier Future By Connecting the Dots in Healthcare
Deena Shakir
December 17, 2020
We are thrilled to share the news of Lux’s investment in H1, which today announced a $58M Series B to catalyze its mission of improving human health by increasing collaboration between stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.