Every parent-investor asks this question
Read time: 2 minutes
Welcome to issue #057 of Unicorn Parents. Each week, I share practical insights and reflections to help you build a profitable business without missing the magic at home. If you’re serious about winning at work while raising great kids, you’ve come to the right place. This is a community built for ambitious parents who want both.
They say the way to a man’s heart is his stomach.
But what about the way into an investor’s heart?
In my experience, it often runs through something else:
Family.
Early in my career, I noticed a pattern.
Every fancy office of hiring partners had the same signal:
A photo on the desk.
A child.
At first, I treated it like a tactic.
“Comment on the photo. Build rapport.”
And it worked.
I got 9 out of 10 offers.
Years later (after becoming a founder and a parent) I realized that I misunderstood the whole thing.
It wasn’t a hack.
It was a window into how decisions are actually made.
Look at Mark Cuban.
If you watch early episodes of Shark Tank, you’ll see a version of him that’s sharper, more aggressive, more transactional.
He was optimizing for:
leverage
price
control
Fast forward.
After becoming a father, something shifted.
Not his intelligence.
Not his discipline.
Not his standards.
His filter.
You start seeing him lean into deals that:
help families
improve kids’ lives
create real-world impact beyond profit
He didn’t become less ruthless.
He became more selective about what deserves to win.
When someone becomes a parent, they don’t stop chasing returns.
They start asking a different question:
“What kind of world am I funding?”
So when you walk into a room thinking:
“How do I impress this investor?”
You’re probably solving for the wrong problem.
You’re not just pitching an investor.
You’re pitching:
a father thinking about his daughter
a mother thinking about her son’s future
The biggest mistake you can make?
Trying to turn their family into leverage.
Don’t.
People can feel it immediately.
Instead, adjust your frame.
1. Position your company as a legacy decision
Not just:
“We’ll grow fast.”
But:
“This matters in the world your kids will inherit.”
2. Show you understand downside
Parents don’t just chase upside.
They avoid regret.
3. Speak in decades, not quarters
Time horizon is everything.
4. Build trust at the identity level
Because subconsciously, they’re asking:
“Would I want someone like this influencing my child’s future?”
Capital is emotional.
The best founders don’t just sell outcomes.
They align with identity.
That photo on the desk?
It’s not a shortcut.
It’s the clearest signal in the room.
David - Love this insight. Thank You.
Looks like we are perfect fit for a Cuban-like investor - We address a chronic problem that 50M Teens struggle with every day in the USA and also ~$70M Mothers suffer from a blemish every day - and equally as important is that we solve the problem with natural botanicals which are super family friendly too.
"Self-Esteem in a Bottle" is what every Parent would want for their teen.
Your message is a reminder that every founder pitching is exactly a sales person. And, when you walk into a persons office you can tell a lot about them by what is in that office and how it is arranged!
Know your audience and adjust the pitch based on what you see!
Thank you for the time it took to write this post and your wisdom!
Matty