Deena Shakir is a first-generation American daughter of Iraqi immigrants who brings an unusual background in policy and public service, including work at the U.S. Department of State and USAID, to her venture investing at Lux Capital. She focuses on the intersection of deeptech and digital health, with a particularly strong emphasis on women's health as a massive, undercapitalized market opportunity.

• Focuses heavily on the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, looking for companies that apply advanced technology to life sciences, drug discovery, and clinical trials. She emphasizes the need for safety and accuracy in this sector, citing conversations with leaders from Anthropic about how AI should help accelerate discoveries like CRISPR or CAR-T without fabricating data. Her portfolio reflects this interest through investments in startups like Trial Library for clinical recruitment and Blue Note AI for medical writing.
• Advocates for a specific thesis in robotics that prioritizes utility over looking human. She recently shared a deep dive into morphology-agnostic intelligence, arguing that the future belongs to robots that are designed for their specific tasks rather than bipedal humanoids that mimic people. This interest is backed by her support for companies like Physical Intelligence, which trains models to work across various robot body types.
• Values long-standing relationships and track records with founders, often highlighting entrepreneurs she has known for many years before investing. She frequently mentions her decade-plus friendship with the founders of Ramp, noting that she watched them grow from their college days to building a multi-billion dollar company. She also speaks highly of parents as founders, suggesting that raising children teaches the ruthless prioritization and negotiation skills needed to run a startup.
• Champions innovation from underrepresented groups and specific global regions, with a notable interest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) tech ecosystem. She actively promotes immigrant founders and has invested in companies like 1001ai which aims to build AI infrastructure rooted in the MENA region. This extends to a strong support for women's health and female founders, evident in her enthusiasm for companies like Alife in the IVF space and BeSound in breast cancer diagnostics.