I’ve often repeated that the definition of entrepreneurship is “Insane perseverance in the face of complete resistance” (something I learned from my professor and mentor the late Jack Thorne). Put differently, there are some founders for whom failure simply isn’t an option. They’re on a mission and they’re not going to let anything stand in their way.

I am so proud and honored to recognize one such founder from the K9 portfolio today. Sooinn Lee is the founder and CEO of LocoMotive Labs. I’ve already written about what the company does in my previous post on Strong (Math) Foundations. Today, I don’t want to talk about the company, but I want to talk about the founders — Sooinn Lee and her husband and co-founder Gunho Lee.

Sooinn and Gunho have a son who was born with multiple special needs spanning hearing, speech, and learning. Sooinn had over a decade of experience working in the game industry in South Korea. Gunho also worked in the game industry and did a PhD in Computer Science at UC Berkeley. When I referenced Gunho, the feedback I got from his advisor was “I don’t know when he sleeps.” Together Sooinn and Gunho are a power couple — not the kind that walks down the red carpet, but the kinds that gets shit done and don’t let anything stand in their way.

Shortly after their son was born they knew that they were going do something to help him and to help all children learn in a better way. They didn’t start Locomotive Labs because they wanted to start a company or because it’s cool to do a startup. They started LocoMotive Labs (with some encouragement from yours truly) because they are on a mission. A mission that is very personal and one where failure is simply not an option.

Sooinn is one of the most driven and determined entrepreneurs that I have had the pleasure of working with. Yet she doesn’t fit the Silicon Valley stereotype of an entrepreneur. She’s not a 20-something, white male who is walking out of Stanford, or Google, or Facebook to start a company. Instead she is a mother. She is Asian (South Korean). English is not her first language. And to top it all she’s petite. But don’t under-estimate her as she is a force to reckon with. Sooinn has an unwavering focus on helping kids learn — and not just any kids, but *all* kids — including those with special needs. She is sometimes strong-headed, but her motivation is pure and her commitment is unfaltering.

Sooinn and Gunho work tirelessly, pulling long hours, often working through the night, while at the same time caring for their son. I have the utmost respect and admiration for both of them.

Being in the “Learning” space (note: I distinguish between Education and Learning — Education is the institution of learning. Learning is something we all do innately, whereas education is a process) presents an additional hurdle for fundraising, as there are few (but thankfully a growing number of) investors who will invest in that sector. Add to that Sooinn is a non-native English speaker who is female and of short stature. All of this made it harder for Sooinn to get traction with investors in Silicon Valley. While no one said so directly, I suspect that part of the problem was that Sooinn didn’t ‘match the pattern.’ Not only is she an immigrant woman founder and CEO, but Sooinn and Gunho are a husband and wife team — another red flag for investors.

However, there is a different pattern that they do match. The pattern of a founder who is so passionate about their mission that they will succeed no matter what obstacles they encounter. Sooinn has insane perseverance.

So I am especially honored to extend a hearty and warm congratulations to Sooinn Lee and Gunho Lee on successfully closing a $4M Series A round of financing led by Softbank Ventures Korea and TAL Education Group, with continued participation from K9 Ventures, Kapor Capital, New Schools Venture Fund and others. And I would like to welcome Softbank Ventures Korea and TAL Education group on board this journey and mission.

As a mother and as a founder, Sooinn is on a mission to transform how all children all over the world learn. I’m confident that LocoMotive Lab’s flagship application, Todo Math, is going to become the new standard and a right of passage for every child in their quest for being fluent in and comfortable with mathematical concepts. Sooinn and Gunho design their learning tools from compassion, empathy, love, and determination. They have decoded learning from the lens of their son, and all children who deserve to learn successfully.

​Todo Math already has over 1M downloads all over the world with almost 50% of the usage coming from Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Philippines).

If you start a business with the right motivation and an immense degree of passion, the road to success may be bumpy, but you will get there. ​I’m honored to continue backing Sooinn and Gunho in their mission. I *know* that they will be massively successful and continue to make a difference in the lives of kids and parents worldwide.

Update 2/26/2015: To get a better sense and understanding of how and why Sooinn is a Founder on a Mission watch this talk that she gave at TEDxBayArea

You can follow me on Twitter at @ManuKumar or @K9Ventures for just the K9 Ventures related tweets. K9 Ventures is also on Facebook and Google+.