Courtesy of Lori Cashman
- Lori Cashman has two sets of twins, who are 21 and 19, plus an 18-year-old.
- She pays for their AI subscriptions and talks about the nuances of AI.
- She wants them to hone their critical thinking in college, not prepare for a specific career.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lori Cashman, managing partner at Visible Ventures. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When people hear I had five kids within three years, they assume the baby years must have been the hardest. But when the kids were babies and toddlers, I managed pretty well. I could anticipate their needs, change up their routines, or hire a babysitter.
Things got trickier as they got older. Today my twins are 21 and 19, and my youngest son is 18. The older twins are entering their senior year of college, while the younger ones will start college in the fall, when my youngest will be a high school senior.
I’m also the founder of a venture capital firm that works with many Gen Z founders. I think this generation is entering adulthood at a uniquely destabilizing moment, with AI reshaping the workforce. I have worries, but I’m also hopeful.
AI is going to create lots of opportunities for this generation
Things are changing so quickly with AI. It’s really within the last year that I’ve been beating the drum, encouraging my kids to use any AI tools they can. They have an opportunity to get in at the ground level of something that’s going to be very big. I want them to embrace that: roll up their sleeves and learn as much as they can.
Courtesy of Lori Cashman
When I speak with investors, I tell them, “The surfer picks the wave.” Technological innovations, whether it was the early internet or the shift to mobile, have always created waves of opportunity, and AI will too, for those who choose to ride.
My husband and I pay for AI subscriptions for our kids. We also make room for nuanced conversations. There are a lot of mixed messages about AI, especially on campus. What academic dishonesty entails varies from professor to professor. I want my kids to use AI, but not abuse it, and no one has clear-cut answers for what that looks like, yet.
Interdisciplinary work is more important than ever
As my younger three kids prepare to start college, I’m encouraging them to focus on interdisciplinary learning. Most of my kids are studying economics in some form. I would like them to take advantage of different concentrations and certificates to enhance that degree.
It’s important they expand their thinking outside their major. College isn’t about preparing for a specific job anymore. It’s about learning to apply your skills at the intersection of different sectors. Maybe that’s medicine and climate; humanities and technology; sports and marketing.
The ability to solve interdisciplinary problems will serve Gen Z well in the future.
I want my kids to have a playful approach to building skills
Young kids learn through play, and young adults can do the same. Not everything should be about résumé building. As serious as some of these discussions are, young people ought to be somewhat playful in their approach.
Things are changing, yes. But being able to follow your curiosities and interests is a great way to build real-world experience and exposure. That, in turn, will equip them for whatever job they land in.
I believe Gen Z will be very entrepreneurial and end up trailblazing paths that look different from past careers. The promise of AI is that more people than ever will have the tools they need to build a successful business, as long as they can conceptualize new ideas.
My kids are all so different, despite being close in age
Being a twin mom, times two, is interesting. My kids are from the same bloodline, raised at virtually the same time, and they’re all so different. Having them so close together was challenging, especially in the teen years. Unlike parents with bigger age gaps between children, I didn’t have time to recognize my mistakes and adjust my parenting style. Like any parent, I was just doing the best I could.
That’s how I think about supporting Gen Z. There’s never been a pace of change like this. Helping young adults any way we can — whether that’s mentorship, a coffee chat, or internships — is the best we can do to prepare them for an uncertain future.
