Marina Lidow
Marina Lidow is the founder of Lufi & Friends, an Austin-based family business creating multilingual singing board books that help children learn languages through music.
Marina Lidow's Bio
Marina Lidow is the founder of Lufi & Friends, an Austin-based family business that creates bilingual singing board books designed to help young children learn second languages through music and play.
Before launching Lufi & Friends, Marina built a career in user experience research and consumer insights. She spent several years at Meta/Facebook as a User Experience Researcher, and earlier held senior research roles at Gartner, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and The Kraft Heinz Company. That background in understanding how people experience products shaped how she would later design Lufi & Friends' interactive books.
The company started as a parent project. Marina and her family created the first singing books to support their own children's language learning, then launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring the Spanish line to a wider audience. From that early test, Lufi & Friends expanded into multiple languages—including French, Italian, German, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian—while keeping the same core idea: screen-free, song-driven language exposure for kids.
Today, Lufi & Friends ships direct from Austin and offers free shipping on U.S. orders. The brand has grown into a multilingual children's product line available through its own storefront and select retail channels. Marina continues to lead the business while balancing entrepreneurship with family life, and she remains active in the brand's product development and customer community.
Career Timeline
2003 — High School / Early Foundations
Marina Lidow completed high school in 2003, laying the groundwork for her later studies in business and research.
2007 — Undergraduate Degree
Completed undergraduate education in 2007, building early experience toward consumer insights and marketing research.
2009 — Co-founded Granola Mix
Co-founded Granola Mix in Buenos Aires, gaining early entrepreneurial experience while building foundational skills in branding and market strategy.
2012 — MBA at University of Chicago Booth at University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Began MBA studies at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2012, strengthening analytical and strategic research skills.
2014 — Booth MBA Graduate at University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Graduated from Booth in 2014 and transitioned into senior consumer insights and user experience research roles.
2019 — Launched Lufi & Friends
Started Lufi & Friends as a family project focused on multilingual singing board books for children, beginning with a Kickstarter campaign for Spanish-language titles.
2020 — UX Researcher at Meta
Took a User Experience Researcher role at Meta/Facebook in Austin, bringing data-driven product insight to the company's digital experience efforts.
2023 — Expanded Multilingual Catalog at Lufi & Friends
Grew Lufi & Friends into a multi-language brand with Spanish, French, Italian, German, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian singing book collections.
2025 — Featured on Millionaire University
Appeared on Millionaire University to discuss product-market fit, bilingual education, and building a children's brand as a parent-founder.
