Overheard: Where Venture Meets Culture Listen Ventures | Venture Capital | Brand

What comes first? Hip-hop or culture. It’s hard to say but there is no doubt that hip-hop artists are incredible story tellers, and we at Listen owe a lot of our truth and inspiration to them. Listen in as JoJo, Brentos, and Jeff dig into their early memories with hip-hop, how artists understand brand, and why being mentioned in a hip-hop song is the ultimate sign that you or your product has officially made it.*This was recorded in February 2022.A word from our portfolio: Whether you’re new ...

Phones... They’re with us through the best of times and the worst. Although times may have been simpler 20 years ago, our devices have certainly helped us simplify our busy lives. From walking your dog to paying your bills to ordering food, one or two clicks gets you pretty far on a phone or computer. And with that, we’ve also seen how one or two clicks can cause some damage. Listen in as JoJo, Rick, and Ryan dig into the ways our devices have helped us come together and divided us, some of o...

Whether we’re scrolling on social media or shopping or eating or reading the news, we are constantly consuming. It makes up who we are and it’s changing — from digital content to physical items, there has never been more to consume. Listen in as the team dives into conscious consumption, the nine lives of our items, the ongoing rent vs. buy debate, and more. A word from our portfolio: Public Goods is your one-stop shop for organic and fair trade groceries, safe and sustainable personal c...

If we had a nickel for every time we’ve heard the phrase “timing is everything” we’d have a lot of nickels. Not only is this true for jobs, relationships, life changes… It's also a key ingredient for startups. The best part? You can’t control it. From successes like Uber and Airbnb, to not-so-successes like Webvan and Friendster, JoJo, Brentos, and Jeff dive into how consumer shifts and startup launch timing go hand in hand.A word from our portfolio: Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, ...

It’s that time of year when all of the things you want for the holidays are ✨ magically ✨ showing up in your feed every other post. And even though we’re all kinda used to our phones listening to us, it’s a little different when you start seeing these products in your snail mail. Listen in as JoJo, Ryan, and Jeff talk about how brands are leaning into direct mail and how Facebook and Apple’s privacy updates are changing up the DTC media mix. You already know, we gush over the famous Sears Chr...

Meta this, meta that. Is it just us, or has it been hard to avoid the term metaverse over the last few months? And although this isn’t a new idea, it’s happening and the screen-based internet as we know it is changing. Strap on your Oculus and listen in as JoJo, Rick, and Brentos talk about the future of how we’ll go to concerts, hang out with friends, spend QT with family, and experience our favorite brands. Disclaimer: This episode was recorded on October 13, 2021. Pre-Facebook Inc. be...