VC Associate @ Listen Ventures in Chicago, IL

Founded in 2010, Listen is a consumer-obsessed venture capital firm that partners with founders to build disruptive brands at the tipping point of behavior shifts. Our portfolio includes: Calm, Factor, Miss Grass, Own Up, Sigo Seguros, Go Brewing, and more.

Listen is seeking a highly motivated and intellectually curious Associate to join our small team of brand-focused investors for our 2-3 year Associate program. The right candidate will be an outward representation of Listen and will bring experience in investing, financial analysis, and have a personal passion for consumer brands and insights. This person will report to the Investment Team. 

Primary objectives for this role:

• Lead sourcing, prospecting, and evaluation of new deals
• Manage investment pipeline
• Drive financial, business, consumer, and market diligence and portfolio company support
• Support the Investment Team in sourcing new prospective investments, managing deal flow and pipeline, and representing Listen in the entrepreneurial and venture ecosystem.
• Evaluate potential investments by analyzing market/category dynamics, conducting consumer research, performing financial analysis, listening practices, and modeling fund returns.
• Build models and analysis for prospective investments including key operating metrics analysis (e.g., LTV, CAC, customer cohort analysis, etc.)
• Prepare investment memos by synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative due diligence and analysis to present new deals to Listen’s investment committee.
• Assist the Investment Team with portfolio company support, including building financial models/dashboards, analyzing customer data, structuring pitch decks, and providing frameworks for strategic decisions.
• Contribute to the Brand side of our platform using a brand lens to diligence investment opportunities and provide competitive category insights.
• Help create Listen content, including market and thematic overviews and blog posts highlighting consumer insights and investment highlights.  
• You have 2+ years of experience in investment banking, management consulting, digital marketing, or another similar role. VC experience a bonus.
• You are Pre-MBA
• You frequently use both qualitative and quantitative / data-driven insights to make decisions.
• You have strong communication, business development, financial modeling, and analytics skills.
• You are an outstanding listener and enjoy building strong relationships with others.
• You are abundantly curious about people, culture, venture, and consumer behavior and have a deep interest in supporting early-stage founders.
• You enjoy working in a fluid, entrepreneurial environment and are comfortable making decisions despite uncertainty.
• You have an appreciation for a great brand and the creative/marketing processes that helped along the way.