# Listen

> Listen is a VC fund in Chicago backing E-Commerce and Software. See 58 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Chicago, United States
- Total investments: 58
- Last investment: May 2026
- Lead investor: 31%
- Fund size: $62M
- Last fund: Jan 2022
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/listenventures/
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/listendotco
- Website: https://www.listen.co

Listen is a consumer-only venture capital firm focused on backing and building the brands of tomorrow.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Listen. Shizune tracks 5 team members at Listen. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/listen-llc?utm_source=investor_profile

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $750k–$10M |
| Series A | $2.7M–$20M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| E-Commerce | 12 | 21% |
| Software | 5 | 9% |
| Consumer Goods | 5 | 9% |
| Retail | 4 | 7% |
| Wellness | 4 | 7% |

88 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 20 | 34% |
| Series A | 16 | 28% |
| Funding Round | 5 | 9% |
| Series B | 4 | 7% |
| Pre-Seed | 1 | 2% |

7 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 32 | 55% |
| Canada | 1 | 2% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jeff Cantalupo | Founder, Managing Partner | 22 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jeff-cantalupo |
| Rick Desai | Partner | 13 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/rick-desai |
| Andrew Kallick | Investor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/andrew-kallick |
| Brent Fernandez | Partner, Head of Creative | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/brent-fernandez |
| Shawn Dennis | Venture Partner | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/shawn-dennis |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Smearcase FroCo | Smearcase FroCo is an ice cream brand offering cottage cheese based frozen desserts and spreads. |  | Seed | May 05, 2026 |  |
| Good Bacteria | Good Bacteria manufactures and sells probiotic supplements and functional health products. | $3.2M | Seed | Jan 29, 2026 |  |
| Go Brewing | Go Brewing is a brewery that offers non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages. The company was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Jan 29, 2025 |  |
| [cafeteria] | [cafeteria] allows individuals to influence businesses, get paid for opinions, and develop professional talents. | $3M | Seed | Oct 24, 2024 |  |
| Sigo Seguros | Sigo uses data and automation to provide lower-cost policies for the Latino market. | $10.5M | Series A | Sep 10, 2024 |  |
| iAsk Ai | iAsk is an AI search engine that delivers the fastest and most accurate responses in seconds, making it an attractive option for users looking for a more intuitive and user-friendly search experience. We are committed to continuous growth and development, striving to become an exciting contender in our field.At iAsk.Ai, the search engine hasadvanced from simple keyword-matching systems to an advanced AI that comprehends users' needs. It delivers relevant information to help users easily address simple or complex questions. | $5.7M | Seed | Feb 28, 2024 |  |
| Sigo Seguros | Sigo uses data and automation to provide lower-cost policies for the Latino market. | $5.1M | Seed | Jul 11, 2023 |  |
| Dame | Dame Products is a sexual wellness brand with the purpose of making phenomenal sex toys. The company's mission is to design well-engineered sex toys, to heighten intimacy, and openly empower the sexual experiences of womankind. They create products that fit into your sex life, instead of making your sex life adapt to their toys. Their processis consumer-centric, we spend a lot of time talking to women and sex therapist so they can engineer vibrators that fit the multitude of sexual needs. | $7M | Series A | Sep 21, 2022 |  |
| Fable | Fable is a dinnerware company that sells premium tableware made by artisans from recycled clay. Fable believes in simple, timeless, and responsible designs. Fable is motivated by a common vision to create products that are as enjoyable as they are ethical. It intentionally designs pieces to transcend fashionable trends, creating pieces that are astimeless as they are elegant. | $6.6M | Series A | Jul 28, 2022 |  |
| Black Buffalo | Black Buffalo is a smokeless tobacco alternative that has the same look, feel, smell, and experience as traditional dipping products like Copenhagen or Skoal, without using tobacco leaves or stems. The product comes in both long-cut and pouch varieties and contains pharmaceutical-grade nicotine. | $30M | Series A | May 31, 2022 |  |

10 of 58 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Jumpstart Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jumpstart-ventures) — VC Fund, 7 deals together
- [Chingona Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chingona-ventures) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [The Pritzker Organization](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-pritzker-organization) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [Wintrust Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/wintrust-ventures) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [Brand Foundry Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/brand-foundry-ventures) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Fiat Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/fiat-ventures) — VC Fund, 3 deals together

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## FAQ

### What does Listen invest in?

Listen invests primarily in E-Commerce, Software and Consumer Goods startups, most often at Seed and Series A stage. Most of the 58 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Listen's check size?

Listen typically joins rounds of $750k–$10M at Seed and $2.7M–$20M at Series A. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Listen participates in.

### How do I contact Listen?

Public channels for Listen include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Listen?

The team at Listen includes Jeff Cantalupo (Founder, Managing Partner), Rick Desai (Partner) and Andrew Kallick (Investor). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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