Listen expands investment team with the addition of Kimmie Carey and Shawn Dennis

Chicago – 11/18/20: Listen, a consumer-focused venture capital firm investing in early-stage brands, has welcomed Kimmie Carey (Principal) and Shawn Dennis (Venture Partner) to the team. This powerhouse duo will significantly further the firm’s strategy of investing capital and capability in the brands of tomorrow.

Carey joins Listen as a Principal to lead investments while leveraging her diverse experience and network to propel growth, recruit key talent, and advise on capital strategy for Listen’s portfolio companies. She comes to Listen after three years of building and investing in the early stage consumer space with experience at Rothy’s, Techstars, and in Listen’s own Listener program. She previously held investing and banking roles at Morgan Stanley and Silicon Valley Bank where she financed and advised dozens of early and growth stage technology companies. Carey earned her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and first met Rick Desai, Partner at Listen, as a student in his New Venture Development course.

Dennis joins Listen as a Venture Partner, bringing expertise in creating compelling retail experiences and building dynamic brands that consumers embrace. Her career has been spent accelerating brands as Head of Brand/Franchise at Dreamworks, CMO at American Girl and the NFL, President at Goldieblox, and Head of Co-branding at Mastercard, to name a few. As a brand leader for these and other iconic consumer brands, she has a solid history of driving sustainable, profitable, and scalable business growth. In addition to building brands, she spends time teaching students as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. Dennis was introduced to Listen via the board for Fund II portfolio company, Slumberkins. She also holds a seat on the Codeverse board.