Rick Desai

Managing Partner

2016 - Current

Listen is a consumer venture capital fund that backs and builds the brand of tomorrow. We invest Capital + Brand expertise into early stage ventures. Board Member at Own Up, Catch Co, Slumberkins, Public Goods and previously Factor_. Board Observer at Miss Grass and previously at Interior Define and Factor_. Listen Investments include: Factor_, Own Up, Calm, Catch Co, Public Good, The Fresh Factory, Stolen, Calm, Angels Envy, Slumberkins, Miss Grass, and more at www.listen.co

Adjunct Professor

2017

Teach New Venture Development. We believe that the best entrepreneurs don't seek risk, they seek to mitigate risk. Act as Kellogg's startup studio. Startups launch real world tests to form product market fit and gain conviction whether to proceed with their venture.

Managing Partner, Co-Founder

2009

Dashfire invests in early stage entrepreneurs and provides near-term technical extension and long-term strategic guidance. We partner with founders who are operators not ideators. They know their customers intimately and are solving their problems through business model innovation. We enable them to move faster. In aggregate, our portfolio has raised more than $75 million and generated over 350 new jobs. Investments include: EverTrue, BucketFeet, Bloomboard, Artifact Uprising (acquired), Blitsy, Luxury Garage Sale, Factor 75, Packback Books. Dashfire is built on FarShore, a 150+ person global software development platform.

William J. Clinton Fellow

2008 - 2009

SAATH is a non-governmental organization registered as a public charitable trust in Gujarat, India. SAATH’s one-stop, market-based, integrated services reach over 100,000 slum dwellers in Ahmedabad, and many more in Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. SAATH's programs include social enterprises, livelihoods, microfinance, infrastructure development, health, and education. The William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India is a selective program that builds bridges between America and India by sending talented and skilled young Americans to work with leading non-governmental organizations in India for a period of ten months.

Private Equity Associate

2006 - 2008

MDP's objective is to invest in companies in partnership with outstanding management teams to achieve significant long-term appreciation in equity value. MDP generally seeks to invest $100 million to $600 million of equity capital in a single transaction.

Investment Banking / Leveraged Finance Analyst

2004 - 2006