Rick Desai

Rick Desai is a Partner at Listen Ventures, a brand-focused venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois. Before joining Listen in 2015, he began his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and subsequently worked in private equity at Madison Dearborn Partners. Additionally, he served as a Clinton Fellow in 2008, focusing on social enterprise strategies in urban Indian slums. In 2009, he co-founded Dashfire, a startup studio where he has built and invested in more than 40 companies, including 20 within the Chicago technology ecosystem. Desai holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. His current focus centers on leading investment strategy and diligence for early-stage brands while bridging the gap between academic entrepreneurship and corporate innovation.