Overheard: Where Venture Meets Culture
Overheard brings our provocative conversations about culture and brand from the Listen Ventures' office to your ears. Listen in for a glimpse of what we're hearing, observations we're making, and trends that are piquing our interest. If you're interested in venture capital or brand, tune in to hear how we look at investing in the brands of tomorrow.
Episodes
27 episodes
27. "Everything I know about brand, I learned from hip-hop"
What comes first? Hip-hop or culture. It’s hard to say but there is no doubt that hip-hop artists are incredible story tellers, and we at Listen owe a lot of our truth and inspiration to them. Listen in as JoJo, Brentos, and Jeff dig into their...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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38:51
26. "How do we take the device out of divisiveness?"
Phones... They’re with us through the best of times and the worst. Although times may have been simpler 20 years ago, our devices have certainly helped us simplify our busy lives. From walking your dog to paying your bills to ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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37:20
25. "Consumption is changing"
Whether we’re scrolling on social media or shopping or eating or reading the news, we are constantly consuming. It makes up who we are and it’s changing — from digital content to physical items, there has never been more to consume. Listen in a...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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35:32
24. “Instacart was inevitable. But when it was Webvan, it wasn’t the right time”
If we had a nickel for every time we’ve heard the phrase “timing is everything” we’d have a lot of nickels. Not only is this true for jobs, relationships, life changes… It's also a key ingredient for startups. The best part? You can’t control i...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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39:24
23. "My Instagram feed is showing up in my mailbox”
It’s that time of year when all of the things you want for the holidays are ✨ magically ✨ showing up in your feed every other post. And even though we’re all kinda used to our phones listening to us, it’s a little different when you start seein...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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39:58
22. "I'll meet you in the metaverse"
Meta this, meta that. Is it just us, or has it been hard to avoid the term metaverse over the last few months? And although this isn’t a new idea, it’s happening and the screen-based internet as we know it is changing. Strap on your Oculus and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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34:21
21. “The bedroom should only be for sleep and sex”
Gone are the days where you just need a bed, pillow, and blanket to sleep. Now, night time routines are more complex and thoughtful than ever with sound machines, customized mattresses, special glasses, and more — creating an industry that’s wo...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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40:00
20. “A f*^%ing Slack channel"
ICYMI… An online sneaker community, raised a $12.5M Series A to give fans a curated place to navigate the world of shoes. As sneakerheads and community nerds, this opened up the conversation of what it means for a brand to have a community and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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41:15
19. “Creator Houses? I'm waiting for the Creator Village.”
You know what they say… do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. Whoever said that probably didn’t think that in 2021, 33% of kids between the ages 8-12 would be saying they want to be YouTubers when they grow up. So, it was t...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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39:14
18. “If you’re a pandemic baby and you’ve been in quarantine your whole life... clap your hands” with Callie Christensen and Kelly Oriard of Slumberkins
Pandemics and quarantine and kiddos, oh my! As the US passes the one-year mark since the COVID-19 quarantine began, we’re diving into the way this past year has impacted Generation C and their parents — the relationship with each other, new rou...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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49:48
17. “The bathroom is at the center of important female conversations” with Kim Lewis of CurlMix
It’s hard to explain why the bathroom is a key player to women’s conversations, but we tried because it’s a real thing. From first times, to heart to hearts, in your own bathroom or at a bar, a lot goes down in those four walls besides just goi...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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38:16
16. "Isn’t Clubhouse just live podcasting?"
Audio has been around for a while, but say hello to the new wave. The world is just scratching the surface for new ways to listen to, engage with, and experience audio, and we’re here for it. JoJo, Brentos, and Rick sit down to talk about the a...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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48:35
15. "I'm giving up resolutions this year" with Mike Apostal of Factor
It’s January 28th aka nine days after January 19th aka the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year's Resolution. But in case you missed it, resolutions are out and wellbeing is in. JoJo, Jeff, and Ryan are joined by special gues...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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54:02
14. "How do I prime this election?"
Let’s be honest... if we can’t get something delivered in two days with free shipping, is it really worth buying? We all know the answer to that. In a time of next-day delivery and being able to track it at every stage, we’ve grown quite impati...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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40:12
13. "Don't make me laugh or I'll pee"
All jokes aside (well, maybe not all jokes), it was about time to talk about the fourth trimester. Even though it’s become more talked about over the last year, it’s still an under-discussed and under-planned part of the prenatal and postnatal ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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46:57
12. "Finding out your recycling is mixed with trash is like finding out Santa isn’t real" with Jenna Walker of Artifact Uprising and Material Change
Reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink. Four words that bring back memories of first learning about recycling. We sat down with Jenna Walker, former co-founder of Artifact Uprising and currently Material Change, to dig into environmental sustainab...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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51:08
11. “The true sign of adulthood is having a separate face towel”
What’s harder to resist? Touching a pimple or picking up your phone when it buzzes. The conversation around acne is moving away from hiding and moving toward highlighting. So, there are a lot of opportunities for brands, and consumers, to own i...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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42:05
10. “It’s easy to make it pretty, harder to make it matter”
Daily reminder: In a world full of pretty Instagram grids, be a brand that has soul. Good design is table stakes these days, which is why we believe a company’s brand is so much more than aesthetically-pleasing visuals. Listen in as the Brand D...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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40:24
9. "I just followed my vibrator on Instagram" with Alexandra Fine of Dame
Do you feel it? It’s a new wave of self-love. As the discussion and acceptance around sexual wellness evolves, we take on the taboo with special guest, Alexandra Fine, sexologist and CEO of Dame Products. Listen in as Al, Jo, Ryan, and Rick div...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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54:23
8. "We should call it physical distancing, not social distancing"
Can you remember a time before you heard the phrase "social distancing"? As the world adjusts to COVID-19, it's been amazing to see just how social we've been and how we're finding new ways to connect with others. Listen in as Jo, Brentos, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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48:05
7. "I heard Impossible Burgers were sold out at Burger King"
Meatless Monday is no longer satisfying the conscious eater's craving for sustainable food. As plant-based alternatives fill our stomachs, our menus, and our grocery aisles, startups like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger face off against legac...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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40:26
6. "I'm less curious when I'm sober"
Dry January or Dry 2020? With the Non-Alcoholic trend sweeping through, there are more and more people opting for an alternative to the social pastime. But what does "being sober" even mean? Listen in as the squad talks about companies that are...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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48:31
5. “It's the law but no one wears them”
Scooters, bikes, and hoverboards - OH MY! There are endless options to get around but that means there are even more reasons we need to be safe in this new world of individual mobility. In most cities and urban areas, it's never been easier to ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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35:32
4. “I really can’t be late to my Peloton class”
It's official: we are living in the era of digital fitness. Long gone are the days of aimless jaunts to the gym, lurking around treadmills, clueless about how to use the weight machine. With access to apps and expert trainers, an increasing num...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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34:24
3. “I’m so excited I met with my therapist today”
When stigma surrounds a topic or category, there are a tension that exists to help build brand that can make a difference. Listen saw this in 2012 around mental health. A topic, often brushed under the rug, began to see a movement in culture...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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37:13