Jake Reisch

Jake Reisch is an American entrepreneur and investor based in Panama City, Panama, where he is building and investing in artificial intelligence startups.^[7] He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Eversound, a senior living audio technology company that was acquired by Uniguest in May 2023.^[11]

Reisch's career began as an undergraduate at Cornell University, where he co-founded Party Headphones, a silent disco equipment company, in 2013.^[16] He and his co-founders pivoted the underlying wireless headphone technology into Eversound, which grew to serve more than 1,000 senior living communities before its acquisition.^[18] In 2018, Reisch and his co-founders were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Consumer Technology category.^[18]

Jake Reisch grew up in Geneva, New York, a small city in the Finger Lakes region, where he attended Geneva High School alongside future co-founder Matt Reiners, graduating in 2007.^[18][19] He initially enrolled at SUNY Cortland before taking a semester off to work on organic farms and sustainable energy systems in Hawaii.^[7] During that time, he attempted to start a landscaping business, which failed — an experience he later said shaped his belief that "powerful global change is best done through for-profit business models."^[7]

Reisch transferred to Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he studied at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, earning a Bachelor of Science in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies in 2015.^[7][18] At Cornell, he received the Leon Rubin Memorial Award for entrepreneurship and salesmanship and participated in the university's eLab business accelerator, which he later credited as foundational to his career.^[7][9] As of 2024, Reisch was pursuing a graduate certificate in artificial intelligence at Stanford University.^[10]

Energy Corps at Cornell University (2012–2013)

While an undergraduate at Cornell, Reisch founded Energy Corps, a student organization focused on implementing energy-saving technology in campus buildings.^[7] He served as founder and executive director before transitioning to an advisory role as the organization continued under new student leadership.^[7]

Party Headphones (2013–2018)

In 2013, Reisch co-founded Party Headphones with childhood friend Matt Reiners while both were students at Cornell. The company grew out of an entrepreneurship class business plan and rented wireless headphones for silent disco events.^[16] Reisch later recalled that the pair booked their first three events before owning a single pair of headphones, and that he personally guaranteed a $25,000 Small Business Administration line of credit to purchase the company's initial inventory of 500 headsets.^[11]

Party Headphones grew to serve tens of thousands of listeners across 45 states, with clients including Twitter, Spotify, Red Bull, and MoMA.^[11][12] The company raised approximately $3.42 million across two seed rounds.^[13] Reisch sold the company to Alec Mitchell in 2018 as his focus shifted to Eversound.^[7]

Eversound (2015–2023)

Reisch co-founded Eversound in 2015 with Reiners and Devin Jameson, pivoting the wireless headphone technology developed at Party Headphones into a product for senior living communities.^[18] The idea emerged after Reisch and his co-founders watched loved ones move into senior care and struggle with hearing loss and social isolation.^[18] In his final semester at Cornell, Reisch visited more than 100 senior living communities within 150 miles of Ithaca to test the concept, encountering near-universal skepticism.^[18] The company's first investor was John Alexander '74, a former Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year, who provided early funding and mentorship through the Cornell-affiliated Red Bear Angels network, which contributed $450,000 in the first round.^[18][18]

Originally operating as Headphone Events Inc. (also known as Audiarchy), the company rebranded as Eversound and launched commercially in November 2016 with a wireless group listening system designed for use alongside hearing aids.^[15] The system featured large dials suited to users with limited dexterity and allowed residents to tune into group activities at personalized volume levels.^[15] In February 2019, Eversound raised a $5 million Series A round led by Ron Feinstein, with participation from 10X Venture Partners, Red Bear Angels, and The Shelter Group.^[16][17] At the time of the raise, the company had 20 employees in its Downtown Crossing, Boston office.^[16] An LCB Senior Living study cited by the company found a 28 percent increase in group activity engagement and 18 percent fewer residents falling asleep during programs when Eversound headphones were used.^[16][18]

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Eversound was deployed in more than 600 communities. Reisch told the Finger Lakes Times that "our whole business changed" as the product was adapted for physically distanced programming.^[19] By 2022, the company had expanded to serve approximately 1,200 communities and an estimated 130,000 residents, and had launched a facilitated telehealth hearing program.^[20] On May 8, 2023, Eversound was acquired by Uniguest, a Nashville-based digital engagement technology company and portfolio company of Atlantic Street Capital.^[11][18] Terms were not disclosed. Reisch remained with the company through approximately October 2023.^[18]

Entrepreneurship@Cornell Advisory Council (2017–present)

Since May 2017, Reisch has served on the Advisory Council for Entrepreneurship@Cornell, the university's entrepreneurship network.^[9] In this role, he mentors student entrepreneurs and contributes to the eLab accelerator ecosystem that helped launch his own companies. He has described Cornell's eLab as "the kickstart to us actually becoming a real company."^[9]

Africa AI (2020–2023)

In June 2020, Reisch co-founded Africa AI (africa.ai), a Nairobi, Kenya-based artificial intelligence initiative focused on the African continent.^[10] He served as co-founder and advisor while continuing as CEO of Eversound, a role he held through approximately October 2023.^[10] Limited public detail is available on the venture's scale or current status.

Center for Internet and Technology Addiction — CITA (2024)

In early 2024, Reisch acquired the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction (CITA) as part of a behavioral health search fund he was operating.^[7] He served as executive director of CITA from approximately March through September 2024. The role ended when the broader search fund deal collapsed.^[7]

Behavioral Health Search Fund (2024)

From March to September 2024, Reisch operated a search fund focused on behavioral health, acquiring CITA and planning a merger with a distressed behavioral health company with more than $10 million in revenue.^[7] The deal collapsed three days before closing in September 2024, and the fund was shut down. Reisch has been publicly candid about the failure, summarizing his career arc on LinkedIn as: "Raised $20M → Acquired by Uniguest ('23) → Failed search fund ('24) → Currently building + investing in Panama."^[7]

Reisch lives in Panama City, Panama, with his wife Isabella and their dog Barry, having relocated in early 2025.^[7] He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Shapers community.^[10] In March 2024, he completed the Hoffman Process, a personal development program, an experience he has discussed publicly as having changed how he shares his story and approaches leadership.^[7]