A Silicon Valley investor steps away from the company he founded due to sexual harassment allegations and a subsequent investigation. Dave McClure, the founder of the business mentorship program was stripped of his title a few months ago after an internal investigation was conducted regarding his behavior towards women.
In a blog post titled ‘Making Changes at 500, ‘ Christine Tsai said McClure will also be attending counseling sessions while apologizing for his choices and behavior. Cofounder Christine Tsai will be taking over McClure’s position as the CEO of the company which involves directing the management team and overall day to day operations.
The New York Times reported more than two dozen women alleged they were sexually harassed by Dave McClure. McClure apparently sent an inappropriate message via Facebook to one such woman, Sarah Kunst stating he was confused whether to hire her or hit on her after her interview.
In recent times many women have come forward claiming sexual harassment at the workplace. Justin Caldbeck of Binary Capital was also accused of sexual misconduct when three female founders went on record with accusations of both sexual harassment and retaliation attempts. Caldbeck, who was forced to resign, later admitted to leveraging a position of power in exchange for sexual gain.
Chris Sacca, another investor was also accused of sexual misconduct by the Times report. Since then, Sacca has issued a public apology stating he has realized how hostile the tech environment is for women and how at times he has also contributed to the problem. He went on to say that he has learned that it’s often the less obvious, yet pervasive and questionable, everyday behaviors of men in our industry that collectively make it inhospitable for women.
500 Startups launched in 2010, provides funding to young companies helping them in their early development stages and has helped software firms such as Twilio and Behance. In the blog post, the new CEO also added 500 is far from perfect but they will continue building on their momentum of change.