Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Storied venture firm DFJ is investigating founder Steve Jurvetson for sexual harassment

Allegations went public on Monday. DFJ acted on Tuesday.

DFJ partner Steve Jurvetson onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt
DFJ partner Steve Jurvetson onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt
Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch

One of tech’s most well-known investors, Steve Jurvetson, is being investigated by his venture capital firm in the latest sexual harassment allegation to land in Silicon Valley.

Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the VC firm he founded, said Tuesday it had launched an inquiry into Jurvetson a day after an entrepreneur alleged that “predatory behavior is rampant” at DFJ. The woman, Keri Kukral, did not name Jurvetson in her Facebook post.

“DFJ has never received a complaint about the professional conduct of any of our partners or investment professionals,” DFJ spokeswoman Carol Wentworth said in a statement to Recode. “Earlier this summer we became aware of indirect and second-hand allegations about one partner, Steve Jurvetson. We immediately opened an independent investigation, which is ongoing at this time.”

Jurvetson is the highest-profile VC to be recently accused of misconduct toward women.

Wentworth said Jurvetson was still working at DFJ as the investigation unfolds. Jurvetson and Kukral did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kukral’s post was first reported by The Information.

“Women approached by founding partners of Draper Fisher Jurvetson should be careful,” wrote Kukral, who runs a startup called Raw Science, which has not received DFJ funding in the past. “The situation I found myself in is personally atypical and I’ve not been in any other situation remotely like it. I was not seeking investment or trying to further my career.”

“My situation was grey and personal, not professional,” she wrote in a later Facebook comment. Kukral said she had been contacted by an attorney on behalf of DFJ.

Jurvetson is known for a few science-focused bets that have paid off handsomely for the firm. He sits on the board of two valuable ventures started by Elon Musk: SpaceX and Tesla. Those two companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment as to whether Jurvetson would remain on their boards.

Jurvetson is the latest prominent venture capitalist to be accused of sexual harassment. Allegations in Silicon Valley have already ousted several investors from their firms, such as Justin Caldbeck at Binary Capital and Dave McClure at 500 Startups.

And in recent weeks, sexual harassment scandals have rocked Hollywood as well, leading to the removal of Amazon video boss Roy Price and Weinstein Company chief Harvey Weinstein from their senior positions.


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel