Dave McClure, founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm 500 Startups, has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment made by several women. In a blog post titled 'I'm a creep. I'm sorry,' McClure apologised for his behaviour.
Entrepreneur Sarah Kunst claimed in the New York Times that McClure sent inappropriate messages after discussing a potential job offer. McClure directly apologised to her in his blog and admitted to making advances towards multiple women in work-related situations.
Tech entrepreneur Cheryl Yeoh also published claims of an assault in her apartment in 2014, alleging that McClure pushed himself on her and kissed her without consent. She stated there were 'dozens' of women who had been sexually harassed by him.
McClure's resignation comes amid a series of sexism scandals in Silicon Valley, including the departure of Uber's Travis Kalanick and Binary Capital's Justin Caldbeck. 500 Startups co-founder Christine Tsai has taken over as chief executive, acknowledging the firm's role in the problem.
Tsai wrote that the company had been part of the problem and that she could have done more. She noted that McClure is undergoing counselling to change his perspectives.
