Dave McClure, the founding partner of 500 Startups, has stepped down from the post of CEO of the startup incubator after being accused of sexually harassing a female employee, The New York Times reported.
A female entrepreneur, identified as Sarah Kunst, told the New York Times that Dave harassed her and sent her messages on Facebook. "I was getting confused figuring out whether to hire you or hit on you," one of the messages that Dave sent to Sarah on Facebook read.
Soon after the sexual harassment case became known, 500 Startups issued a statement saying that Dave has stepped down.
"After being made aware of instances of Dave having inappropriate behaviour with women in the tech community, we have been making changes internally," 500 Startups told the Times. "He recognises he has made mistakes and has been going through counselling to work on addressing changes in his previous unacceptable behaviour."
Here are seven things to know about Dave McClure and the case:
He stepped down and in an open letter said, "I'm a Creep. I'm Sorry."
After the New York Times article about sexual assault became known, Dave in an open letter said that he deserved to be called a creep.
"By now you may have heard I fucked up, and people are calling me a creep. While I'd like to believe that I'm not a bad or evil person, regardless it's clear that some of my past actions have hurt or offended several women. And I probably deserve to be called a creep."
Christine Tsai replaces Dave as the new CEO
Tsai, who is the co-founder of 500 Startups, is the new CEO. She took over the role a few months ago.
"Dave McClure had inappropriate interactions with women in the tech community. His behaviour was unacceptable and not reflective of 500's culture and values. I sincerely apologise for the choices he made and the pain and stress they've caused people. But apologies aren't enough without meaningful actions and change," Tsai said in a statement.
"Because of this, we made the decision a few months ago to change the leadership structure at 500. I took on the role of CEO, which involves directing the Management Team and overall day-to-day operations of 500," she added.
What is Dave's current role in the company?
Dave will now work as a General Partner of the company.
"Dave's role has been limited to fulfilling his obligations to our investors as a General Partner. In addition, he's been attending counselling to work on changing his perspectives and preventing his previous unacceptable behaviour," Tsai said her statement.
Visiting lecturer at Stanford University
Dave was a visiting lecturer and instructor at Stanford with Prof. BJ Fogg for CS377W for four months, starting from September 2007.
Founder/ CEO of Aslan Computing
Before becoming the CEO of 500 Startups, he founded an internet and e-commerce company named Aslan Computing in 1994. The company that handled clients like Intel, Microsoft, Netscape, Stanford, and Intuit, won Microsoft Partner of the Year in 1997.
He worked as a software developer
From September 1989 to April 1994, Dave worked as a software developer.
Dave's education
In 1988, Dave graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences Engineering.
