Did this really need saying? Is there ascandal going on here somewhere?
This happens all the time in the startup world. It's not something you'd see on the tech blogs.
A Reminder To Investors
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Re: A Reminder To Investors
#22Did it ever happened any investor to YC startups tried to take advantage of the founders before, or this post is just an act of prevention?
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#23Re: A Reminder To Investors
#24Not working with them is a great step. Will you also publish names of people who act inappropriately (assuming it is safe and legally in the clear) so others can steer clear as well? Not only would that be further discouragement, it seems like an area where keeping the knowledge internal isn't a competitive advantage and would likely lead to a backchannel of gossip floating around (I hear x can't work with yc companies anymore)
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#25[deleted]
I find it difficult to imagine a time where this would no longer need to be said. It's human nature.
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#26I perfectly understand intolerance towards sexual harassment but I wonder what qualifies as "inappropriate romantic behavior" in this context. You can not ask a founder "on a date"? What's if is the other way around? EDIT: of course this is coming from a nobody. I'm just curious.
I think in this context, investor founder is analagous to boss employee, so I guess you'd have to take similar steps to manage it i.e. recuse yourself from investment decisions regarding that company.
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#27I perfectly understand intolerance towards sexual harassment but I wonder what qualifies as "inappropriate romantic behavior" in this context. You can not ask a founder "on a date"? What's if is the other way around? EDIT: of course this is coming from a nobody. I'm just curious.
Correct: if your interactions with a founder are cabined by professional settings --- demo days, funding pitches, going for coffee to talk about their company --- romantic overtures are inappropriate. Similarly: if you're in process, at any stage, with a company, overtures to their founders are inappropriate.
It's important to understand WHY this is so: if you're an investor you are in a position of power over a founder. It is not possible in such a situation to make a romantic overture that is not tainted by the possibility that you are looking for a quid-pro-quo even if in fact you are not.
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#28Re: A Reminder To Investors
#29I perfectly understand intolerance towards sexual harassment but I wonder what qualifies as "inappropriate romantic behavior" in this context. You can not ask a founder "on a date"? What's if is the other way around? EDIT: of course this is coming from a nobody. I'm just curious.
You wait until after demo day and the conflict of interest has cleared, before asking someone on a date. It's not that tough.
Still inappropriate after demo day. Investors are a tight knit group and retaliatory action is always a concern. The recent two exposes from two female founders both pointed to investors' power/influence as coercive factors, even if no specific deal is on the table.
It's maybe unfortunate it has to be this way, but investors should not hit on founders, full stop.
For those who didn't see this when it was making its way around, these are the two articles that have come up recently:
http://www.wired.com/2014/07/gender-gap/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2014/08/07/what-it...
Re: A Reminder To Investors
#30Did it ever happened any investor to YC startups tried to take advantage of the founders before, or this post is just an act of prevention?
I don't know if it is related, but this was on Forbes and bounced around Twitter very recently: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2014/08/07/what-it...