Who Is Steve Jurvetson? Silicon Valley Investor Refutes Sexual Harassment Allegations

High-profile investor Steve Jurvetson defended himself Tuesday, a day after he left his namesake venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), asserting his departure was due to the dynamics of his relationship with his partners and not because of an ongoing investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him.

“I left DFJ because of interpersonal dynamics with my partners,” he wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “It’s incredibly sad to see how things broke down, and the acrimony that arose between us.”

Jurvetson claimed in his post his departure from DFJ was unrelated to the several allegations that have been leveled against him, including certain conduct issues. The 390-word Facebook post served as his most extensive public rebuttal to the variety of sexual harassment rumors doing the rounds of Silicon Valley in the recent weeks.

“It is excruciating to learn just how quickly, in one news cycle, people conclude that because I have left DFJ there must be some credence to vicious and wholly false allegations about sexual predation and workplace harassment,” he said in his post. “Let me be perfectly clear: no such allegations are true.”

Jurvetson, who is one of Silicon Valley's best-known venture capitalists, was also a founding investor in Hotmail, which was bought by Microsoft. He also served on the boards of Elon Musk's Tesla and SpaceX.

Earlier this year, Silicon Valley Forum awarded Jurvetson its Visionary Award "for his role in fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley." In 2016, former President Barack Obama named him a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, according to Recode.

An investigation by DFJ "uncovered behaviors by Jurvetson that were unacceptable related to a negative tone toward women entrepreneurs," Recode reported, citing unnamed sources.

DFJ’s spokeswoman Carol Wentworth also confirmed to Mercury News the venture capitalist’s departure in a statement sent to them.

“As of today and by mutual agreement, Steve Jurvetson will be leaving DFJ,” the statement said. “DFJ’s culture has been, and will continue to be, built on the values of respect and integrity in all of our interactions. We are focused on the success of our portfolio companies, as well as the long-term vision for the firm, and will continue to operate with the highest professional standards.”

DFJ’s operating partner Heidi Roizen confirmed in a statement to Recode the firm had been "rocked by allegations about sexual harassment." Over the summer, DFJ launched an independent investigation into "allegations of misconduct by one (and only one) of our partners from a third party." The investigation is still ongoing.

News of the investigation was first reported in October by a technology publication called the Information.

The report surfaced a day after entrepreneur Keri Kukral wrote a Facebook post saying “women approached by founding partners of Draper Fisher Jurvetson should be careful."

"Predatory behavior is rampant. Silencing behavior ranges from security (within) the firm creating files on women, to potential violations of revenge porn laws, to grotesque threats,” she added, according to Los Angeles Times.

SpaceX and Tesla also said Monday Jurvetson was taking "a leave of absence from the SpaceX and Tesla boards pending resolution of these allegations."

Jurvetson said in a statement he was leaving the firm "to focus on personal matters, including taking legal action against those whose false statements have defamed me." He also tweeted the statement.