UPDATED 23:42 EDT / NOVEMBER 30 2017

NEWS

Report: Multiple women accuse investor Shervin Pishevar of sexual misconduct

Prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist and early Uber Technologies Inc. investor Shervin Pishevar has been accused of sexual misconduct by five women, according to a report published by Bloomberg on Thursday.

Pishevar, who is managing director of Sherpa Capital, is also co-founder of Hyperloop-one (now Virgin Hyperloop One), and served as board observer at Uber for four years. In 2012 the U.S. government made him a recipient of the “Outstanding American by Choice” in recognition of his achievements as a naturalized American. Pishevar has also been a keynote speaker for former President Barack Obama and last year hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.

According to the report, five women have said that Pishevar either sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them in professional settings. The women have asked for anonymity, although Austin Geidt, former Uber intern turned executive and now head of Uber’s autonomous driving unit, is reported by Bloomberg to have been the victim of Pishevar’s numerous sexual advances toward her, which included his forcing his hand up her skirt at one particular party. These allegations were relayed to Bloomberg by Geidt’s colleagues. She declined to comment herself.

The five women all say that the sexual misconduct involved some kind of exploitation in which Pishevar promised to help with professional connections, a new job or help with mentoring or making investments. One woman accused him of groping her and trying to kiss her, and another said that after asking for career advice, he “tried to put his tongue down my throat.”

The women told Bloomberg they asked for anonymity because they feared lawsuits. Pishevar was accused of rape this year that allegedly took place in London. U.K. police led an investigation and never charged him, and later Pishevar sued the woman for spreading false allegations about him.

In an email, an attorney for Pishevar told Bloomberg that Pishevar denies any wrongdoing and made no sexual advances towards Geidt at any time in their working relationships. Pishevar’s lawyer said the two had always had a “a friendly, professional relationship,” invoking emails in which she had agreed to meet Pishevar for coffee. Bloomberg also spoke to one person who had attended the same party in which Pishevar is accused of sexual harassing Geidt, and that person said she did not witness any such assault and doubted the account because Pishevar was holding the reins to a horse in one hand and a drink in the other. She also added that she wasn’t with him all the time throughout the party.

The accusations come at a time when numerous celebrities have been accused of sexual harassment. Such claims have also been made about numerous Silicon Valley executives and also well-known venture capitalists.

Image: Luc Van Braekel via Flickr

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