The co-founder of Silicon Valley's 500 Startups is stepping down from the company after admitting he made inappropriate advances toward women in the workplace.
Dave McClure announced his resignation and an apology for his actions in a blog post titled "I'm a Creep. I'm Sorry." He is the latest in a number of Silicon Valley venture capitalists and CEOs, like Uber's Travis Kalanick, to lose their job because of their treatment of women.
"Personally, I think we're on the verge of a big shakeup in Silicon Valley," said Kym McNicholas, director of Extreme Tech Challenge. "Those investors who have been misbehaving -- and there are a lot of them according to female entrepreneurs that I know -- they're going to be called out as women get more and more support from the industry and they know they don't have to be afraid anymore."
Fran Maier, co-founder of Match.com, said she was told once to hire someone because she had good legs.
"There's such an emphasis on pattern-matching and bro culture," Maier said. "And if you don't fit that perceived entrepreneurial look of a 20-something guy in a hoodie, your chances when you walk in the door are down."
Maier and McClure said an apologetic memo is good, but it is just a first step to solving the problem.
