An investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at an event in 2013 has led to AngelList partner Lee Jacobs going on indefinite paid leave of absence, sources..<\/b>
\nAn investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at an event in 2013 has led to AngelList partner Lee Jacobs going on indefinite paid leave of absence, sources tell TechCrunch and the company has now confirmed.
AngelList was informed of the incident two weeks ago. According to a source familiar with AngelList\u2019s internal working, on July 13th, AngelList told employees via Slack that \u201cSome of you have noticed that Lee is no longer available on email or Slack. He is on leave for personal reasons indefinitely and will be unavailable for contact. Jake and Parker are taking on his responsibilities temporarily while we figure out the longer term.\u201d
The incident allegedly occurred while Jacobs was the managing partner and co-founder of Edelweiss, a group of angel investors. He lists himself as having become an advisor to AngelList in December 2013 and a partner in September 2015.
AngelList had yet to make any public statement about the situation. After several requests for comment, the company\u2019s COO Graham Jenkin told TechCrunch \u201cWe\u2019 re investigating a report about an alleged incident that occurred before an employee joined the company. The report is from a third-party. The employee is on leave and we can\u2019 t comment further while we\u2019 re investigating.\u201d
TechCrunch is keeping details of the alleged sexual misconduct private at the request of the victim, and their advocate who we spoke to. The complaint lodged with AngelList by the victim\u2019s advocate alleges that Lee Jacobs sexually assaulted a woman during an event attended by others in the tech industry on March 17th, 2013. The victim\u2019s advocate says distress from the incident caused the victim to leave the San Francisco Bay Area.
The advocate claims that AngelList\u2019s leadership team was offered a chance to speak with the victim on the phone but the company declined. The team has signalled a preference for the victim to instead work with law enforcement and press criminal charges before AngelList will get further involved.
This ongoing situation comes during a cultural shift in Silicon Valley. Following whistleblower Susan Fowler\u2019s revelations about sexual discrimination at Uber, more scandals came to light and CEO Travis Kalanick resigned. Since then allegations of sexual harassment or assault have led to the resignation of Binary Capital founding partners Justin Caldbeck, 500 Startups founder and GP Dave McClure, and Ignition Partners\u2019 Frank Artale.
As public support for victims and whistleblowers grows, the risk of retaliation against those who speak up may decrease. That could lead to more allegations that could shake up the tech industry that\u2019s long been dominated by menand cavalier attitudes towards professional decorum.
Some in the tech scene worry that male VCs may selfishly avoid meetings with female founders or move them to less conducive office settings to minimize their own risks of being called out for bad behavior. But illuminating the hard truths about how women are treated in tech is an important step towards increasingly equality in the industry.<\/p>\n

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