Catherine Shu of TechCrunch says she was sexually harassed by 500 Startups Venture Partner
After behaviour that quickly escalated, Shu says Venture Partner Tristan Pollock grabbed her behind to pull her closer outside of taxi
Catherine Shu, a reporter for TechCrunch, published today a lengthy first-hand account in which she claims, and details, an incident in which 500 Startups Venture Partner Tristan Pollock sexually harassed her, culminating with him grabbing her behind as she tried to get a taxi home.
The news comes a few weeks after 500 Startups Co-founder Dave McClure resigned from the company after numerous accusations of sexual harassment and a sexual assault claim by Cheryl Yeoh, the former CEO of MaGIC.
One note: In the article, Shu describes the moment in vivid detail and includes picture that provides a raw, visual, window into the night.
Shu, who is married, details a night in which a walk from a bar to a restaurant escalated from aggressive advances made by Pollock to him grabbing her butt without permission as if to pull Shu closer.
According to Shu, the incident started after a networking event at a restaurant, in which she left with a group of people, including Pollock, to grab one drink before heading home to her husband.
The first moment of inappropriate behaviour came after Pollock had complained that he had not had much success on Tinder in Taiwan. Shu describes it as such,
“My friend told Pollock I’m not available because I’m married. Then she added that I like white men, because my husband is white. I was dismayed to hear her describe my relationship like that, especially because it seemed to intensify Pollock’s interest in me. He put his arm around my shoulders and whispered “Can’t you pretend you’re single?” in my ear. I shrugged him off.”
What followed was escalating behaviour in which Pollock would grab Shu’s hand even as she pulled away. At this point, Shu became uncomfortable and told the group she was taking a taxi home.
“[Shu’s friend] walked up to me and playfully tugged at my arm, asking me to stay. Pollock came up to my other side and grabbed my other hand, again. He slid his hand down where my friend couldn’t see and grabbed my butt, as if to pull me in toward him.”
This was the moment, and Shu would go on to describe the serious long-term fallout it created.
Also Read: We need to change the way we talk about sexual harassment, an interview with Cheryl Yeoh
A noteworthy point of the article is Shu says the incident happened in October of 2015. Shu thanked Yeoh, Sarah Kunst, Niniane Wang, Susan Ho, Leiti Hsu and Susan J. Fowler for going on the record, saying,
“[They] have shown me that there is a way forward for those who want to go on record about their experiences. No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, I know I will feel worse if I don’t speak up.”
She wants people of power with the tech ecosystem to understand the psychological harm these incidents cause women.
Long-term fallout
After the incident, Shu dealt with some pretty serious mental challenges that, she said, almost led her to quit her job.
She started turning down invitations to go to tech events and isolated herself from the community (including the friend she was with that night). When Shu was on maternity leave, that break meant she contemplated finding a new path in life. She asked herself, how could she do her job effectively if she was too anxious to engage with the tech ecosystem.
Shu said she began experiencing intrusive thoughts that would continue for about a year.
During her pregnancy, Shu said she felt uncomfortable with prenatal exams (which require physical contact). She became easily startled when someone touched her (even her husband) and describes a moment when she started crying while rocking her baby to sleep.
The reason, according to Shu, she shared these extremely private experiences is because,
“I want everyone in a position of influence in the tech industry to understand the psychological toll this kind of violation takes on victims. It is not just a workplace issue or a legal issue. It is a human rights issue. It robs women of time. It takes away energy they wanted to give to their careers or families. It fills them with shame about the most intimate parts of their lives. I’m also painfully aware that many of the women who have come forward about harassment are women of color and, in particular, Asian women.”
Shu goes on to explain a broken system and the profound moral failure that is the tolerance of sexual harassment in tech. But, you should read her words, not mine.
Also Read: Yes, these guys are creeps, and apologies are not enough
Finally, in response to this article, 500 Startups released a statement to TechCrunch which defended how they handled the situation, citing internal punishment despite inconsistent accounts as well as acknowledgement from TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief, Matthew Panzarino, that he was satisfied with the punishment.
Pollock is still a Venture Partner and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at 500 Startups.
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Copyright: szefei / 123RF Stock Photo
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