Shervin Pishevar, the prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist and early Uber investor, is taking a leave of absence from both Sherpa Capital and Virgin Hyperloop One just days after accusations of sexual harassment and unwelcome advances from multiple women surfaced in a report from Bloomberg.
Forbes also reported in November that Pishevar had been arrested in May after being accused of rape in London. He strongly denied the allegations and was never charged.
Last month, Pishevar filed suit against Definers Public Affairs, accusing the public relations firm of working quietly to spread damaging and defamatory misinformation about him. In a statement distributed to the media by his spokesman, Mark Fabiani, Pishevar did not reference the sexual misconduct allegations and said he decided to step aside from his professional duties to focus on the lawsuit:
As many of you may have seen in recent news coverage, I filed a lawsuit last month against what I believe to be potential perpetrators of a smear campaign against me. As that legal action progresses, it is my priority to ensure that the Sherpa Capital family is not adversely affected.
Therefore, I have decided to take an immediate leave of absence from my duties at Sherpa Capital and Virgin Hyperloop One, as well as my portfolio company board responsibilities, so that I can pursue the prosecution of my lawsuit, where I am confident I will be vindicated. Through the discovery process, I hope to unearth who fabricated the fraudulent London "police report," and who is responsible for spreading false rumors about me.
This was a decision I came to and proposed on my own accord. It is not one I took lightly and it was a difficult decision that was guided by Sherpa Capital’s abiding belief in service and putting others before ourselves.
I care deeply about the incredible teams at Sherpa Capital and our portfolio companies and Virgin Hyperloop One, and hope that my decision to take a leave of absence will eliminate any potential distraction to the great and important work being done at these companies.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sherpa Capital, which Pishevar co-founded, said it had never received a complaint related to sexual harassment, but that it was launching an independent internal review:
We respect and support Shervin's decision to take a leave of absence while he pursues his rights under the law. Since Sherpa Capital was founded in 2013, our Firm has been committed to upholding a culture of integrity and service, including best in class policies and practices that reflect these values.
We recognize the inherent challenges of reporting misconduct, but note that Sherpa has never received a sexual harassment complaint. Nevertheless, we are launching an independent internal review to ensure our practices and operations continue to reflect the highest professional and ethical standards.
Our team remains focused on supporting our portfolio companies, investing in outstanding founders, and serving the interests of our Limited Partners."
Pishevar is cofounder and chairman of Hyperloop. On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the company's board had pressured him to step down. At the time, a Hyperloop spokeswoman denied the claim.
Definers has said repeatedly that it has never done work related to Pishevar.
On Monday, Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker told Bloomberg that they were both donating Pishevar's campaign contributions, which totaled around $15,000, to other organizations and political action committees.
This story is developing and will be updated.
