Five women have accused a top Silicon Valley venture capitalist of sexual harassment, according to a lengthy Bloomberg report published Thursday.
They specifically allege that Shervin Pishevar exploited his own power to pursue relationships with women who weren’t interested in his sexual advances. Some accusations include forceful kissing and groping.
“He basically jumped on me, tried to put his tongue down my throat, and I stopped it,” one unknown accuser told Bloomberg. “I wanted to get career advice, and it was twisted into something else. It was really inappropriate.”
Pishevar, an Iranian-American who was an early backer of Uber and Airbnb — startups that have turned into powerhouses — has denied the allegations levied against him so far.
“Shervin Pishevar is the victim of an organized smear campaign,” a representative of the tech entrepreneur told Business Insider. “Anonymous and untrue stories have suddenly surfaced concerning Mr. Pishevar. The assertions regarding the only person named have now been directly refuted by an eyewitness to the claimed events.”
Pishevar provided Business Insider emails that seem to show that at least one of the accusers remained friendly with him even after the alleged acts.
The allegations aren’t the first for Pishevar. He was arrested on May 27 after someone accused him of rape at a hotel. Pishevar was never charged, police clarified that they never submitted a report, and an injunction was filed so that U.K. publications couldn’t report on the situation.
Uber itself has infamously dealt with several accusations of improper internal work behavior, some of which have grown so popular and impactful that a movie is being made to detail the experience of one of the former female engineers. Silicon Valley in general has been hit with several different instances where women report a more than unsavory work environment, including sexual harassment. (RELATED: Tesla: Sexual Harassment Accuser Received ‘Special Treatment,’ But ‘Chose To Pursue A Miscarriage Of Justice’)
Aside from the allegations of improprieties, Pishevar was in the news somewhat recently after a letter from a fellow investor revealed he wanted Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington off of Uber’s board of directors.
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