• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVenture Capital

Tesla, SpaceX Director Steve Jurvetson Leaves VC Firm Amid Sex Harassment Allegations

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 13, 2017, 7:01 PM ET

A prominent venture capitalist facing sexual harassment allegations has stepped down in addition to taking leave from the boards of Tesla and SpaceX.

Steve Jurvetson has left Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson following an internal investigation, according to a Recode report on Monday.

DFJ issued a statement saying that Jurvetson and the VC firm parted ways “by mutual agreement.”

“DFJ’s culture has been, and will continue to be, built on the values of respect and integrity in all of our interactions,” a DFJ spokesperson said. “We are focused on the success of our portfolio companies, as well as the long-term vision for the firm and will continue to operate with the highest professional standards.”

The firm’s did not reveal the reason for Jurvetson’s departure. But anonymous sources cited by Recode said “the investigation uncovered behaviors by Jurvetson that were unacceptable related to a negative tone toward women entrepreneurs.”

Jurvetson said on Twitter that he is leaving the VC firm “to focus on personal matters, including taking legal action against those whose false statements have defamed me.”

https://twitter.com/dfjsteve/status/930170825625370624

Jurvetson is also taking a leave of absence from his board positions at aerospace company SpaceX and electric car maker Tesla, “pending resolution of these allegations,” a Tesla (TSLA) spokesperson told Fortune in an email.

Jurvetson, who was one of the first investors in Hotmail, is also a board member of several startups including D-Wave, Memphis Meats, Mythic, Planet Labs, and Synthetic Genomics.

The investor’s departure comes weeks after tech news publication The Information published a report that said DFJ was investigating potential harassment allegations involving Jurvetson. Additionally Keri Kukral, a founder of media startup RawScience TV, alleged in a Facebook posting that “women approached by founding partners of Draper Fisher Jurvetson should be careful,” citing “predatory behavior.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

DFJ operating partner Heidi Roizen later responded to the Facebook posting without mentioning Kukral’s name by saying the behavior described “is patently wrong.” She added that “during the summer this year, we heard about allegations of misconduct by one (and only one) of our partners from a third party.”

Other prominent venture capitalists that have come under fire for sexual harassment allegations include Justin Caldbeck, Dave McClure, Marc Canter, and Chris Sacca.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

AItech stocks
Is the AI boom a bubble waiting to pop? Here’s what history says
By Henry Ren, Carmen Reinicke and BloombergJanuary 4, 2026
4 hours ago
AsiaTariffs and trade
Countries must move beyond seeing AI as a race, where one side must beat the other
By Boris Babic and Brian WongJanuary 3, 2026
1 day ago
Bhargava
CommentaryPasswords
You probably use the same password for 30 different websites. It’s time for a passkey. 
By Rishi BhargavaJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
data center
AIData centers
Angry town halls nationwide find a new villain: the data center driving up your electricity bill while fueling job-killing AI
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
tesla
Big TechAutos
Elon Musk promised a ‘major rebound’ for Tesla in 2025. Instead it fell behind its biggest rival from China
By Paul Harloff, Bernard Condon and The Associated PressJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
Sweden
CommentarySweden
Meet Sweden, the unicorn factory chasing America in the AI race
By Oscar TäckströmJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
CEO of $90 billion Waste Management hauled trash and went to 1 a.m. safety briefings—‘It’s not always just dollars and cents’
By Amanda GerutJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Mitt Romney says the U.S. is on a cliff—and taxing the rich is now necessary 'given the magnitude of our national debt'
By Dave SmithDecember 22, 2025
13 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Bosses are fighting a new battle in the RTO wars: It's not about where you work, but when you work
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 4, 2026
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Bank of America CEO says he hired 2,000 recent Gen Z grads from 200,000 applications, and many are scared about the future
By Ashley LutzJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Meet the 'empowered non-complier': A certain kind of valuable worker who flouts return to office whenever they feel like it
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—'It dumbfounded me'
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
5 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.