Gesche Haas gets ‘I want to have sex’ email from tech entrepreneur
NETWORKING with fund managers is nerve-racking for start-up founders. One woman got a proposition she did not expect — sex. She was not alone.
NETWORKING with fund managers is nerve-racking for start-up founders.
Gesche Haas, from New York, got a proposition she did not expect — sex. She was to find out she was not alone and has decided to speak up about it on valleywag on gawker.
It is very uncomfortable disclosing stories like this - but I believe if we don't talk abt it we make it ok... http://t.co/KblXBFe10H
— Gesche Haas (@geschehaas) August 19, 2014At the event in Berlin, Haas had managed to secure 20 minutes with Pavel Curda, a tech entrepreneur and investor from the Czech Republic, a contributor at TheNextWeb and adviser to Seedcamp, an annual accelerator program for start-ups.
Haas, working at a start-up named Conjure.io, was keen to learn everything she could from her brief talk with Curda.
When she returned to her hotel, she was pleased to see an email from Curda had arrived. But when she read it, she was shocked and upset.
She told valleywag: “I was so flustered. I couldn’t sleep for an hour or two. What did I indicate to him?”
The next day Haas said she discovered that another woman at the conference had received the same email from Curda.
“That eliminated the factor that I’d brought this on myself,” she said.
When she next saw Curda — who says on his website that he specialises in “connecting talent with right investors” and “providing tough love and tactical hands-on help with business strategy, go-to-market, fundraising and hiring” — she told him that his email was ‘inappropriate’ and never spoke to him again.
Haas did not want the story to be made public. Two other American tech women — Amy Vernon and Allyson Kapin — contacted valleywag. Haas then gave an interview.
“I believe that when women see what I posted, next time it happens, they’ll call them out. Opting to be too scared to associate my name to something like this just did not seem to be the right answer, or the type of example I’d like to set.”
As women these are precarious situations...there seems to be so much downside vs. just pretending these things don't happen
— Gesche Haas (@geschehaas) August 19, 2014Her decision has received widespread support.
When the story became public knowledge Curda took to Twitter to explain what had happened.
Many of you witnessed in past weeks, my gmail was hacked. Sorry for weird messages you might have received. Do not open any attachments
— Pavel Curda (@pavelcurda) August 19, 2014
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