On Friday, jurors concluded that Ellen Pao, a former junior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was neither discriminated nor retaliated against by the famed venture capital firm when she was passed over for promotions and ultimately fired. It was a dramatic conclusion to the five-week trial of Pao, who is today the interim […]
Kleiner Perkins
The “Fuzzy” Logic of Venture Partnerships
The gender discrimination and retaliation case of Ellen Pao versus Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has enthralled Silicon Valley in recent weeks, with everyone now focusing on what a jury that’s set to begin deliberations will decide. But one of the many, bigger questions the trial has raised is whether it will impact how venture […]
In Kleiner Case, Question of Retaliation Moves Front and Center
Yesterday, Paul Gompers, a Harvard Business School professor, testified that Kleiner Perkins has one of the best records in venture capital when it comes to the number of female investors it employs. Gompers had taken the stand as an expert witness of behalf of Kleiner, which is currently fighting a suit brought against it by […]
Mary Meeker Goes to Bat for Kleiner — and Ellen Pao
In a San Francisco courtroom yesterday, Mary Meeker, the star investment analyst turned general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, took the stand, testifying that she has not experienced discrimination at Kleiner and calling the firm the “best place to be a woman in the business.” Kleiner is currently fighting charges of gender discrimination […]
At Ellen Pao Trial, Last-Ditch Efforts By Both Sides
We wouldn’t want to be a juror at the trial of Ellen Pao, the interim Reddit CEO who is suing her former employer, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for gender discrimination and retaliation. While both sides have enjoyed small victories at the trial, many of the “gotcha” moments raised by each have been neutralized when […]
Kleiner Attorney Lynn Hermle Shows This Trial is Far from Over
Defense attorney Lynn Hermle set the stage yesterday for a bruising battle, delivering a series of jabs over the course of roughly four hours as she began her cross-examination of Ellen Pao, the former Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner who is suing the firm for gender discrimination and retaliation. Many of Hermle’s punches landed. […]
With Kleiner’s Snapchat Deal, There Isn’t Much to See
A week ago, the WSJ reported that Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is investing up to $20 million in Snapchat at a $10 billion valuation as part of a larger round that the messaging app is assembling. The piece noted that just months earlier, DST Global had also quietly committed capital — at a $7 billion valuation. The […]
Upstart Takes a Turn Into a Bigger Market
Two years ago, Upstart, a two-year-old, Palo Alto-based company debuted a newfangled funding platform that pairs accredited investors with students or recent graduates who are looking to finance their ideas. The idea, essentially: investors lend their own capital against the future earnings of the borrower, capital that is expected to repaid with interest within 10 years. […]
StrictlyVC: September 20, 2013
Top News in the A.M. Yesterday the California Public Utilities Commission approved the first statewide guidelines in the U.S. for ride-sharing services. The guidelines address things like driver background checks that car companies like Lyft and Sidecar have been implementing from the get-go. But by agreeing to allow the services’ drivers to operate freely as long as they agree to the […]
Kleiner, Ellen Pao and the Reddit Factor
It’s looking like Kleiner Perkins will have to hash it out in court with former partner Ellen Pao, who filed an explosive gender-discrimination lawsuit against the venture firm in May of last year. This Wednesday, Kleiner was denied its request to move the case to arbitration. In response, Kleiner told the Mercury News yesterday that it will “vigorously defend the matter” […]