California Looks to Outlaw Sexual Harassment by VCs

As a reformed government executive, I really hate to see matters thrown to the government to correct. Having said that, there is a huge disparity in power between a VC and a founder(s) seeking funding. No founder should be subjected to unwanted advances in order to have a chance at receiving the funding they seek.

I wish we would see a group with influence come forward with a means for holding VCs accountable rather than resorting to seeking government protection. Personally I do think that if a founder is sexually harassed they should be able to sue the offending VC/company, but I fear this will only widen the cavern between women seeking funding and those actually receiving funding. And by with a means, I mean something like what YC did with VCs who were taking advantage of founders with very Unfriendly term sheets not being invited to Demo Days. Maybe something like that could help to keep the VCs in line if their actions kept them from access to deals. Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying that YC should become the gatekeeper/investigator of these issues but maybe tech businesses could come together to form an alliance that would hold VCs accountable for their actions. Although that is not likely to happen I just wish we could find a way that does not involve handing more power/oversight to the government.