Hey Dave:

I’ve always thought of you and 500 as a force for good, so it was a shock to hear of this news. I know good has come out of what you, Christine, and all of the talent in 500 has built, and certainly that you have always been open and committed to sharing lots of information that has helped many, many people on their entrepreneurial journey. It was in that light that I became an LP in 500.

Honestly, I don’t know what you’ve really done, I really don’t think we know the half of it, but I think it’s clear you crossed some lines that were not gray, they were black and white.

I don’t feel like rushing to judgement on you, I am afraid that there is a big tendency to do that, and I really don’t know who got hurt and how badly. It kills me that people that make a sincere apology in this world (and Justin Caldbeck/Binary Capital wasn’t sincere, clearly) can be set on fire whereas deniers who are genuine misogynists and documented abusers (like Donald Trump) can continue to get away with murder.

So, yeah… I can say that I appreciate that your apology is an incredibly important start. I can say that I hope that the organization that is 500 continues to do good work, and that, in my experience, 500 has a very good legacy.

And yes, it disgusts me to think that it’s possible that a guy I like and respect (you) could have taken sexual advantage of people that you were overseeing investment decisions on. If you did, and if you did it regularly or routinely, it would be an unforgiveable abuse of power, a continuous conflict of interest, and a self-centered blindness and hypocrisy.

But the truth is, I know nothing right now. So I can’t rush to judgement. I don’t know the scale, I don’t know the characters, I haven’t heard the full story from all sides, you haven’t had your “trial, judged by peers”, and the scale of what has been reported was on the scale of creepy and entirely inappropriate rather than acted-out sexual adventures/advances that traded favors for capital or consideration.

Frankly, I don’t WANT to know the details. It disgusts me, this whole car crash we are watching in the VC community over the past 2 weeks. But it’s important to know that it is out there, that it exists, and that action needs to be taken. I feel a bit “woke”, just like when I saw all those incredibly painful and horrifying videos of cops, under no real threat, shooting innocent civilians. I never knew that world existed, and without the video proof, I felt it had to be made up, but holy shit it’s fucking true. Woke.

I truly hope you are on the side of good, Dave. Like many people, I have to withhold judgement now. As an optimist and a friend, I hope and expect this is a chance for you to grow and to seek to repair wrongdoings, and to take full responsibility.