“Darling,” “doll,” “cute”: German tech is far from having its #MeToo
The Süddeutsche Zeitung conducted a survey with stark conclusions in the German startup world, where only 18.8% of founders are women. All of the women surveyed were victims of assault while seeking funding. Elsewhere in the world, the picture is hardly better.
The pompom was the calling card. The gentlemen at the Cologne trade fair had already been annoying the young startup entrepreneur all day, calling her “darling,” “doll,” and “my pretty,” even though they had never seen her before, she says. These men weren’t just anyone; they had power and money—and she was looking for investors.
In the end, one of them slipped her a business card with the name of the hotel he was staying at, his room number, and the word “sex” written in hand. “It was disgusting,” the young woman recalls.
Another startuper talks about a business angel, one of those private investors who inject their own money into a startup. During the pandemic, while out for a walk, he asked her to accompany him to his apartment, supposedly because he wanted to pick up a mask.
“And then he grabs me. He pushes me against the wall. And he kisses me.” As she tries to get away, he pulls down his pants and masturbates in front of her. This is what she reports in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung .
In shock, she runs away in tears, shaking like a leaf. Press charges? She's too scared, she says. When she asks for advice,
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