Sexual harassment in tech: Women tell their stories
It was 2001 during the dotcom crash, and Cecilia Pagkalinawan had a tough choice: Raise more money for her startup or let 26 employees go. She set up a meeting with a powerful venture capitalist in New York City, who she hoped would want to invest.Pagkalinawan said the investor scheduled the meeting at an expensive restaurant. When she arrived, he ordered a $5,000 bottle of wine. She said he refused to accept no for an answer when she said she didn’t drink.Pagkalinawan said she can’t recall how many times her glass was refilled. She does, however, remember the VC touching her leg, leaning over to kiss her, and telling her that he wanted to take care of her. She excused herself to the restroom, vomited, then called a friend and fled the restaurant.
