A recent sexism dispute has brought turbulence to the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA), resulting in the resignation of a board member. The conflict ensued following an ‘inappropriate comment’ made by a fellow director.
The disturbance was sparked when David Milstein, the managing partner of Fidelity’s VC arm Eight Roads Ventures Japan, opened a Slack channel to find a distressing conversation. The incident has since brought attention to the issue of diversity and inclusivity in the Japanese VC industry.
The JVCA, an industry body that represents over 200 venture capital companies, has stated it will soon be communicating a revised set of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The need for greater diversity and inclusion in venture capital and other industries have been a rising matter of concern across the world. This incident further underlines the urgent need for reforms and the establishment of greater regulation to prevent such situations from occurring in the future. With this, the JVCA’s updated initiatives are eagerly awaited.
Investigations into the incident continue, with community members and industry stakeholders anticipating actionable steps to guard against sexism and promote diversity within the association and the wider sector.
