"Masha Bucher, a Silicon Valley VC and founder of Day One Ventures, took to X this week to address news reports documenting her close business and personal relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bucher's name - primarily under her maiden name, Masha Drokova - appeared in the latest dump of Epstein files over 1,600 times, The San Francisco Standard reported. "He made me feel I could be safe from the regime, someone with power and connections who could shield me" from threats she associated with her home country Russia, which she said she feared after she obtained her U.S. green card, she wrote in the post."
""I was naive; I didn't dig deep enough early on," she wrote about why she agreed to work with Epstein. "I believed his story that his earlier conviction was about sleeping with a girl who lied about her age and trusted validations from multiple investors and scientists." She also apologized to her founders, team and investors, saying that this situation has "caused pain I never intended.""
"The documents show that Epstein supported and encouraged her in the early days of Day One Ventures. The firm has since grown substantially - as Bucher told TechCrunch, it closed its most recent fund, a $150 million third vehicle, in 2024, bringing its assets under management to $450 million. Some of the most salacious details from the emails involve Epstein giving her money and a Prada bag, and on one occasion, asking her for nude photos - though there's no indication whether she complied - according to SFGate. Bucher is certainly a well-known VC in the Valley, having backed breakout companies like Superhuman,"
Masha Bucher acknowledged a close business and personal relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and appeared frequently in the Epstein files. She said Epstein made her feel protected from threats she associated with Russia after obtaining a U.S. green card. She described herself as naive, said she trusted Epstein's explanations about his prior conviction, and apologized to her founders, team and investors for the pain caused. Documents show she acted as Epstein's publicist in 2017, helped rehabilitate his reputation, and arranged journalist meetings. Epstein provided early support to Day One Ventures, which later closed a $150 million fund and reached $450 million in assets under management. Emails allege gifts from Epstein and a request for nude photos with no public indication of compliance.
Read at TechCrunch
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