Code of Conduct
Our mission is to help entrepreneurs launch and build impactful and successful companies through which we strive to deliver superior returns for our investors. We work for the benefit of our portfolio companies and Limited Partners. We have learned over the years that 'doing the right thing' is always the best choice.
We believe that acting with the highest ethical standards in pursuing our mission will, in both the short-term and the long-term, best enable us to fulfill this mission. We’ve crafted a Code of Conduct to which we hold ourselves accountable and hold similar expectations for the founders and portfolio companies for which we invest.
This Code of Conduct revolves around three key principles, which form the cornerstones of our mutual relationships and the expectations we set within our own teams and the broader ecosystem.
We give first
We help others whenever possible. We are all busy, but when the ask is sincere and realistic, we respond and help. We are respectful of each other’s time and are clear and focused in our requests.
We deliberately create a virtuous cycle. We proactively work to give back to the ecosystem by giving first to others in our community with no specific expectations of return.
We appreciate the help of others. No one goes it alone – venture and startups are a team activity. We express our appreciation for the help of our investors, founders, partners, customers, advisors, and others that make our success possible.
We act with integrity
We are honest and transparent. If we say something either publicly or privately, then we believe that it is true. We do not intentionally omit important and relevant factual information in an effort to deceive others. We strive to be clear and transparent in our communications.
We protect sensitive information. When we are entrusted with sensitive, confidential or personal information we use appropriate measures to secure it. We respect requests for privacy and confidentiality.
We communicate with our investors. We will send an update on our business at least every quarter and be responsive to their inquiries.
We disclose known conflicts of interest early. We err on the side of too much disclosure.
We do not steal intellectual property, assets or related content. We encourage and respect independent, innovating thinking.
We treat others with respect
We commit to non-hostile, open, and welcoming workplaces. We commit that founders, Limited Partners, employees, partners, customers, and visitors feel accepted and free to express their opinions, concerns, and needs with an expectation that they will be heard and respected. We communicate professionally and appropriately at all times.
We don’t tolerate illegal discrimination or harassment in any form. We will train our employees to recognize and address such conduct, and we will not associate with advisors, investors, employees, contractors, founders, or others who discriminate or harass others.
We encourage and embrace diversity. We believe that excellence and insight can be found from all quarters, and we believe deeply that consideration of diverse perspectives and experiences leads to the best choices and, ultimately, the most successful results. We will proactively endeavor to build and measure diversity in our own activities and will challenge our portfolio firms to do the same.
We are committed to building inclusive work environments that reflect and value the diversity of people and cultures found in the world, which we believe leads to better companies. To ensure that our commitment to diversity and inclusion are tangible we adopt the Kapor Capital Founders’ Commitments, a set of four actions known, as “G.I.V.E.” (Goals, Invest, Volunteer and Educate).
We stand up for others. We appropriately intervene in situations when we witness violations of this Code.
We participate in both offline and online forums with respect. We participate in respectful discourse in all forums. We do not comment anonymously or with false identities.
We keep our promises. If we commit to do something, we do our best to do it. If we can’t keep our promises for some reason then we strive to make it right in any way possible.
We encourage professional development. We do everything we can to ensure the happiness and professional growth of our employees.
We avoid gossip. We don’t share disparaging comments and rumors about others. We are constructive in our feedback and always provide it directly to the individual or company to which it pertains.
We require fair pay for equal work. We are committed to ensuring everyone receives fair compensation (to include all forms of equity and benefits). We appreciate the commitment employees make to the success of companies and hold true that they must be compensated without regard to ability status, age, ancestry, civil union, class, color, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military service (current or past), national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or other status. We agree to be committed to eliminating all forms of pay inequality.