More than 200 venture capitalists publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for the White House on Wednesday, saying Silicon Valley and other industries will collapse without "strong, trustworthy institutions."Signatories to the VCsforKamala pledge include billionaires Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman and Vinod Khosla, as well as industry leaders such as Kleiner Perkins co-founder Brook Byers, SVAngel’s Ron Conway and Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee. The group describes itself as "pro-business, pro-American dream, pro-entrepreneurship and pro-technological advancement."
Venture capitalists are looking for leaders who can create order so businesses and startups can thrive, said Katie Jacobs Stanton of Moxxie Ventures, who signed the pledge. “The alternative is those who have proven themselves to be pure destroyers of the economy, democracy and decency.”
While Silicon Valley has long leaned liberal and Democratic, support for former President Donald Trump has risen recently. CraftVentures’ David Sacks spoke at the Republican National Convention in July and hosted a fundraiser for Trump at his home in San Francisco, while Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have expressed support for Trump, particularly his policies on cryptocurrency and “small business.”
Many Trump supporters in Silicon Valley also applauded his choice for deputy: Sen. James Vance of Ohio, a former venture capitalist. Vance appeared at a fundraiser in East Palo Alto on Monday hosted by BitGo CEO Mike Belshe.