Masha Bucher Addresses Business Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Masha Bucher, a prominent Silicon Valley VC and founder of Day One Ventures, recently took to X to address reports linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The San Francisco Standard reported that Bucher’s name appeared over 1,600 times in the latest dump of Epstein files, primarily under her maiden name, Masha Drokova.
In her post on X, Bucher revealed that Epstein made her feel safe from perceived threats associated with her home country Russia. She admitted to naivety in not thoroughly investigating Epstein’s past before agreeing to work with him. She expressed regret for any pain caused to her founders, team, and investors.
The documents reveal how Bucher, originally from a social media and public relations background, became Epstein’s publicist in 2017 to help rehabilitate his tarnished reputation. Forbes reported that Epstein supported her early days at Day One Ventures, which has seen significant growth since then, with assets under management reaching $450 million.
Some emails detail Epstein giving Bucher money and gifts, including a Prada bag, and requesting nude photos, though compliance is unclear. Despite the controversy, Bucher has backed successful companies like Superhuman, Remote, and Truebill. This incident is not her first brush with scandal, as she was previously associated with a pro-Putin youth group in Russia.
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Bucher stated that she has since renounced her Russian passport, denounced Putin publicly, and met with some of Epstein’s victims. While her name appearing in the Epstein files is not unique among VCs, it does raise questions about her professional judgment. The documents do not suggest any legal wrongdoing on her part, but her continued correspondence with Epstein until shortly before his arrest in 2019 has raised eyebrows. Epstein’s death in jail a month later further complicates the narrative.
