Anti-Harassment & Discrimination Policy
Cherry Ventures is committed to a safe professional environment in which no employee, no member of our startup community and no other business partner is discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation, race, religion, age, nationality, gender identity or any other characteristic. Equality guides us as a firm and as people.
This anti-harassment & discrimination policy applies to all employees of Cherry Ventures, including all Partners of the firm. This policy also applies to non-employees at the workplace or non-employees interacting with Cherry employees outside the workspace on Cherry Ventures related business – including but not limited to entrepreneurs, clients, LPs, customers, and vendors. Cherry Ventures will not tolerate harassment & discrimination by its employees or non-employees with whom Cherry Ventures has a business, service, or other professional relationship. We also encourage the entrepreneurs we work with to understand the benefits of these principles and to adhere to the same standards in their own businesses.
Harassment defined
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments or actions that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion and social background, marital status, family care or medical leave status
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following
- Harassing photography or recording
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviours
Harassing conduct can take many forms and may include, but is not limited to, the following: slurs, jokes, statements, gestures, assault, impeding or blocking another’s movement or otherwise physically interfering with normal work or pictures.
Everyone asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.
Discrimination defined
Discrimination includes, but is not limited to:
- Bias or prejudice resulting in a denial of opportunity, or
- unfair treatment regarding selection, promotion, or transfer
Discrimination is practised commonly on the grounds of age, disability, ethnicity, origin, political belief, race, religion, sex, etc. factors which are irrelevant to a person’s competence or suitability.
Reporting
We urge everyone to take immediate action in situations that violate this policy and report to us. If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Harassment reduces the value of our work for everyone. You can report either personally or anonymously:
Report personally
You can contact anyone in our team you feel most comfortable with. All reporting will be reviewed by our Operating Partner and CFO Alexander Langholz Baikousis and General Counsel Moritz Nathusius.
When conducting a personal report, our team will ensure you are safe and you cannot be overheard. We’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are. We won't pressure you to take any action if you do not want to do it. We will respect your privacy.
Report anonymously
Please use the Cherry Whistleblower Reporting Channel to report anonymously. We will fully investigate it and take whatever action is necessary to prevent a recurrence. For a detailed overview of the mechanism behind the Reporting Channel, please refer to the Channel’s own policy document.
Taking Action
As soon as an issue is reported, we speak within our group to determine the right course of action, which may mean we reach out to parties involved in the situation. We treat any information that is reported as highly confidential. Our investigation’s primary purpose is to determine if our policy has been violated. At the conclusion of the investigation, we determine a resolution. Potential examples of resolutions are expulsion from our network, a warning discussion, or education about unconscious bias and workplace harassment. We let each party and any directly involved third party know what actions will be taken. In the event that a crime has been committed, or labour or general law has been violated, we will involve the responsible authorities.
Cherry Ventures is compliant with the Code of Conduct of Invest Europe, formerly the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA).