There’s no foolproof method to guarantee that a VC shop or startup will be immune to these kinds of problems, but betting on diverse leaders can give investors some peace of mind. Numerous studies have suggested that gender-balanced teams drive better business results-and, perhaps unsurprisingly, research shows that male-dominated organizations have higher levels of sexual harassment than those with more equitable gender dynamics.

　　要避免风投公司或创业公司出现此类问题，并没有一劳永逸的办法，但如果强调多元化领袖，投资者可能会放心一些。很多研究表明，性别平衡的团队业绩会更好，而且更让人吃惊的是，研究显示男性主导的公司比起性别分别均衡的公司更容易出现性骚扰。

　　None of this is lost on anyone who has a stake in Silicon Valley’s success, let alone the limited partners who fund the entire ecosystem, a.k.a. the investors in the investors.

　　想跟着硅谷一同发展的人们显然注意到这点，出资维持整个生态的有限合伙人们只会更加关注，他们是投资人背后的投资人。

　　“In many ways, the venture and startup ecosystem is still a boys’ club-one that all too often excludes, disadvantages, and mistreats talented women who want to contribute to it,” says Melinda Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an investor. “The data tells us that’s harmful to society and bad for business.”

　　“从很多方面来看，风投圈和创业圈都还是男性主导，想投身行业的优秀女性经常遭排挤、歧视甚至受欺负，”梅琳达.盖茨表示。她担任比尔及梅琳达盖茨基金会联合主席，也是一位投资人。“数据显示现状于社会无益，也会影响业务。”

　　Gates is one of a handful of limited partners who have put a collective $181 million into Aspect’s just-announced fund, the firm’s second. Another LP is Cisco Systems , the Bay Area–based networking giant, whose financing arm invests directly in startups and in other funds. “This fiscal year was the first time that we have specifically put diversity into our investment] planning,” says Janey Hoe, a vice president with Cisco Investments. “Just like I have a plan for security and collaboration and data center, we have now put forward a plan for investing in] diversity.”

　　Aspect新募集的基金，也是第二只基金获得1.81亿美元融资，盖茨是其中之一。另一家有限合伙人是思科系统，总部位于湾区的网络巨头，其融资部门向创业公司和其他基金直接投资。“本财年我们做(投资)计划时第一次专门考虑多元化，”思科投资公司副总裁詹妮.霍表示。“我们会为安全、合作和数据中心投资制定专门计划，与之类似，现在也有针对(投资)多元化的计划。”

　　While there have long been small players in the venture capital community who defied the stats and were able to attract some LP money, they tended to be relegated to the fringes of the industry, with less access to sizable funds and the buzziest companies. Now, as Silicon Valley is finally coming to terms with the fact that bad behavior can do more than cause a temporary headache, concerned LPs are taking notice. That opens the door for funds like Aspect, which have made diversity part of their investment strategy from the get-go. The question now: Is this newish breed of VCs truly in a position to challenge the established firms that have long ruled Sand Hill Road? Or is this trend just another one of tech’s passing fads?

　　虽然风投圈里一直有小公司挑战现状吸引到有限合伙人的资金，但以往多是从事行业边缘投资，没什么机会接触大基金和风头正劲的公司。现在硅谷终于意识到，行为不端导致的麻烦可能不只是暂时困扰，所以有限合伙人也关注起来。Aspect之类基金也就有了机会，毕竟其一开始就将多元化纳入投资策略。现在问题是：新生的风投基金有没有机会挑战长期主导沙丘路的老牌前辈们?这股多元化的风潮会不会只是科技行业刮过的一阵风?

　　Even with the brawn of Gates and Cisco behind it, Aspect’s $181 million fund isn’t all that menacing to the status quo when compared with the Valley’s biggest names, many of whom raise single funds worth more than $1 billion. But if the powers behind the money start to reprioritize, we could see the balance begin to tip in the underdog’s direction. If there’s one thing VCs know all too well, it’s that little guys sometimes put the big guys out of business.

　　虽然背后有盖茨和思科支持，Aspect这只1.81亿美元的基金看来还是无法撼动硅谷老牌风投，很多公司一只基金就能融资超过10亿美元。但如果资本背后的势力开始调整，小基金还是有一些逆袭机会。其实风投见惯了这种事，即名不见经传的小公司颠覆大公司。

　　Until recently, LPs have largely stayed in the background, invisible to most who operate day to day in the tech world. But despite their often secretive nature, these wealthy individuals, offices of private family funds, or institutions hold immense power. And venture capitalists say they are starting to ask questions.

　　此前有限合伙人通常在幕后，科技行业从业者很少得见其人。虽然有限合伙人表现得比较神秘，但这些富裕个人、家族私人基金或机构势力强大。风投资本家表示，现在有限合伙人开始提出问题。

　　“They likely believe claims of sexual harassment] are material information,” says Mike Maples Jr., cofounder of Floodgate, a Palo Alto–based VC firm with an investing team that’s 40% female. “In today’s world, if partners engage in unacceptable behavior the entire firm can blow up.”

　　“他们可能认为(关于性骚扰的指控)很重要，”帕洛阿尔托风投公司Floodgate联合创始人麦克.梅普斯二世表示，Floodgate的投资团队里40%是女性。“当前情况下，如果合伙人行为不端，整个团队都可能遭殃。”

　　Limited partners have done significant back-channel reference checking for years. But according to insiders, not only are LPs doing even more intensive vetting these days, but also the people they are talking to are now much more likely to feel a responsibility to out bad behavior. “Now there is more of a culture of people thinking, ‘Hey, you should talk about these things even if they are rumors,’?” says Floodgate’s other cofounder, Ann Miura-Ko.

　　多年来，有限合伙人做了不少重要的背景渠道调查。内部人士透露，现在有限合伙人不仅调查更深入，接触到的人士也都发现有必要清除不良行为。“越来越多人开始想，‘嘿，哪怕只是谣言，也得认真对待，’” Floodgate联合创始人安.三浦-高(Ann Miura-Ko)表示。

　　“This year and in 2017 it has definitely been a lot more top of mind for LPs],” says Lan Xuezhao, the founding partner at Basis Set Ventures, a new, artificial intelligence–focused VC firm. The former Dropbox executive raised $140 million for her first fund and says that while bigger funds have a clear advantage when it comes to leading the largest deals, her dual focus-A.I. and diversity-gives her a leg up.

　　“今年和2017年，这对(有限合伙人)都是头等大事，”一家新成立专注投资人工智能的风投Basis Set Ventures创始合伙人兰雪棹(音)表示。她曾担任Dropbox高管，第一只基金融到1.4亿美元，她表示虽然更大规模的基金做起大型交易来具有优势，但现在的基金也很方便两个主要投资领域--人工智能和多元化。