Neel Somani, the founder and CEO of the Ethereum layer-2 blockchain company Eclipse, has announced that he will be stepping back from his role as a public figure for the company due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Somani addressed the allegations in a post on May 9, stating that the claims are false and that he has never assaulted or harassed any woman. He expressed his commitment to clearing his name and defending himself against the accusations.
Somani also mentioned that Eclipse’s senior leadership is capable of handling the situation and allowing the truth to come to light. Eclipse, in a separate post on May 9, emphasized its dedication to truth and maintaining high personal and professional standards, including gender equality and fair treatment.
When asked for comment, Eclipse directed Cointelegraph to Somani’s posts. However, Somani has not yet responded to the request for comment.
In March, Eclipse announced that it had raised $50 million in a Series A funding round, led by venture firms Hack VC and Placeholder. This brought the total capital raised by the company to $65 million. The company launched the mainnet of its Ethereum layer 2 in September 2023.
Update (May 12, 10:00 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include a response from Eclipse.