Masha Bucher, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and founder of Day One Ventures, addressed news reports this week regarding her close business and personal relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bucher’s name, primarily under her maiden name Masha Drokova, appeared in the latest release of Epstein documents over 1,600 times.
In a public statement, she explained her initial association with Epstein. She said he made her feel she could be safe from the regime, describing him as someone with power and connections who could shield her from threats she associated with her home country of Russia, which she feared after obtaining her U.S. green card.
Regarding her decision to work with him, she wrote that she was naive and did not dig deep enough early on. She said she believed his story that his earlier conviction was about sleeping with a girl who lied about her age, and she trusted validations from multiple investors and scientists. She apologized to her founders, team, and investors, stating this situation has caused pain she never intended.
The released files detail how Bucher, whose career began in social media and public relations, agreed to become Epstein’s publicist in 2017. Her work involved helping rehabilitate his reputation after his 2008 sex-trafficking conviction and setting up meetings between him and various journalists.
The documents show Epstein supported and encouraged her in the early days of Day One Ventures. The firm has since grown substantially, closing its most recent fund, a $150 million third vehicle, in 2024, bringing its total assets under management to $450 million.
Some of the more salacious details from the emails involve Epstein giving her money and a Prada bag. On one occasion, he asked her for nude photos, though there is no indication whether she complied.
Bucher is a well-known VC in Silicon Valley, having backed breakout companies like Superhuman, Remote, Worldcoin, and Truebill, as well as others like Valar Atomics.
The episode is particularly awkward for a VC whose stated expertise to founders is in public relations and helping them with their public image. This is not Bucher’s first encounter with controversy. When younger, she was known in Russia as a member of Nashi, a pro-Putin youth group. She was featured in a 2012 documentary called “Putin’s Kiss,” named for a widely circulated moment where she kissed Putin’s cheek.
In her statement, she said she has since given up her Russian passport, publicly denounced Putin, and met with some of Epstein’s victims.
She is not the only venture capitalist whose name has been found in the Epstein files, which is unsurprising given his connections to many prominent figures in technology.
The documents do not indicate that Bucher broke any laws. However, reports note she was engaged in friendly correspondence with Epstein until just eleven days before his arrest in July 2019. Epstein died in jail roughly one month later.