Startup CEO fired for billing $76,120 at strip clubs to company

Eric Gilmore. Pic/Crunchbase

California: Scott Lang, the new chief executive officer of Turvo Inc., wants to emphasize an important corporate policy at his startup: Employees may not entertain clients at strip clubs and certainly not bill those trips to the business. The rule is salient because his predecessor was fired for doing just that.

The board accused co-founder Eric Gilmore of expensing $76,120 at strip clubs over a three-year span and removed him as CEO in May, according to legal filings. Gilmore, 39, didn't deny the accusations, but sued the company, claiming the board didn't follow the proper protocol for his termination. Turvo said it did, and they settled in September. Gilmore declined to comment through a spokesman.

The Silicon Valley startup makes software to help companies track the movement of freight and is backed by about $85 million in venture capital. In his first interview since taking the job, Lang said he's focused on helping the company move past the scandal. When asked about trying to win over prospective clients at stripper joints, he said: "Never have. Never will."

Gilmore remains on the board and is the company's largest shareholder, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly and asked not to be identified.

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