The Mensarius Oath: An Ethical Code of Conduct for Venture Capitalists

The Mensarius Oath

"As a financial professional that invests in enterprises using personal or investor capital, I hereby pledge to honor these values. If it is determined by myself or a panel of my peers that I have violated these values without reconciliation agreed between all involved parties, then I will voluntarily leave the industry.

• In my profession of finance, I endeavor to help create positive outcomes for all of humanity.
• With my dealings, I create positive outcomes financially and otherwise for all of those involved, including the conscious avoidance of harm to any parties.
• Being in the industry, I will help others to achieve the highest standards that I set for myself and my organization.
• As a steward of the trade, I work against any abuse of power that leads to unfair advantage, seduction, corruption or mistreatment.
• As a person who can affect the outcome, I commit to reducing inequality and increasing fairness in society.
• In honor of the community, I pledge to treat all that approach me with fairness, equality and the attention that each opportunity deserves.
• As a professional, I am open and honest in all of my dealings with those that I serve, including Investors and Founders.
• As part of my work, I keep all matters that are understood to be private with all available protections to keep safe from public or other unwanted disclosure.
• To continuously improve, I solicit and respect feedback from those that I serve and from my wider industry professionals.