At a Glance
- Kate Lowry, ex-Insight Partners VP, filed a disability & gender-bias suit Dec 30 in San Mateo County
- Claims 30% below-market pay, forced 17-hour days, and retaliation after medical leaves
- Fired one week after attorneys raised concerns
- Why it matters: Suit spotlights ongoing VC culture issues echoing the 2012 Ellen Pao case
A former Insight Partners vice-president is taking the growth-equity giant to court, alleging a toxic pattern of disability and gender discrimination that ended in her May 2025 termination.
Harsh Start
Lowry joined Insight in 2022 after stints at Meta and McKinsey. Almost immediately, she says, the person she was to report to was switched.
The new female supervisor allegedly demanded she stay online:
- 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily
- Holidays and PTO included
- Redundant tasks while junior men joined calls
Lowry claims the manager vowed her hazing would be “longer and more intense” than for male peers, at one point shouting:
> “You need to obey me like a dog; do whatever I say whenever I say it, without speaking.”
Medical Leaves & Return
The environment, she says, left her increasingly ill, prompting a physician-recommended leave from Feb-Jul 2023.
On return, HR warned: “If the new team does not like her, she would be fired.“
A September 2023 concussion triggered a second leave; she came back late 2024 only to find:
| Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2024 Pay | ~30% below market |
| April 2025 | Told comp would be cut |
Termination After Complaint
Through counsel, Lowry sent Insight a letter detailing her treatment in May 2025. One week later the firm terminated her, the suit states.
Lowry told News Of Philadelphia:
> “Too many powerful, wealthy people in venture act like it’s OK to break the law… I’m trying to change that.”
Insight Partners did not immediately respond to News Of Philadelphia‘s request for comment.
Key Takeaways
- Suit filed Dec 30 in California Superior Court, San Mateo County
- Allegations span disability bias, gender discrimination, wrongful firing
- Echoes Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins, a 2012 case that shook VC culture
- Lowry seeks accountability, citing systemic under-payment and abuse
If the case proceeds, it could again pull back the curtain on venture-capital workplace practices.
