Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia is facing a felony charge after allegedly leaving the scene of a hit and run. You can watch a Forbes interview with Tolia from last year in the video above.
The charge against Tolia is a bit ironic, given the fact that his Nextdoor private social network is designed to foster good behavior between neighbors and prevent crime. Here’s what you need to know about this CEO and the developing case against him.
1. Nirav Tolia Charged With One Count of Felony Hit-And-Run
In the video above, you can watch Tolia in an interview with Bloomberg. This interview took place shortly after the company scored over $20 million in funding.
According to Forbes, Tolia is facing just one felony charge. According to the report, Tolia allegedly swerved into a lane of traffic last August. His allegedly erratic driving forced a woman on the road to spin out and crash her car. She and her passenger survived the crash. Authorities state that Tolia was driving a BMW X5 SUV.
2. Charges Against Nirav Tolia Come at an Ironic Time
The Wall Street Journal report above outlines the features and ethos behind Nextdoor.
Not only is it ironic that the CEO of a “good neighbors” social networking app would allegedly flee the scene of an accident, but the timing of this news is also ironic. Earlier this week, CNN featured Nextdoor in an article entitled “Hyperlocal apps help residents fight crime.”
Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia told reporters that people have used his app during the California wildfires. He stated:
“I believe that the best information comes from the authorities, but a lot of times, the authorities don’t have a way to reach people.”
3. Nirav Tolia Also Facing Civil Charges, Has a History of Trouble With the Law
ValleyWag notes that the woman Tolia allegedly ran off the road is also filing a civil suit against Tolia, in addition to the felony charge leveled by the DA.
The site notes that Tolia has had other legal problems in the past:
“Tolia is currently dealing with allegations that he stole trade secrets and infringed on trademark in order to form Nextdoor. And, in 2004, his former cofounders sued Tolia and others for a “pre-conceived scheme” that allegedly defrauded them out of $250 million.”
Court documents related to some of Tolia’s past legal troubles are embedded above.
4. Nirav Tolia Went to Stanford Before Launching Nextdoor
Nirav Tolia is seen speaking on CNBC’s Power Lunch in the video above.
Bloomberg Businessweek notes that Tolia grew up in Odessa, Texas. He then studied at Stanford University. He founded Nextdoor in 2010. These days, the app supports 1,400 communities in 46 states, which BusinessWeek describes as a “mashup of Facebook, Yahoo Groups, and Craigslist.” The app also has neighborhood watch elements.
5. Nirav Tolia Is Linked to the Police Through His Business
Did you meet your #OaklandPolice at their @nextdoor table yesterday? 90% of neighborhoods active; is yours 1 of them? pic.twitter.com/W4mTlCFLF5
— Lt. Chris Bolton (@OPDChris) May 10, 2014
According to a report on SFGate.com, Tolia is a “police-friendly” tech CEO. The publication notes that Tolia recently entered into a partnership with law enforcement:
“Tolia appeared with Oakland police at a news conference at Mosswood Park last month to tout a partnership between [Nextdoor] and the Police Department.”
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Nirav Tolia, Alleged Hit and Run CEO: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know