Two British tech entrepreneurs who headed a $800 million events and travel startup spent a whole lot of hundreds of dollars on drug and alcohol fueled parties and ran a “frat boy” culture rife with sexual harassment before the corporate collapsed, according to the report.
Callum Negus-Fancey, 32, and his brother, Liam, 29, founded Verve, an organization that combined tickets to music festivals with stays at luxury resorts that included live shows by stars corresponding to Justin Bieber, 50 Cent and Scooter Bran. The corporate name was later modified to Pollen.
Pollen, which was based within the UK but had a large presence within the US and Poland, raised over $200 million from enterprise capital firms. It filed for bankruptcy in August.
Former company employees told the news portal Insider which the brothers spent extravagantly at mass parties that included widespread alcohol consumption in addition to the use of medicine corresponding to ecstasy, acid, cocaine, ketamine and mushrooms.
“It was harder not to find drugs than to find them,” one former Pollen worker told Insider.
![Callum Negus-Fancey founded Verve, a company that combines tickets to music festivals with stays at luxury resorts.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Callum-Negus-Fancey-.jpeg?w=1024)
In May 2019, the 2 brothers hosted a five-day glamping festival full of acrobatic dancers, DJs and acrobats at a campsite in Mendocino County, California.
The event, which was to rejoice the $30 million enterprise capital injection, cost the corporate $500,000, according to Insider.
![According to the Pollen Report, a UK-based events start-up worth as much as $800 million went bankrupt after the two brothers who ran the company threw lavish parties fueled by alcohol and drugs.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/pollen-concerts-02.jpg?w=1024)
Pollen’s management instilled a celebration culture in the corporate where employees routinely drank hard liquor during work hours, former employees told Insider.
“I just remember coming to the office at 10am and taking pictures, and it was like Tuesday,” a former worker told Insider. The worker said that in his second week with the corporate, he was told to go on a day-long scavenger hunt.
![According to the report, Liam Negus-Fancey (pictured) and his brother spent a lot on parties, bringing their company to ruin.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Liam-Negus-1.jpeg?w=1024)
One other woman Pollen hired in her 20s said she was served mimosas on her first day at the corporate’s Los Angeles office.
“I might describe it as an association, but as a job,” she said.
“And at 20, it was great because I used to be like, ‘Oh my god, first job out of faculty, it’s just a celebration.’
The post asked for Pollen’s comment. An organization representative told Insider that only adults were served alcohol.
![At one party in September 2018, Callum allegedly poured whiskey into employees' drinks without them asking.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Callum-Negus-Fancey-2.jpeg?w=1024)
Former employees also claimed that through the retreat they participated in “speed dating” games during which employees asked one another sexually explicit questions, including: this room in some unspecified time in the future of their careers?
One other flash card that was used through the game included the query, “Would you quite be a virgin eternally or have sex along with your siblings once to break the curse?”
Former employees told Insider that while participation in these “games” was optional, they felt as in the event that they were obligated to participate.
“When you weren’t engaging with it or laughing about it, it was perceived as not funny and never engaging,” said one former worker.
![According to the report, Liam Negus-Fancey was photographed by a former employee who was given an IV after a night of intense partying.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Liam-Negus-Fancey.jpeg?w=739)
Former employees also told Insider that Pollen rents out karaoke bars and ice rinks for so-called “closed” events.
The “lockdowns”, which were ostensibly team bonding experiences, were seen by employees as an excuse to “completely erase”.
Cocaine was freely distributed at an after-party at residences in Los Angeles, an allegation the corporate denied.
![Former employees told Insider that while attending them](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Callum-Negus-Fancey-3.jpeg?w=1024)
At one party in September 2018, Callum allegedly poured whiskey into employees’ drinks without asking them. One in all the employees was a 20-year-old woman.
According to Insider, who cited witnesses, the 20-year-old was so intoxicated she nearly passed out and was unable to keep her head up or her eyes open.
An organization spokesperson denied to Insider that Callum served alcohol to unsuspecting employees and that the corporate all the time made sure it served alcohol to adults.
One other former worker told Insider that she was afraid to look away from her drink for fear that Callum would spice it up with more booze.
![Pollen sold packages that included stays in luxury hotels and concerts of the biggest stars, including Justin Bieber.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/pollen-concerts-01.jpg?w=1024)
In April 2018, a former worker claimed that Liam ran his hand over her lower back and buttocks at a Las Vegas venue that was rented to rejoice the $25 million acquisition of JusCollege, an organization that sells travel packages to college students.
An organization representative told Insider that the allegation was “totally unfaithful.”
Earlier this yr, Pollen’s parent company, Streetteam Software Limited, declared the corporate insolvent.
“Despite strong growth for the reason that inception of Streetteam Software Ltd. eight years ago, the knock-on effect of COVID-19 over the past two years, which has decimated much of the tourism sector, together with the tech stock market crash and current consumer uncertainty in light of world economic conditions, has an excessive amount of pressure on the business while at a critical stage of scaling maturity,” the corporate said.
Just months earlier, Pollen had announced a $150 million fundraising round from enterprise capital firms like Northzone and Lansdowne Partners.
But that wasn’t enough to overcome last yr’s operating losses.