In 2013, Gurbaksh Chahal allegedly punched and kicked his girlfriend 117 times before attempting to suffocate her, according to police who viewed security camera footage that was later ruled inadmissable in court.
At the time, police were forced to drop their 47 felony charges; and instead Chahal pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour charges, striking a deal to avoid jail time.
But earlier this year, while on probation as part of that deal, he allegedly assaulted a second woman - and was sentenced to a year in jail for the breach of probation. Chahal was granted bail as he awaits an appeal.
In the meantime, he's been handed a job as adviser to Chicago-based venture capital firm NIN Ventures, who appear unperturbed by his history of violence against women including actual convictions and a pending jail sentence.
During an interview on NBC in which she was pressed on the choice, NIN Ventures CEO Nin Desai said she had "always found Mr Chahal to be a thorough gentleman" and that "for me, I am very comfortable having him as a board advisor on my firm.
"I really see no reason for this being a big issue," she added.
But domestic violence campaigners see it differently: "It sends a very disturbing message that this is OK," said Beverly Upton, executive director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, in The Guardian.
"He is awaiting what could be a year's jail sentence, but he's out in the world and we are not sure he's learned anything. We think he's a public safety risk," she said.