YouTube star David Dobrik parts ways with Dispo app as investors flee amid sexual assault scandal

YouTube star David Dobrik has stepped down from the board that oversees Dispo, a photo app he co-founded.

Dobrik's exit comes amid a sexual assault controversy he's become embroiled in. A woman, using the pseudonym Hannah, recently claimed to Business Insider that she had a sexual encounter with Vlog Squad member Dominykas Zeglaitis that was filmed by Dobrik for a YouTube video that has since been deleted.

Dobrik and Zeglaitis, who is no longer a member of the Vlog Squad, did not immediately respond to Fox Business' requests for comment.

On Tuesday, Dispo shared a statement on its Twitter account confirming Dobrik's decision to part ways with the company.

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"Dispo unequivocally condemns any form of assault or violence and believes survivors must always be heard and supported. In order to remain true to our mission, we support David’s decision to part ways with the company," the statement begins.

It continues: "We would like to thank the Dispo community for their continued trust in us. We will move forward working hard to build a safe and honest platform that restores joy and authenticity, both online and IRL."

Additionally, in a statement to The Information, the company said: “David has chosen to step down from the board and leave the company to not distract from the company’s growth,” Dispo said in a statement, “Dispo’s team, product, and most importantly — our community — stand for building a diverse, inclusive, and empowering world.”

Reps for Dispo did not immediately respond to Fox Business' request for comment.

According to The New York Times, the sexual assault scandal has also resulted in a number of investors distancing themselves from Dispo, with one cutting ties altogether.

Dispo raised $4 million in October led by Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six, the outlet reports. The company received an additional $20 million this February led by Spark Capital.

On Sunday, Spark Capital announced its decision to "sever all ties" with Dispo.

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"In light of recent news about the Vlog Squad and David Dobrik, the cofounder of Dispo, we have made the decision to sever all ties with the company. We would like to thank the Dispo community for their continued trust in us. We will move forward working hard to build a safe and honest platform that restores joy and authenticity, both online and IRL," the company said in a statement posted to Twitter.

One day later, Ohanian and Seven Seven Six issued their own statement, calling the allegations against Dobrik "extremely troubling."

"The recent allegations against David Dobrik are extremely troubling and are directly at odds with Seven Seven Six’s core values. We have been working closely with Dispo over the last week and are in full support of their decision to part ways with David," the company's statement reads.

Seven Seven Six's statement also reveals the company's decision to donate "any profits from our investment in Dispo to an organization working with survivors of sexual assault."

"We have believed in Dispo’s mission since the beginning and will continue to support the hardworking team bringing it to life," the statement concludes.

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Similarly, Unshackled Ventures, another investor in Dispo, called the claims against Dobrik "disturbing." The company said Monday it plans to donate its profits from the investment to organizations helping sexual assault survivors.

"The recent allegations against David Dobrik are disturbing and counter to Unshackled values. As a female majority team, we do not take this lightly. We are in support of the companies decision to part ways with David and will continue to monitor the situation closely," Unshackled Ventures wrote on Twitter.

Dobrik first amassed fame thanks to his popular Vine account. He has since become one of the most popular YouTube stars in addition to making headlines for his content on TikTok. His YouTube account currently has 18.6 million subscribers.

On Tuesday, Dobrik issued his second apology video in response to the controversy.

"I've put myself in a lot of situations where I've needed to apologize for my past actions and I've never done this correctly and I've never done this respectfully and my last video is a testament to that," Dobrik said.

Dobrik goes on to say he believes the woman's claims against Zeglaitis. The vlogger also claims to have received "consent" to post the video but now understands why he shouldn't have.

"I should have never posted it and what I understand now and I didn't understand before is that she sent that text because she felt like she had to not because she wanted to and that's f---ed up and I'm sorry," Dobrik continued.

"I was completely disconnected from the fact that when people were invited to film videos with us, especially videos that relied on shock for views or whatever it was, that I was creating an unfair power dynamic. I did not know this before. It was completely wrong and I wish I was more responsible and I wish I was more aware at the time. I'm so sorry I missed that," he said.

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Dobrik previously issued a video apology earlier this month in response to the woman's claims about the video he posted involving Zeglaitis. He also included Joseth "Seth" Francois in his apology after Francois claimed he was a victim of sexual misconduct at the hands of Dobrik. Francois claims Dobrik tricked him into kissing Jason Nash for a 2017 prank video.

If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.