Former Google, YouTube, and Facebook executive Ben Ling is joining Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.
There, he'll be leading investments in small mobile and Internet startups that he believes can grow up into huge, multi-billion dollar companies.
Ling's last job was COO of a social startup called Badoo. There he oversaw product, engineering, marketing, operations, business development and corporate development.
In a phone interview, Ling told us he picked Khosla because of its "venture assistance model."
He likes the way Khosla takes a hands-on approach with the entrepreneurs in its portfolio, working with them almost the way consultants might (minus all the fee-seeking).
Ling is not new to startup investing. He tells us he's invested his own money in about 80 early stage companies and that at least three of them – Palantir, Fab, and Square – are now worth more than a billion dollars.
Here are some canned quotes Khosla included in a press release they just sent us:
Ben Ling:“I love the Khosla Ventures approach of backing and assisting entrepreneurs who want to make big, impactful, long-term bets – who are not afraid to risk failure in an attempt to change the world. And the breadth of network and knowledge, along with the uncompromising work ethic of the Khosla team, helps entrepreneurs get the best possible assistance."
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures: “We are thrilled to have Ben join us as he has shown himself to be an effective product executive, as well as a hands-on leader. Our belief in bringing the best venture assistance to our companies is why we’re very excited about the newest addition to the Khosla Ventures team.”
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer:“Ben is an amazing entrepreneurial leader and has a great eye as an investor for both talent and ideas. I'm excited to see him join Khosla Ventures to find and foster the next set of entrepreneurs who will define the technology world."
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