Biography of Ben Ling: Architect of Digital Innovation at Tech Giants
Biography of Ben Ling:
Ben is the Founder and General Partner of Bling Capital.
He's known for supporting 10 "unicorn" billion-dollar companies, and
he believes there are even more successes to come.
Before founding Bling Capital, Ben served as a General
Partner at Khosla Ventures. His focus was on a wide range of businesses
including consumer, Internet, mobile, marketplace, SaaS, and consumer health.
During his time there, he led investments in notable companies such as Wattpad,
Tapingo, Gitlab, True Accord, and Webflow.
Ben's Academic Background and Recognitions
Ben holds a Ph.D. and Master’s in Computer Science from
Stanford University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
/ Computer Science with a minor in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. He
is also a Department of Defense Fellow and a recipient of UC Berkeley’s Bechtel
Achievement Award, recognizing him as the top graduating senior in the College
of Engineering.
Ben's Career Highlights
Ben's career spans senior roles at tech giants like Google,
YouTube, and Facebook, along with active involvement as an angel investor in
various successful ventures.
Google Ventures
During his time at Google, Ben held the position of Senior
Director of Search and Local Business Products. He was responsible for managing
several key products such as Google Images, Videos, Books, News, and Finance.
Additionally, he founded and managed Google's commerce group, overseeing
initiatives like Google Wallet and Google Shopping.
YouTube Leadership
At YouTube, Ben served as Senior Director of Partnerships
and Platform. In this role, he supervised partnerships related to music,
movies, sports, and news. He also managed collaborations in mobile, television,
and API integrations, contributing significantly to YouTube's growth and
development.
Biography of Ben Ling: Architect of Digital Innovation at Tech Giants
Facebook Innovations
During his tenure at Facebook, Ben made significant
contributions as the first director of the Facebook platform. He played a
pivotal role in fostering the company's developer ecosystem and spearheaded
initiatives in product development, marketing, developer operations, and
partner solutions. Notably, he led the creation of Facebook Connect, a crucial
tool for expanding Facebook's presence across the web.
Ling's Venture Capital Success
Ling, the founder of Bling Capital, began as a solo GP in
2018 and previously worked as a general partner at Khosla Ventures. His
early-stage investments boast an impressive tally of 18 unicorns. Among them
are HR/payroll platforms Rippling and Gusto, valued at $11.25 billion and $9.4
billion respectively. Additionally, he's backed Webflow at $4 billion and small
business CRM HoneyBook at $2.4 billion.
Ben Ling's Diverse Career in Tech and Venture Capital
Ben Ling serves as an Investment Partner at Khosla Ventures,
where he focuses on mobile and Internet, marketplace, consumer health, and data
businesses. With extensive experience in both executive roles and angel
investing, Ben has made significant contributions to various tech companies,
including Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Badoo. His personal investments
include Square, Palantir, Quora, and PracticeFusion, among others. Ben also
holds advisory roles at Pinterest and Pulse.
Notable Investments and Exits
Ling's portfolio includes successful exits like GitLab,
which went public in 2021 at an $11 billion valuation, and ride-sharing company
Lyft, albeit now valued at about a third of its peak value. He's also made
early investments in companies like Airtable, Square, and Palantir.
Ling's Role in Company Boards
Ling is actively involved on the boards of several companies
including Sprout Therapy, Vise, and Tempo. Currently, Ben serves on the board
of several companies, including Wattpad, Tapingo, Academia.edu, TheHunt,
Quantopian, and Pymetrics.
Operational Background and Contributions:
Before venturing into venture capital, Ben holds operational
positions at tech giants like Google, YouTube, and Facebook. Contributes to the
development of Facebook Connect, among other key initiatives.
Ling's Operational Background
Before delving into venture capital, Ling held operational
positions at tech giants like Google, YouTube, and Facebook. Notably, at
Facebook, he contributed to the development of the universal log-in tool,
Facebook Connect.
Some Companies where he invested
- Printify - Multimedia and Design Software
- HoneyBook - Business/Productivity Software
- CSC - Financial Services
- Rippling - Business/Productivity Software
- Boatbound -Social/Platform Software
- Kinnek - Media and Information Services (B2B)
- Airtable - Software Development Applications
- CraftyPixels - IT Consulting and Outsourcing
- Pay By Group -Financial Software
- Delighted - Business/Productivity Software
- Influitive – works with customer-driven digital businesses
- Udemy – online learning and teaching marketplace
- Gobble – 15-minute meal kits right to your doorstep
- Remind - communication platform that reaches students and families where they are and supports learning
