# Matt Cohler

> Matt Cohler is one of Silicon Valley's most accomplished yet deliberately low-profile venture capitalists. A Yale music graduate turned McKinsey consultant, he joined LinkedIn as a founding member, became Facebook employee #5 and VP of Product under Zuckerberg, then joined Benchmark Capital in 2008 as its youngest-ever General Partner. His investment portfolio - including Instagram, Tinder, Dropbox, Asana, and Zendesk - places him among the most successful consumer internet investors of his era. Since stepping back from active fund management in 2018, he serves on the boards of KKR, the Yale Investments Office, and the Environmental Defense Fund, and sustains a lifelong devotion to classical music through 17+ years on the San Francisco Symphony board and patronage of the Berlin Philharmonic.

- **Role:** Board Director at KKR & Co. Inc.; Former General Partner at Benchmark Capital
- **Organizations:** Benchmark Capital, KKR & Co. Inc., Oslo Holdings, Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco Symphony, Yale Investments Office, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, FWD.us, Freunde der Berliner Philharmoniker
- **From:** New York City, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. with honors and distinction in Music, Yale University
- **Known for:** Founding member of LinkedIn (2003), Employee #5 at Facebook; VP of Product Management and Special Advisor to Mark Zuckerberg, Youngest General Partner in Benchmark Capital's history at age 31

## Career timeline

- **2001-2003** — Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company, including work in China
- **2003-2004** — Founding member and VP/General Manager at LinkedIn
- **2004-2008** — Employee #5, VP of Product Management and Special Advisor to CEO at Facebook
- **2007** — Joined San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors as Vice President
- **2008** — Joined Benchmark Capital as General Partner - youngest GP in firm history at age 31
- **2011** — Led Benchmark's $7M Series A investment in Instagram at ~$20M valuation
- **2012** — Instagram acquired by Facebook for $1 billion - ~50x return in under 18 months
- **2013** — Co-founded FWD.us with Mark Zuckerberg for immigration and criminal justice reform
- **2018** — Stepped back from active fund management at Benchmark; joined Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Endowment Investment Committee
- **2019** — Departed Uber board of directors; became Vice Chair of Environmental Defense Fund Board
- **2020** — Joined Yale Investments Office Investment Committee
- **2021** — Joined KKR & Co. Inc. Board of Directors; became Patron of Freunde der Berliner Philharmoniker

## Achievements

- Founding member of LinkedIn (2003)
- Employee #5 at Facebook; VP of Product Management and Special Advisor to Mark Zuckerberg
- Youngest General Partner in Benchmark Capital's history at age 31
- Led Benchmark's investment in Instagram at $7M Series A (~$20M valuation); acquired by Facebook for $1B
- Named to Forbes Midas List of top technology investors (multiple years)
- Named to NY Times/CB Insights top 10 venture investors list (2019)
- Featured on Forbes '40 Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40' (2015)
- Co-founded FWD.us immigration and criminal justice reform organization with Mark Zuckerberg
- Board Director at KKR & Co. Inc. (one of the world's largest private equity firms)
- Vice Chair, Environmental Defense Fund Board of Trustees
- 17+ years serving on San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors

## Latest updates

- **2021-01** — Became Patron of Freunde der Berliner Philharmoniker e.V.
- **2021** — Joined KKR & Co. Inc. Board of Directors
- **2020** — Joined Yale Investments Office Investment Committee
- **2019-07** — Stepped down from Uber's board of directors
- **2019** — Became Vice Chair of Environmental Defense Fund Board of Trustees

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcohler
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mcohler
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcohler/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-cohler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05