Facebook exec to join VC firm Benchmark Capital

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Senior Facebook Inc executive Matt Cohler, one of the online social network's first employees, will join Benchmark Capital this fall as a general partner, the venture capital firm said on Thursday.

Cohler, 31, joined Facebook in 2005 and is currently its vice president of product management.

As a general partner at Benchmark, Cohler will focus on investing in Internet-related start-ups and work closely with companies currently in the venture capital firm's portfolio.

"If you look at the things that I've done and what I'm passionate about, you could basically describe the job as being a venture capitalist," Cohler said in a phone interview. "So this is a natural evolution for me."

At Facebook, Cohler helped lead company strategy and develop its core social networking product, working closely with its engineers and marketers. Previously, he worked at LinkedIn, the online network for professionals he helped found, which recently raised $53 million from investors.

After he joins Benchmark, Cohler will continue to serve as special adviser to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and chief executive, and to the network's senior management team.

Peter Fenton, a general partner at Benchmark, said Cohler had the potential to be "a great venture capitalist," given his "ability to provide counsel to exceptional entrepreneurs" such as Zuckerberg.

Benchmark, which funds early-stage technology companies, has nearly $3 billion under management. The 13-year-old Silicon Valley firm is known for its successful bets on start-ups like MySQL, sold to Sun Microsystems Inc for $1 billion in January, and Tellme Networks, sold to Microsoft Corp last year.

(Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Braden Reddall)