Matt Cohler

Education

KKR's 2026 proxy confirms a Yale B.A., cum laude and with distinction in music; 1stDibs confirms the field and issuer filings support 2001-era chronology.

Boards

Uber's 8-K states Cohler resigned effective July 24, 2019, ending Benchmark's board representation, and expressly says the departure did not result from disagreement with company operations, policies or practices. Cohler resigned at the close of Asana's June 8, 2026 annual meeting after serving since November 2009. The 8-K says the refresh involved no disagreement and was unrelated to operations, policies or practices.

Communities

Current official rosters identify Cohler as vice chair of both Environmental Defense Fund's trustees and the San Francisco Symphony's governors. KKR also confirms investment-committee service for Yale and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Awards

Forbes historical lists rank Cohler No. 68 in 2012, No. 46 in 2013, No. 99 in 2014 and No. 63 in 2015. These are editorial rankings based on estimated outcomes, not audited performance.

More

Secondary biographies report March 27, 1977 in New York City. 1stDibs' March 2026 proxy lists age 48, consistent with that date, but no civil record was reviewed. He worked at AsiaInfo in Beijing and then in McKinsey's Silicon Valley office. Contemporary biographies say AsiaInfo helped build China's Internet infrastructure; exact duties and dates remain incomplete. Cohler says LinkedIn lacked Facebook's bounded campus launch surface, had little early SEO value and therefore relied on privacy-conscious email virality and patient experimentation to reach network liquidity. KKR and New York Times records call him employee No. 7; other contemporary sources call him one of the first five employees hired and Facebook's first external executive. The variation likely reflects founder versus employee counting, so the dossier does not force a single number. Contemporary profiles describe him as overseeing product development and helping drive product direction, strategy, recruiting and organizational growth during Facebook's move beyond campuses. Specific feature-level authorship is not asserted because reviewed primary evidence does not isolate it. Cohler said he and Zuckerberg had discussed venture as his long-term trajectory before Facebook. He compared early-stage investing to his utility-infielder role beside Hoffman and Zuckerberg rather than to leading a large operating organization. Cohler said equal partner economics attracted him because partners collaborate rather than compete internally. That structure supports shared incentives, not automatic personal attribution for every Benchmark deal. Asana says Benchmark led its $9 million 2009 round and Cohler joined the board because the founders already had a close, trusting relationship with him. He served until June 2026; the round total is not a Cohler personal check. Benchmark led Quora's first institutional round and Cohler joined the board after years working with founders Adam D'Angelo and Charlie Cheever. The reported $11 million amount and $86 million valuation were not confirmed by the company or Benchmark. Benchmark led Instagram's $7 million Series A; TechCrunch says Cohler spearheaded it alongside Peter Fenton and took the board seat. Facebook announced a roughly $1 billion acquisition fourteen months later. The funding and sale values are institutional/company figures, not Cohler proceeds. Benchmark supplied Domo's $33 million Series A and Cohler joined its board. Domo went public in 2018 at a sharply reduced valuation after raising more than $700 million; Benchmark held about 12% pre-offering, subject to shared fund control rather than Cohler sole ownership. Benchmark led Duo Security's $12 million Series B after portfolio-company technologists recommended the product and founders. Cohler joined the board and argued mobile, cloud and consumer-grade expectations were remaking security. Cisco acquired Duo for $2.35 billion in 2018. Tinder and Benchmark announced an equity stake and Cohler board seat in 2014. Contemporary reporting says no cash was invested and the small stake compensated time and expertise; Sean Rad called Cohler a long-time mentor. Benchmark and Monashees made a first-round investment and Cohler joined the board in 2010-2011. Baidu bought control in 2014 and sold the company in 2017; later reporting describes 2021 insolvency and shutdown. Exact Benchmark realization or loss is not public. Greylock and Benchmark co-led Edmodo's $15 million Series B and Cohler joined the board. NetDragon acquired Edmodo in 2018 for stated consideration of $137.5 million; in 2022 it closed the free B2C site to cut costs and pursue government deployments. Acquisition value does not establish Benchmark return. Benchmark led Greenhouse's $13.6 million Series B and Cohler became a board observer/representative. TPG became majority investor in 2021; official terms were undisclosed, while Forbes reported about $450 million purchased from existing holders including Benchmark. Fund IX's filing omitted Cohler in 2018, when he was 41. Axios and CNBC described a voluntary step-back with continuing boards and possible investments through older affiliations; current issuer labels remain inconsistent. PortalOne's 2022 Series A and Enode's 2022 Series A name Cohler as an angel/business angel. Neither announcement identifies Benchmark as his investing vehicle or discloses his check; these are treated as personal activity. Archived and secondary records identify Cohler among the 2013 launch supporters/founders of FWD.us, focused on immigration and education policy. A current operating or governance role was not established. Cohler told Time his maternal grandfather invented a ballpoint-pen tip, sold the patent and died poor as an immigrant in East Harlem. The relative was not named and independent patent corroboration was not found, so the anecdote is retained only as his account.

From Matt's own website — common ground for a warm intro.